Levi Kitchen Suffers Broken Shoulder Blade in Crash

Levi Kitchen took to Instagram early this morning to announce an injury. The Monster Energy/Star Yamaha Racing rider said about three weeks ago he crashed and broke his scapula (shoulder blade) and ended up “doing minor damage" to his rotator cuff. Because of the time off the bike, the Washougal, Washington, native also states he hopes to be ready for the 250SX East Region of Monster Energy AMA Supercross, where he will be making his AMA Supercross debut.

Kitchen burst onto the scene in 2020 at the Monster Energy AMA Amateur National Motocross Championship at Loretta Lynn’s Ranch when he went six-for-six in his motos in the 250 B Limited and 450 B Limited classes, followed by six total #1 A plates (and the Dunlop Silver Tire Award) only a few months later at the THOR Mini Os. Then “After mini os I got the best phone call of my life!” when he was offered a spot with Monster Energy/Star Yamaha Racing.

Kitchen made his pro debut at the 2021 RedBud National round of the Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship, finishing 9-19 for 12th overall. He then returned to the Ranch for the final time, claiming both the 250 Pro Sport (3-1-2) and the Open Pro Sport (3-1-1) en route to earning the 2021 Nicky Hayden AMA Motocross Horizon Award. Afterwards, he made the jump to the pro scene full-time and competed in the remaining five rounds of Pro Motocross, finishing with a best of eighth overall at the Unadilla National (12-7 moto finishes). In the second-to-last-moto of the year at the Hangtown Motocross Classic, Kitchen finished a season-best sixth. His 104 points in the season earned him 19th in the 250 Class standings, and the solid showing this summer also earned him national #59 for 2022. 

The 250SX East Region is set to begin February 19 with the Minneapolis Supercross at U.S. Bank Stadium, only a few days after Kitchen’s 21st birthday. For the second straight year, the Yamaha team will have six 250SX riders with Jeremy Martin, Justin Cooper, Colt Nichols, Christian Craig, Nate Thrasher, and Kitchen—plus two 450SX riders in Dylan Ferrandis and Eli Tomac. Nichols and Cooper are expected to defend their respective titles from 2021 (Nichols in 250SX East and Cooper in 250SX West), but aside from Kitchen the coast for each of the remaining riders has yet to be determined.

Below is his full post.