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LEVI KITCHEN MAINTAINS THE RED PLATE HEADED INTO THE SMX FINAL AND KADE JOHNSON IS CROWNED SMX NEXT WORLD ALL-STARS CHAMPION
Monster Energy® Pro Circuit Kawasaki rider Levi Kitchen captured the 250SMX Moto 2 win at Playoff 2 of the SMX World Championship™ in Los Angeles to take third overall and maintain the red plate heading into the SMX Finale in Ridgedale, Missouri. Teammate Drew Adams claimed the first SMX moto podium of his career with a third-place finish in Moto 1 and finished the day seventh overall (3-14). Cameron McAdoo rounded out the Top 10 with a 10th-place overall finish (14-7), while Nick Romano pushed through the day for 16th overall (11-21). Monster Energy Kawasaki rider Garrett Marchbanks put together two consistent motos for seventh overall (10-8).
Monster Energy Kawasaki Team Green™ rider Kade Johnson crossed the finish line in second place and, combined with his win in Playoff 1, he secured the SMX Next World All-Stars Championship. His teammate, Vincent Wey, suffered a crash early in the first qualifying session that resulted in an ankle injury, forcing him to sit out the remainder of the day.
In 250 Qualifying, Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki riders took the first session to learn the track and develop their line choice. In the second session, each rider bettered their times with Kitchen fifth overall, Adams seventh, Romano 19th and McAdoo 23rd.
Romano and McAdoo’s qualifying results set their gate picks headed into the Wild Card Race. Both riders got off to less-than-ideal starts at the back of the field, but put their heads down to fight for a transfer spot into the night show. McAdoo steadily moved up from seventh to fourth in the short, but intense five-minute plus one-lap race. Romano held a tight battle in the closing moments to hold off the pressure from behind and cross the line in the final transfer spot. Following the race, the rider who finished ahead of Romano was penalized one position for cutting the track, moving the No. 141 Kawasaki into fifth.
In 250 Moto 1, Adams rocketed off the gate aboard his KX™250 to place himself into podium position off the start. Kitchen quickly caught up to the rear wheel of his teammate on the opening lap, while Romano and McAdoo ran inside the Top 10. Adams shuffled positions with the rider behind him through the opening stages, but maintained his speed to capitalize on a mistake from another rider late in the moto. Kitchen stayed near his teammate until midway through the moto when he had a small tipover in the bowl turn after the long rhythm section, dropping him back to 10th. Kitchen regrouped and worked his way back into seventh at the checkered flag. Romano and McAdoo maintained strong Top 10 speed through the race until Romano slipped to 11th in the closing moments and McAdoo suffered a crash that led him to finish in 14th. Meanwhile, Adams continued his strong charge at the front of the field to secure the first SMX moto podium of his career with a third-place finish.
Before the gate drop in 250 Moto 2, Kitchen made a last-minute front wheel swap on the line after his mechanic noticed an issue after the sight lap. Kitchen stayed calm while the team was able to make the swap in time, and Kitchen grabbed another impressive start in fifth place, while his teammate Romano launched off the gate with an incredible second-place start. McAdoo and Adams were close behind with Top 10 starts.
Kitchen locked in and charged through the field, setting the fastest lap of the moto and taking the lead by the halfway mark. McAdoo also came back stronger in Moto 2, working his way through the field and climbing as high as fifth before eventually settling into seventh at the checkered flag for 10th overall.
As the race unfolded, Adams was momentarily pushed off the track by another rider, causing him to lose valuable time. He worked to regain positions, but with limited passing opportunities, he had to settle for 14th in the moto and seventh overall. After a strong start to the moto, Romano worked to maintain the pace of the field as he continued to build back lost seat time following his back injury, ultimately crossing the finish line in 21st for 16th overall. Meanwhile, Kitchen showcased his raw speed aboard his KX™250 as he pulled away from the field, eventually taking the checkered flag with nearly a six-second lead. The win earned him third overall on the night and allowed him to maintain the red plate heading into the finale.
In SMX Next, Johnson entered Playoff 2 with the red plate, leading the championship standings heading into the race day. During qualifying, Johnson showed his raw speed as he bettered his time in the second session to take fastest qualifier.
