Pro Motocross Championship
Mechanicsville, MD
Budds Creek National
MONSTER ENERGY® PRO CIRCUIT KAWASAKI RIDER LEVI KITCHEN SECURES PODIUM FINISH AT BUDDS CREEK FINALE
Monster Energy® Pro Circuit Kawasaki’s Levi Kitchen charged through the field at Round 11 of the Pro Motocross Championship at Budds Creek, earning third overall with a solid (4-3) finish to finish the series. Garrett Marchbanks continued his consistent season, going (8-3) for fourth overall and holding third in the championship standings. Ty Masterpool delivered a strong (6-6) performance for sixth overall, while Drew Adams found his rhythm with a (5-10) result for eighth and was also awarded Rookie of the Year. Seth Hammaker battled back from a Moto 1 mechanical issue to finish 13th overall (36-7). Monster Energy® Kawasaki rider Jorge Prado showed his trademark starting speed but settled for 10th overall (11-12) in the 450 class.
Budds Creek Results
Levi Kitchen
“It was a much better day for me. Practice went well, and in the first moto, I worked my way up to fourth. I wish I had a better start, but overall it was solid. The two red flags were a little weird, but I’m happy to finish the day on the podium. It definitely gives me a bit of a confidence boost heading into SMX, and I’m looking forward to finishing the season strong as we move into the Playoffs.”
Garrett Marchbanks
“It was a solid day at Budds Creek today. I ended up with a career-best third overall in the points, which was awesome. Starting off the day, I was able to qualify P3, which was sick and a lot more consistent than I’ve been this outdoor season. In Moto 1, I had two terrible starts, even after the red flag restart, my launch control button popped off the clutch block right as I let it go, so I had to fight through the pack and ended up eighth. In Moto 2, I finally nailed a great start for the first time all season. I was running inside the Top 10, making some good moves, then another red flag came out and I got pushed back a couple of spots. That kind of sucked after doing all that work, but I just had to make the passes again. I had a hard-fought battle with Nate [Thrasher] for most of the moto, got around him, and tried to charge after Levi, but he was too far gone. I finished fourth on the day and third overall in the championship. I wish I could’ve grabbed the podium with Levi, but overall it was a solid day. To get my career best in points, I’m pretty happy with that.”
Ty Masterpool
“Overall, it was a really good day, even if the results didn’t totally show it. I was charging all the way to the end in both motos and even made passes on the last lap. I went 6-6 for sixth overall. The biggest struggle was my starts; they were terrible, and on a track like this, if you don’t get a good start, it’s tough to run up front. Both motos I had to come from way back, but I kept pushing, and there’s a lot of good to take from it. My fitness is night-and-day better, and I’m really excited about where I’m at. It’s a bummer this is the last round of the season, but I’m looking forward to what’s next.”
Drew Adams
“It was a fun season of outdoors. I had some ups and downs, but overall a good day. Qualified P2, and Seth just got me on the very last lap, so that was exciting. In Moto 1, I finished P5, not my best, but still solid, and in Moto 2 I finished P10. The highlight of the day was earning Rookie of the Year. That was my goal from the start of the season, so I’m really pumped to have achieved it. Now it’s time to take the next step into SMX.”
Seth Hammaker
“It was a pretty good day here at Budds Creek for the last national of the year. I qualified P1, which was cool to grab another one of those, and it was awesome for the team to finish 1-2-3 in qualifying. In Moto 1, I got a second-place start, but we barely got a lap in before the red flag. On the restart, the gate was tilled a little differently, so I didn’t get as good of a jump. I was riding really well until about three laps to go when my chain came off. That was a bummer, but stuff happens, and you move forward. For Moto 2, I had an outside gate pick, but ripped a really good start and came around fourth or fifth, which felt great. After a few sprint laps, another red flag came out, and thankfully, it was a staggered restart because I wasn’t sure I could pull another start from that far outside. Honestly, after the restart, I felt a little flat and didn’t ride my best, finishing seventh. Not terrible, but not where I wanted to be. Overall, I’m glad to make it out healthy through the whole outdoor season. I had some minor setbacks here and there, but that’s part of racing. Now I’m focused on SMX and ready to go after wins there.”
Jorge Prado
“The Pro Motocross season has come to an end, and while it wasn’t the year I expected, I’m still thankful for the experience. Coming into the season, my goal was to battle for the championship, win races, and earn podiums, and even though things didn’t go as planned, I learned a lot along the way. It was a challenging season, but challenges make you stronger. Now I’m focused on taking those lessons, figuring things out with the team, and coming back ready to fight at the front again.”
