June 1, 2025

Levi Kitchen Leads Pro Circuit Kawasaki to Strong Results at Hangtown

The Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki team powered through the Northern California heat at the Hangtwon Classic for Round 2 of the 2025 Pro Motocross Championship. The team walked away with all five riders inside the top 15, with a podium finish from Levi Kitchen (3-3). Garrett Marchbanks took fifth overall (7-5), Ty Masterpool took eighth overall (4-16), Drew Adams took 13th overall (19-7), and Seth Hammaker took 15th overall (6-40).

Kitchen rebounded in a big way this weekend after a tough opening round at Fox Raceway. Despite qualifying in 16th, Kitchen came into Moto 1 with motivation. After starting mid-pack, he settled into seventh and began clicking off passes. He moved into podium position with just over a minute remaining on the clock, battling for third. Kitchen would finish in third and land on the podium for the first time since Detroit SX. In Moto 2, Kitchen quickly charged into the top five and eventually took over second before settling into his second, third-place finish of the day - his 3-3 performance earned him his first overall podium of the season.

"It was a much better day for me overall," said Kitchen. "Qualifying didn't go the way I wanted - It started off a little slow-but I was able to reset and turn things around once the gate dropped. My starts still need some work, but I managed to get out decent enough to put myself in a position to move forward. I made some good passes on strong guys in both motos and just focused on riding smart and staying consistent. Ending the day with 3-3 finishes for third overall feels really good, especially after how last weekend went. We're making progress, and I'm excited to keep building from here."

Marchbanks kept his early-season momentum going with another strong ride at Hangtown. He qualified fourth and overcame an 18th-place start in Moto 1. Slicing through the field to make consistent passes and push into the top ten by lap six. With half the race remaining, Marchbanks made three more passes to finish seventh. In Moto 2, Marchbanks battled his way to the front, starting in 12th but fighting between fifth and fourth place. Capitalizing on his competitors mistake, he moved into fourth briefly but would get passed at the end and take fifth, rounding out his fifth pace finish overall.

"Overall, Hangtown was a solid day," said Marchbanks. "Qualifying went well, I was fourth overall and felt strong on the bike. Moto 1 was similar to last weekend. I struggled off the gate and rode a bit tight early on, but I managed to work my way up to seventh. We made some changes before Moto 2, including switching tires, and I got a much better start. I was running up front but got shuffled back after a crash in front of me. I regrouped, made some good passes, and got up to fourth. Unfortunately, a couple mistakes in the final laps dropped me back to fifth. Despite that, I'm happy with the progress - my speed and fitness are there. I'm looking forward to keeping the momentum going into Thunder Valley."

Masterpool showed strong pace in qualifying, landing third fastest despite battling illness and high temperatures. In Moto 1, he ran up front the entire race, briefly moving into third before being passed by Kitchen in the final minutes to finish fourth. Moto 2 was a tougher battle; Masterpool struggled to make passes after starting mid-pack, and he held on for 16th, Placing him eighth overall.

"It was a pretty gnarly day," said masterpool. "I came down with the flu a few days ago and had been throwing up for the last few nights - even between motos today. I couldn't keep anything down, so I just focused on riding smart and conserving energy. In moto 1, I did what I could and salvaged a fourth. I was close to third, but Levi got me with a couple laps to go. In Moto 2, I had a decent start but got shuffled back after some chaos in the first few turns. Racing with a fever in this kind of heat was no joke-it turned into survival mode. Still, we made solid progress with the bike this week, and I'm looking forward to getting healthy and coming back strong next weekend."

Drew Adams faced adversity early but showed heart all day. After qualifying 20th, he launched from 26th off the gate in Moto 1 and battled through to finish 19th. In Moto 2, he bounced back with an impressive ride - starting in sixth, holding strong, and crossing the line in seventh, placing him 13th overall.

"Hangtown had its high and lows," said Adams. "Qualifying didn't go the way I wanted - I was 20th overall after struggling in the first session. In Moto 1, I had one of the worst starts I've ever had and just couldn't find my flow in the heat, finishing 19th. We made a tire change before Moto 2, and that really helped. I got a much better start, run up front, and finished seventh. It felt good to turn the day around."

