With one holeshot, everything changed for Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Levi Kitchen, who had averaged 15th place position on the first lap of the first four motos of the year. Then he led the pack from the start in the fifth moto of the year, at the Toyota Thunder Valley National, and held on for his first-ever moto win. It was also the first time he had visited this track, because Kitchen only turned pro full time at the end of last season.
He had to scratch and claw to hold on for an overall podium, because he got caught in a crash early in moto two. His 1-5 finishes were enough to net third for the day. The Washington native talked about it after the race.
Levi, we can’t say enough about that first moto performance. I don't think anybody has ever doubted your speed. You were able to turn the speed up at any given time. We’ve seen impressive rides from you – pro debut, then injury, then back. Man, how satisfying was this? Take us through your day.
Levi Kitchen: It was good. It was a good day. That first moto was unreal. These first few rounds I’ve been coming from the back, so I knew I needed to get a good start and ended up ripping the holie. I saw Jett and J-Coop behind me, I just tried to hit my marks. Honestly like Jett said, we kind of just maintained. Everybody was going fast. It was hard to make up time on this track today. I really noticed that in the second moto. I fell first lap. I sprinted at the beginning and to be honest, 15 minutes in, after I got around Jo, I was pretty done. I had to work really hard for that one. All in all, it was an amazing day. I look forward to doing it again, for sure.
You did work really hard because the question was, will he be able to recover for the second moto? You certainly did. Right when it looked like possibly you might have hit the wall, you opened it back up. That had to be pleasing.
Yeah. To be honest, once my mechanic told me I was in fifth, I thought I was fourth overall on the day. I was like, J-Coop is a ways out. I was pretty bummed. Then two laps to go he gave me “podium” on the pit board and it fired me up. So, I was like, I’m not letting Jo get me! I’m just going to dig until the end.
![Kitchen coming around through turn one in the lead.]()
Kitchen coming around through turn one in the lead. Align Media ![Levi Kitchen]()
Levi Kitchen Align Media ![Kitchen led his first Pro Motocross laps at the third round and delivered a career-first moto win as well.]()
Kitchen led his first Pro Motocross laps at the third round and delivered a career-first moto win as well. Align Media ![First career moto win ✓]()
First career moto win ✓ Align Media ![Kitchen finished 1-5 for third overall, his first overall podium in his ninth Pro Motocross event.]()
Kitchen finished 1-5 for third overall, his first overall podium in his ninth Pro Motocross event. Align Media
The first moto win, they always say after you get one, they come easier. Do you feel more confident now? What did that win do for you? I know you haven’t had a lot of time to let it settle in, but you know the speed now. Do you feel like you can carry that over for the next few rounds?
Yeah, for sure. It honestly felt exactly how I thought it would. It’s just like riding at the [GOAT] Farm with the guys, to be honest. Once you get a clear track, it makes life a lot easier. You can just hit your marks. There’s not really much in the way, besides getting into lappers. Obviously, that’s a bit of a struggle. It gave me a lot of confidence, so I’m excited.
Thunder Valley 250 Class Moto 1 Results
| Rider | Time | Interval | Best Lap | Hometown | Bike | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Levi Kitchen | 15 Laps | 2:19.545 | Washougal, WA  | Yamaha YZ250F | |
| 2 |  Jett Lawrence | +9.448 | 2:20.050 | Landsborough, Australia  | Honda CRF250R | |
| 3 |  Justin Cooper | +19.145 | 2:20.521 | Cold Spring Harbor, NY | Yamaha YZ250F | |
| 4 |  Hunter Lawrence | +25.540 | 2:20.782 | Landsborough, Australia | Honda CRF250R | |
| 5 |  Seth Hammaker | +36.180 | 2:21.491 | Bainbridge, PA | Kawasaki KX250F |
Thunder Valley 250 Class Overall Results
| Rider | Hometown | Motos | Bike | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jett Lawrence | Landsborough, Australia | 2 - 2 | Honda CRF250R |
| 2 | Hunter Lawrence | Landsborough, Australia | 4 - 1 | Honda CRF250R |
| 3 | Levi Kitchen | Washougal, WA | 1 - 5 | Yamaha YZ250F |
| 4 | Justin Cooper | Cold Spring Harbor, NY | 3 - 3 | Yamaha YZ250F |
| 5 |  Jo Shimoda | Suzuka, Japan  | 7 - 6 | Kawasaki KX250F |
You’ve been saying you just need to get the start. Everybody says that, but then you did and you made it work. How does it feel to validate having said that?
Yeah. It was huge. Obviously, I kept saying it, but to back it up, I knew I could and I finally kind of proved that, I think. I’m stoked. Like I said, it came a lot easier when you get a start like that. I’ve never done it. I don’t even know if I’ve started in the top five in an outdoor. Even my second one, it gave me confidence from that first one. The second start, I kind of botched the jump but I still came out maybe eighth or so before I fell. So, I would take that any day of the week. It was a big day for me.
What was going through your mind in the second moto when you went down when you got collected in that crash?
To be honest, after I got my bike up, for a few laps I was like, my day is kind of ruined now. Then I started clicking off some pretty good laps. I honestly started passing some guys pretty quick. The big, old triple that they had, this uphill triple, every time I’d jump it I’d take a look over my shoulder and I’d see Hunter and J-Coop and Jett. I was like, I’m not really losing time to them. So, I made a few quick passes, got Jo and the after that I kind of just stayed where I was.