In the SMX Next Main Event, Johnson launched off the gate and immediately put himself into podium contention. He avoided the chaos in front of him on the opening lap and maintained a battle with the leader through the short eight-minute plus one lap moto format. With the championship in sight, Johnson maintained his position to cross the line in second place and earn the coveted SMX Next World All-Stars Championship.
In 450 Qualifying, Marchbanks faced challenges in the first session before making some adjustments to the bike heading into the second session. He put together a much-improved time after making the changes to secure sixth overall.
Marchbanks headed into 450 Moto 1 with a strong sixth overall gate pick and lined up on the far inside. Without the jump he needed off the gate, he was quickly squeezed out heading into the first turn and came through the opening lap mid-pack. Making up the most positions on the first lap, he worked his way through the field and continued battling on the fast-paced track. Marchbanks worked his way as high as ninth for several laps before ultimately crossing the finish line in 10th.
In 450 Moto 2, Marchbanks got a better jump on his KX™450, entering the first turn in eighth. He quickly set his fastest lap early in the race and moved up to sixth before slipping back to ninth. Regrouping at the halfway point, Marchbanks found his flow and charged through the final laps to move himself back up to eighth at the finish line, and secured seventh overall. Marchbanks heads into the finale sitting sixth in the championship standings.
“The first moto was pretty bad; I didn’t ride like myself, but the second one was much better. I had a talk with Mitch after the first moto, and he helped straighten me out so I knew I needed to turn it around. Having to change the front wheel right before Moto 2 wasn’t ideal, but I think it got my intensity up a bit. I’m stoked to still have the red plate. It’s coming down to what I expected; no matter what I feel like with this series, you’re going to have fireworks at the end. I put myself in a good position right now, and I’m excited with where I’m at and look forward to ending the year as best as we can.”
– Levi Kitchen
“It was definitely a 50/50 day. Getting my first SMX moto podium was a great experience, and I was really happy with that first race. Moto 2 was frustrating. I got pushed off the track, and from there it was really difficult to make passes. I’m going to hit the reset button this week and make the most of those triple points at the finale.”
– Drew Adams
“It was a pretty up-and-down day. Coming through the Wild Card meant I had a tough gate pick, but I was making progress in Moto 1 before I had a mistake and went over the bars. I bent the bars up pretty good, so 14th was all I could manage. In Moto 2, I got a better start and found a much better flow to finish seventh. Coming back after missing so much racing this summer hasn’t been easy, but I’m proud of the effort and looking forward to giving it everything at the finale.”
– Cameron McAdoo
“There were a lot of positives to take away from today. In Moto 1 I ran inside the Top 6 for a while, but I just didn’t have much left toward the end and finished 11th. Moto 2 started well, but I was pretty flat. I still don’t have many days on the bike since my back injury, so right now I’m doing everything I can with the time I’ve had. We’ll keep working this week, and I’ll give it my best again at the finale.”
– Nick Romano
“The day was solid. We found some good settings for the second qualifier, and I ended up getting sixth overall. Moto 1, I was kind of struggling with myself, and I just couldn't find a flow. I wasn’t hitting my lines how I’d like, but got through it for 10th. The second moto, I was off to a way better start. I was around seventh for a little bit, but I was having similar struggles as Moto 1 where I couldn’t find my flow. I was trying to force passes and got passed by a couple of guys, and so I realized I needed to back it off a little bit and focus on riding better. I was able to regroup at the halfway point, and the last seven laps were really good. I hammered down, got around some guys for eighth place and seventh overall. After the last couple of weeks, I had some big crashes, especially last weekend, injuring my knee and ankle, and my crash on practice day Friday was not ideal for my body. So I’m happy with the Top 10 finish and being sixth overall in the series. I plan to just keep it going and end the season strong.”
– Garrett Marchbanks
“It’s a gumbo of emotions right now. I’m obviously very excited to get the championship, but I really would have liked to get the win too. Looking at the big picture though, I’m super happy with the day. I went 1-2 in the playoffs and qualified fastest here today, and got my fifth SMX Next podium in a row. I’m ready to take time to celebrate this win and then get back to training.”
– Kade Johnson