Hammaker started the day with a strong sixth-place qualifying run. In Moto 1, he got out front early and ran third for much of the race before settling into sixth. Unfortunately, in Moto 2, Hammaker was caught in a first-turn collision that ended his day early, laving him 15th overall.

"The day started off strong for me with a solid qualifying and a good flow heading into Moto 1," said Hammaker. "I felt comfortable early on, and got a great start, and was able to run up front for most of the race before finishing sixth. Unfortunately, in Moto 2, I got caught up in a crash right after the start and wasn't able to continue. It's a tough way to end the day, especially after feeling so good earlier, but I'll regroup this week and come back ready for Thunder Valley."

The Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki team will head east to Colorado and Thunder Valley Motocross Park for Round 3 next Saturday.

250MX Class Results - Hangtown Classic

1. Haiden Deegan, Yamaha, 1-1
2. Jo Shimoda, Honda, 2-2
3. Levi Kitchen, Kawasaki, 3-3
4. Julien Beaumer, KTM, 8-4
5. Garrett Marchbanks, Kawasaki, 7-5
6. Jordon Smith, Triumph, 11-6
7. Mikkel Haarup, Triumph, 10-9
8. Ty Masterpool, Kawasaki, 4-16
9. Dilan Schwartz, Yamaha, 9-13
10. Michael Mosiman, Yamaha, 5-17
13. Drew Adams, Kawasaki, 19-7
15. Seth Hammaker, Kawasaki, 6-40

250MX Class Points Standings

1. Haiden Deegan, Yamaha, 100
2. Jo Shimoda, Honda, 88
3. Julien Beaumer, KTM, 67
4. Garrett Marchbanks, Kawasaki, 65
5. Levi Kitchen, Kawasaki, 52
6. Tom Vialle, KTM, 52
7. Michael Mosiman, Yamaha, 47
8. Ty Masterpool, Kawasaki, 46
9. Chance Hymas, Honda, 45
10. Seth Hammaker, Kawasaki, 45
12. Drew Adams, Kawasaki, 21

 

---

 

May 24, 2025

Garrett Marchbanks Leads the Charge at Fox Raceway to Open the Pro Motocross Season

The 2025 Pro Motocross Championship kicked off with the first gate drop of the season at Fox Raceway, where the Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki team delivered a strong team performance. Garrett Marchbanks led the charge with a sixth overall finish (6-5), displaying front-running speed and consistency. Seth Hammaker went (8-7) for seventh overall, Ty Masterpool went 7-15 for 10th overall, Drew Adams went 9-14 for 11th overall, and Levi Kitchen went 10-38 for 16th. Each rider battled the dry Southern California terrain to open the season.

Marchbanks delivered an impressive performance, showing his speed early in the day with a P4 result in qualifying. After a rough start in Moto 1, Marchbanks charged through the pack to secure sixth. Moto 2 started stronger for Marchbanks, clocking the fastest lap two laps in a row and shwoing true grit. Marchbanks would charge from ninth to fifth, rounding out a solid sixth place overall.

"It felt awesome to be back on the 250," said Marchbanks. "I didn't get the best starts, but I made moves quickly and found good flow. I was P1 in the second qualifying session for a while and ended up fourth overall. That gave me cinfidene going into the motos. I gave it everything I had and tried to push at the end. Sixth overall is a solid start, and I'm excited to keep building from here."

Coming off a strong Supercross season, Hammaker showed his speed and determination in his outdoor return. After qualifying sixth, he launched into the top five off the start of Moto 1 but had a small tipover just before the halfway point. He remounted quickly to finish eighth. Moto 2 saw him satrt inside the top five again, running consistently inside the top group to secure seventh and a solid seventh overall.

