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FOUR PODIUMS IN A ROW FOR LEVI KITCHEN AND MONSTER ENERGY PRO CIRCUIT KAWASAKI
Foothill Ranch, Calif. (June 29, 2025) - Monster Energy® Pro Circuit Kawasaki rider Levi Kitchen extended his podium streak with a hard-fought third-place overall finish (2-4) on Saturday’s Round 5 of the Pro Motocross Championship at The Wick 338. Garrett Marchbanks found his rhythm on the calendar’s only sand track, powering to a solid seventh overall (6-8). Seth Hammaker maintained a strong pace throughout the day, securing eighth overall (9-9), while Ty Masterpool overcame adversity after a crash in Moto 2 left his goggles filled with sand, salvaging ninth overall (8-11). In the 450MX class, Monster Energy® Kawasaki’s Jorge Prado delivered his best performance of the season, showcasing his sand-riding skills with a fifth overall finish (5-6). Teammate Jason Anderson showed impressive speed early on, but battled illness throughout the weekend and finished 38th overall (36-33).
Monster Energy® Pro Circuit Kawasaki riders started Saturday strong with solid qualifying results. Hammaker and Masterpool qualified fourth and sixth, while Kitchen and Marchbanks slotted into 13th and 14th, respectively. In Moto 1, the team came through the first turn with Hammaker and Kitchen both inside the Top 6 and Marchbanks in ninth. Masterpool, just outside the Top 10, began working his way forward. Hammaker was gaining ground on the lead pack before clipping the rear wheel of another rider and going down, remounting outside the Top 10. Kitchen capitalized, quickly moving into the Top 5 and eventually charging into a podium position, where he stalked second the entire moto. Marchbanks showed the strength of his KX™250, making calculated passes to reach fifth by the halfway mark. Masterpool maintained a steady pace inside the Top 10, finishing eighth, while Hammaker recovered from his early tip over to take ninth. Marchbanks battled hard through the closing laps, ultimately finishing sixth. On the final lap, Kitchen made a strategic pass to secure second place.
In Moto 2, all four riders launched into the Top 10 off the start. Kitchen quickly advanced into a podium position, eventually closing in on the race leader. Hammaker settled into sixth but dropped to ninth by the checkered flag after a tough second half. Marchbanks fell outside the Top 10 early but rebounded with strong lap times, climbing to eighth by the finish. Kitchen faced late-race pressure, briefly dropping back after nearly sliding out, but regrouped and pushed to finish fourth, earning his fourth consecutive overall podium. Masterpool overcame early adversity after a crash and vision issues from sand-filled goggles, salvaging 11th with a late-race push.
In the 450 Class, Prado and Anderson kicked off the weekend with solid qualifying performances with Prado clocking the fastest lap in the second timed practice as the track got rougher and closer to race conditions, which boosted his outlook for the motos. The smoother first practice times granted Prado fourth and Anderson 11th gate pick. When the gate dropped for Moto 1, Prado’s No. 70 KX™450SR slotted into the Top 5 early, while Anderson hovered just outside the Top 10. Prado began charging forward, skillfully using alternate lines to work his way into fourth, including an inside move after scrubbing a roller. Meanwhile, Anderson broke into the Top 10 with a series of calculated passes, briefly connecting with the lead pack. Prado continued his push into a podium position but went down while battling, remounting to finish fifth. Anderson climbed to seventh before the illness he’d been battling all week forced him to retire from the race.
In Moto 2, Prado rocketed out of the gate and nearly claimed the holeshot, quickly settling into second place. He set his sights on the leader and began applying pressure, showcasing impressive speed and comfort in the deep sand. Anderson, although sick, was determined to line up for the second moto and started in 12th. Despite pushing through for most of the moto, Anderson was forced to pull off with five laps to go after symptoms of his illness returned. Prado continued to show strong pace holding second until clipping the rear wheel of a lapped rider caused him to lose the front end in the deep sand and go down. He remounted in sixth and mounted a late charge but ultimately crossed the line in sixth. Despite a tip-over in both motos, the reigning World MXGP Champion showed promise and secured his best result of the season with fifth overall on the day.
“Overall, it was a pretty good day for me. Qualifying went better in the second session. The first one was rough, so my gate pick ended up being okay. I had decent starts in both motos and made some quick passes early on. That’s four third-place finishes in a row now, so I’m just trying to keep building. In the second moto, I felt a lot better, but I cramped up pretty bad a few laps in. I need to get some things figured out with my nutrition and recovery, eating better and staying on top of it. But aside from that, it was a solid day.”
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Levi Kitchen
“The results didn’t really show it, but it was definitely a step in the right direction. In the first moto, it was super hard to pass. I was getting held up a lot, but I kept charging all the way to the last lap and felt good. My lap times were solid, so that was a positive. Unfortunately, in the second moto, I didn’t get the best start. It was okay, but I got pushed around on the first lap and had trouble making passes again. I tried to dive inside to get out of the roost because I couldn’t see, but it was slick off the main line and I slid out. When I went down, my goggles filled with sand, and I basically couldn’t see anything after that. Every time I hit a bump, dirt would kick up into my goggles, so I was trying to ride in a way that kept the dirt low. It was tough, and I was basically riding blind the rest of the moto. Again, the results didn’t reflect the effort, but I felt strong, and it’s a step forward. I’m excited for next weekend and looking to keep building from here.”
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Ty Masterpool
“It’s always been a bit of a struggle for me at Southwick, and I was just trying to find my flow out there. Qualifying wasn’t ideal. I’ve been having a tough time the past couple of weeks on these East Coast tracks. I was 14th in the first session, then improved to eighth in the second, but overall ended up 14th. In Moto 1, I felt pretty solid. I got an okay start, around 14th, and worked my way up to sixth. The track was super tough to pass on, and I ate a lot of roost, but I made it work. In Moto 2, the start wasn’t great. I got shuffled pretty far back coming out of the first turn and had to go to work from there. The track was really rough and not ideal to be coming from mid-pack both motos. I started to fade a bit at the end of the second moto, which hasn’t happened to me all year. We’re going to figure some things out with the bike, but the team’s been awesome and super supportive helping me through it.”
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Garrett Marchbanks
“Southwick started off pretty good. I felt strong in both qualifying sessions—fourth in the first and second in the next, but the times usually come from the first session, so I went into Moto 1 with fourth gate pick. I got a decent start, was running Top 5, but ended up running into the back of another rider on the first lap and went down. I was pretty far back but fought my way up to ninth, so I was happy with that ride. In the second moto, I had another solid start around fifth, but about halfway through, I started feeling it and faded a bit. I just tried to ride smart and not make any big mistakes, so I brought it home in ninth again. With 9-9 moto scores, I ended up eighth overall. Not a bad day, but I’m focused on continuing to improve. I’m looking forward to some of the tracks coming up and just staying positive, working hard during the week, and building from here.”
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Seth Hammaker
“I was P5 overall today at Southwick, which is definitely a little bit better. I had pretty good speed in practice, but I made a few mistakes during the motos that cost me a podium. I think it was a decent day overall. I’m looking forward to continue putting in some good work over the next few weeks and get closer to the front.”
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Jorge Prado
“Today just wasn’t good at all. I think I qualified 11th in practice, which wasn’t too bad, but things went downhill from there. In the first moto, I got a decent start inside the Top 10, but I’ve been feeling pretty under the weather, and I ended up throwing up in my helmet during the race. Going into the second moto, I felt the same coming on again and just couldn’t push through it. I ended up pulling off and taking a DNF. Not the day I wanted, but I’ll focus on getting healthy and come back stronger.”
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Jason Anderson