Kitchen Scores Debut Moto Win for Podium Finish at Thunder Valley
Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Levi Kitchen earned his first podium with a dominant first moto victory and a fifth-place finish to score third overall at yesterday’s Thunder Valley National. Justin Cooper took home a pair of third-place finishes for fourth overall in challenging conditions at Round 3 of the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship in Lakewood, Colorado. The team’s young rookies joined them in the top 10, with Matthew LeBlanc earning a career-best eighth overall (10-9) and Nick Romano in 10th with a 9-13 moto score. Thrasher charged to eighth in the first moto but, unfortunately, crashed in the second moto and was unable to finish, ending the day 16th.
Kitchen had a solid qualifying result in 10th, but then came out swinging with a brilliant holeshot in the first moto. The Washington rider kept a hot pace up front to lead from start to finish for his first moto win in the pro ranks. He didn’t get the start he was hoping for in the second moto and found himself 11th after the first lap. Kitchen put his head down and tried to make his way to the front for the overall victory, advancing to fifth by Lap 6, where he would ultimately finish. He tied his teammate Justin Cooper in points, but his stellar moto victory would be the tiebreaker and land him his first overall podium. The teammates are also tied with 100 points in the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross 250MX Championship, with Kitchen sitting fourth and Cooper fifth at this early stage in the title chase.
Cooper got a great start in the first moto from the fifth gate pick and was battling up front in second. He tried to hold off the series points leader but was shuffled to third on Lap 2, where he would finish to join his teammate on the podium. The New Yorker got another great second-place start in Moto 2, but it was a bit of deja vu as he found himself third on the second lap. Undeterred, Cooper kept pushing and tried to make his way back to the runner-up spot but came just shy in the end. His 3-3 moto score put him fourth overall.
LeBlanc had a standout performance at the Thunder Valley Motocross Park. After qualifying 13th, the young rookie got a good start in ninth and rode a solid moto to finish 10th. He got an even better start in the second moto in sixth and put in the laps to cross the line ninth and end the day eighth overall.
The team’s other rookie, Nick Romano, also enjoyed a top-10 result. Although he struggled in the second qualifying session and was 19th, he got a great start in the first moto and was sixth. He kept pushing in the challenging conditions and eventually finished ninth. The New Yorker got another good start in the second moto, in seventh but unfortunately was unable to find his comfort zone in the rough conditions of the final moto of the day, and crossed the line 13th for 10th overall.
Thrasher had a tough start to his first moto, finding himself 23rd after a tip-over on the first lap. The Tennessee rider quickly got to work and made a heroic charge back to eighth. He got a good start in the second moto, but unfortunately came together with another rider and was unable to finish the race, ending the day 16th overall. Thrasher will seek evaluation from his doctors after the weekend and an update on his status will follow at a later time.
The Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing team heads east next weekend for the High Point National, Round 4 of Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship in Mt. Morris, Pennsylvania, on Saturday, June 18.
Jensen Hendler
Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing 250 Team Manager
“Overall, it was a good day for the team. Everybody pretty much qualified well, with three of our guys in the top 10, and then Moto 1 started off really well with two guys right up front. Levi led the first lap and just checked out. We’re really proud of him. He wasn’t feeling well in the morning, so it was awesome for him to win that first moto. Justin was there as well and got third in the first moto, so it was great to have two guys on the podium.
“Levi finished fifth in the second moto and ended up third overall for his first overall podium, which is awesome. Justin yo-yoed a little bit out front in the second moto and ended up third, which was good. We’re continuing to go in the right direction with him, and we know with a little bit of time, we’ll be up front with those guys and be able to contend for overalls and wins.
“It was another tough day for Thrasher. He was up there in the second moto and ended up colliding with another rider right before the mechanics’ area and went down and was unable to continue. That was a bummer for him, but we look forward to more races with him. He’s continuing to improve, so we’re happy with that.
“Our rookies are also making a lot of progress. Matt LeBlanc ended up going 10-9 for eighth overall, which is awesome. We’re three races into the championship, and it just shows that his heart is in it. He’s doing everything he needs to do to be a frontrunner, and with a little bit of time, he’ll be there. We’re happy with his performance and the progress he has made and will be keeping him in the Pro Motocross Championship for the rest of the season.
“Romano had a good day in 10th overall. He finished ninth in the first moto, which was great but struggled in the second moto. This weekend they flopped the order, so we had the fourth moto of the day, and the track conditions were really rough. He just wasn’t gelling with the bike, so we’ll continue to work hard to get him comfortable and be able to fight up front in these second motos. We’re excited about the future.”
Levi Kitchen
Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing
“It was a good day in Colorado. I got a great start in that first moto and ended up winning it! Then in the second one, I got a mediocre start and then fell on the first lap and charged back up to fifth and got third overall. It’s my first podium, so I’m stoked! It’s a little bit easier than I thought it would be, to be honest, and I can’t wait to race again next weekend.”
Justin Cooper
Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing
“The day was good overall. We had a consistent day, but the speed wasn’t there the whole time. We felt really comfortable towards the end of the moto, which is a good feeling. That’s when the track is at its worst, and we were able to feel good pushing. So, that’s something to take away from today, but we’ve really got to start challenging at the front more and be a little bit more aggressive. We’re going to take it from there, work on that, and show up next week ready to go.”
Matthew LeBlanc
Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing
“It was a good day and a big step in the right direction. We went 10-9 for eight overall today. We’re learning every time we go out there, and I’m happy with the improvements. I’m excited for the rest of the season. It was kind of my goal to prove that I should be here for all 12 rounds. I accomplished that, and now it’s time to keep this thing going. I’m looking forward to High Point next weekend.”
Nick Romano
Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing
“It was an up-and-down day. I was P19 in qualifying, which wasn’t good, but I put that behind me. I finished ninth in the first moto, which I was happy about, and then 13th in the second moto, which I’m not really happy about. I made a bike change that didn’t work out, and that’s on me for the second moto. We live and learn, though, and I’m leaving here healthy and ready to go for High Point.”