"It was a pretty good day at Pala," said Hammaker. "Qualifying went well, and I got decent starts in both motos. That first moto, I was running third or fourth early, then tipped over. I got back up and made a few more passes to finish eighth. The second moto was intense at the beginning - I got into a rhythm and held on for seventh. It's a good place to start the series. We'll keep improving and come into Hangtown even stronger."

Masterpool came out swinging in Moto 1 after a tenth-place qualifying result. Nearly grabbing the holeshot, Masterpool defended second early on, holding his ground before he would fall back to finish seventh. In moto 2, he started in eighth but encountered a late-race challenge after taking a rock to the throat, ultimately dropping to 15th and finshing the day tenth overall.

"Qualifying went well, and I got a great start in Moto 1 - made a good move around the outside and felt like I rode well," said Masterpool. "In Moto 2, I took a rock to the throat on the last lap and ended up throwing up everything. I lost all my nutrients, and after that, it was pure survival mode. Still, I gave it everything I had. I'll bounce back and be better next weekend."

After stepping up as a fill-in rider for a few Supercross rounds and later sidelined by injury, rookie Adams returned to the gate to start his first full Pro Motocross series. After qualifying eighth, the no. 98 would find himself mid-pack off the gate in Moto 1. Settling into 15th on the first lap, Adams made his way into the top ten with five minutes plus two laps remaining and made one final pass to finish ninth. In Moto 2, he battled back from multiple crashes, setting him as far back as 25th; Adams charged forward to secure 14th and round out an 11th-place finish overall.

"Starts weren't great today, but I'm happy with how I charged every time I hit the track," said Adams. "I went down twice in the second moto but kept pushing and came back strong. Every lap was a learning experience, and I'm stoked on the progress. I'm ready to keep building next weekend."

Returning to the gate after injury, Kitchen qualified fifth to start the day. In Moto 1, Kitchen would show solid speed, moving from 15th up to tenth. Despite his efforts in Moto 2, Kitchen would be forced to pull off early du to a bike issue with three minutes remaining. Kitchen finished the day 16th overall.

"It was a tough day for me," said Kitchen. "I didn't get the best starts, but I fought through in the first moto to finish 10th. In Moto 2, I was making progress, but then had some bike troubles and had to pull off. It was DNF, which is always disappointing, but I'm healthy, and we'll regroup for Hangtown.

With the first round in the books, the Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki team will head north to Rancho Cordova, California, and the Hangtown Motocross Classic for round two next weekend.

250SX Class Moto 1 Results - Fox Raceway

1. Haiden Deegan, Yamaha
2. Jo Shimoda, Honda
3. Chance Hymas, Honda
4. Tom Vialle, KTM
5. Julien Beaumer, KTM
6. Garrett Marchbanks, Kawasaki
7. Ty Masterpool, Kawasaki
8. Seth Hammaker, Kawasaki
9. Drew Adams, Kawasaki
10. Levi Kitchen, Kawasaki

250SX Class Moto 2 Results - Fox Raceway

1. Haiden Deegan, Yamaha
2. Jo Shimoda, Honda
3. Tom Vialle, KTM
4. Julien Beaumer, KTM
5. Garrett Marchbanks, Kawasaki
6. Chance Hymas, Honda
7. Seth Hammaker, Kawasaki
8. Michael Mosiman, Yamaha
9. Ryder DiFrancesco, GasGas
10. Maximus Vohland, Yamaha
14. Drew Adams, Kawasaki
15. Ty Masterpool, Kawasaki
38. Levi Kitchen, Kawasaki

250MX Class Points Standings

1. Haiden Deegan, Yamaha, 50
2. Jo Shimoda, Honda, 44
3. Tom Vialle, KTM, 38
4. Chance Hymas, Honda, 36,
5. Julien Beaumer, KTM, 35
6. Garrett Marchbanks, Kawasaki, 33
7. Seth Hammaker, Kawasaki, 29
8. Michael Mosiman, Yamaha, 25
9. Ty Masterpool, Kawasaki, 22
10. Maximus Vohland, Yamaha, 22
11. Drew Adams, Kawasaki, 21
16. Levi Kitchen, Kawasaki, 12

 

---