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Levi Kitchen Secures Top 5 Finish at Hometown National
Monster Energy® Pro Circuit Kawasaki rider Levi Kitchen retains the red plate after securing fifth overall (6-6) at his hometown race in Washougal, Washington, for Round 8 of the Pro Motocross Championship. Teammate Drew Adams battled through the tough elements for 12th overall (12-11). Monster Energy Kawasaki rider Cornelius Tøndel overcame a difficult start to Moto 1 to finish 18th overall (17-18). Garrett Marchbanks exhibited the potential for a breakout day with impressive speed in qualifying, but a Moto 1 crash would end his day early.
In 250 Qualifying, both Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki riders recorded their fastest laps during the opening qualifying session, while the track was at its smoothest. Adams secured fourth overall, while Kitchen followed closely in seventh.
In 250 Moto 1, Kitchen jumped off the gate with a promising Top 10 start until a rider in front of him went down and he was caught up in an unavoidable second-turn pileup. His bike became tangled with another, costing valuable time before he could remount and begin charging through the field. Meanwhile, teammate Adams avoided the opening lap chaos as he took the outside line through the second turn. The No. 47 Kawasaki put on an impressive come-from-behind charge as he passed 29 riders, climbing from 35th to sixth by the checkered flag. Adams settled into a consistent pace after the opening laps, picking up speed as the moto unfolded and recording his fastest lap late in the race before finishing in 12th place.
In 250 Moto 2, Kitchen was buried in the pack down the start straight, while Adams' inside-to-outside line helped propel him into the Top 10. Kitchen made the most of the opening lap, passing nine riders as he continued to work his way through the field. By the closing laps, he had worked his way into sixth and engaged in a tight battle for fifth. After expending a significant amount of energy during his Moto 1 comeback ride, he was unable to execute the pass and settled for sixth, securing fifth overall. Kitchen heads into the two-week break maintaining the points lead with a seven-point advantage. Meanwhile, the opening laps proved challenging for Adams, as he lost several positions before finding his rhythm and regaining momentum. The No. 35 climbed his way back through the rankings, moving into 11th to finish the moto and take 12th overall.
In 450 Qualifying, Marchbanks wasted no time showcasing his speed at one of his stronger tracks of the outdoor schedule. The No. 36 KX™450SR jumped to the top of the leaderboard late in the opening session until he was pushed back to second, less than four-tenths of a second from the fastest time. Tøndel put in two consistent sessions to earn 10th overall as he continued learning the tricky Washougal soil for the first time.
In 450 Moto 1, Tøndel powered out to a Top 10 start before another rider collided with him in Turn 2, dropping him back to 35th. Marchbanks emerged from the first turn towards the middle of the pack. Both riders quickly began working their way through the field. Marchbanks' determination to move to the front showed as he passed 16 riders on the first two laps. Unfortunately, tragedy struck on Lap 3 for the No. 36 when he crashed exiting the rollers at the top of the hill, resulting in an awkward fall that would leave him unable to finish the moto and ruled him out for Moto 2. Tøndel put together an impressive recovery of his own, advancing 18 positions to finish 17th.
In 450 Moto 2, Tøndel started just outside the Top 15 and continued adapting to the unique Washougal layout, which differs from his familiar European-style tracks. As the moto progressed, the No. 417 found a stronger rhythm and recorded his fastest lap during the closing stages. Tøndel crossed the finish line 18th, securing 18th overall for the day.
“There have been a lot of first turn crashes for me this year, and I’m getting pretty tired of picking my bike up, but I did what I could to salvage as many positions as possible. In the second moto, I didn’t have much in me. I put a lot out there in the first moto to get up there, and then in the second moto I was trying to go where I went in the first one, and it wasn’t quite working, leading me to get stuck at a slower pace. The results may not have shown it, but today was the most fun I’ve had here. I’m glad to be leaving healthy and look forward to a little time off headed into the break.”
– Levi Kitchen
"Washougal was good, but I know I'm capable of more. I just struggled a bit with finding my rhythm, especially in the beginning of the motos. The speed is there, and I felt really good in qualifying, but I need to execute my starts better and put myself up front earlier in the motos. We're making progress every week, and I feel strong on the bike. Now it's about building that consistency and giving myself better opportunities from the start."
– Drew Adams
“I’m pretty irritated with how the day ended today. I was feeling really comfortable and fast on the track. I just had an unfortunate crash coming out of the rollers. My back end started to swap, and I ended up landing on my arm pretty awkwardly. I got checked out by the Alpinestars medical crew and confirmed nothing was broken. I’ll head back and get an MRI on Monday and go from there. Hoping a bit of rest during the two-week break will do it some good.”
– Garrett Marchbanks
“I didn’t start off great in qualifying, I rode pretty stiff, and I was struggling a bit. I was 10th in qualifying though, so not a bad result. First moto I actually had a good start until I got hit in the second turn and went down. I went from practically last to 17th. Second moto my riding was a bit worse in the beginning, but then I turned it around a bit in the second half. I’ll have a week off to rest at home and then we’ll do some testing the second week and come back stronger for Unadilla.”
– Cornelius Tondel
