We all like to bench race about rider versus rider and put the onus on the athlete each weekend, but the reality is that bikes matter. Levi Kitchen went from would-be title contender and nearly guaranteed race winner to not even a podium guy for a few 250 races in the AMA Pro Motocross Championship. He was getting some heat from the critics, likely the fans on social media. What was wrong? Well, he hates to admit this, but it really came down to bike setup.
“The bike in all honesty,” when asked what changed for him to suddenly net a 1-1 at the FXR Spring Creek National. “I don't ever like saying that, but, yeah, round one, it was pretty good because Pala is probably the slowest track on the circuit, but we got to these faster tracks, I was way too soft. Yeah, I'm finally getting more comfortable. Even though it seems like I've been on the bike a long time, and I have, but on outdoors, you know, it's definitely a little different than the Yamaha was. So, it's getting a lot better though. I'm stoked on it now.”
Kitchen had the bike in the place he wanted it at RedBud, which showed with an improvement in the final moto of the day with a third. Leading into Millville he was able to fully focus on riding and training instead of testing, and the final piece was in place. Millville, by the way, marked the first Pro Motocross overall win of his career.
“I finally made it happen!,” said Kitchen in the Monster Energy/Pro Circuit Kawasaki press release. ”It has been a long time coming and ever since that third place moto finish in RedBud, it was game time. I focused solely on intensity throughout the week coming up to Spring Creek and everything fell into place. In both races, I made crucial early passes and managed to keep up with the leaders, which allowed me to capitalize on my opportunities. Overall, I'm pleased with my bike's performance and my fitness level, also excited to head back to my hometown to put on a show in front of my friends and family.”
Yes, Washougal, where he’s from (literally) looms next weekend. As for Spring Creek, he had to win a mega battle in the first moto. Haiden Deegan crashed while leading and Kitchen took the lead. He opened up a gap and then fell himself in the same spot where Deegan went down. From there Jo Shimoda and Tom Vialle applied heat, but Kitchen held strong to net the win.
“First moto, I had to fight hard for that one. It was pretty warm. I think everybody would attest to that. So I had to dig in that one and then moto two just had to let the race come to me. I fell on the first lap and then just slowly tried to make my way up.”
The second moto was wild, with muddy conditions after a mid-day storm and a delay in the program, and then a huge first-turn crash. Kitchen avoided that but then crashed himself. From just inside the top ten, he rallied all the way back to win it, passing rookie Casey Cochran for the win.
“It honestly wasn't as bad as I thought,” he said of the conditions. “I didn't take a sight lap. I know most people did. But, I mean, I also did fall on the first lap because I probably was trying a little too hard, but it was just slippery.”
So how about Washougal this weekend?
“I mean, obviously, the crowd will be sick,” he says. “But it really depends. I heard they're bringing in a lot of sand, like a ton. So that should be pretty sick. Washougal is pretty start dependent. I mean, as long as you're up there, you can do pretty well. So I feel pretty good there. It always depends on the prep. Hopefully it's not too dry and hot but we'll see.”
