Racing News

As the first day race of the season, the 250SX Class qualifying session kicked off first thing Saturday morning in Detroit and Kitchen made his presence known by setting the fastest overall time. Hammaker, sporting the No. 56 Kawasaki, was right on his heels, securing second overall, while teammate McAdoo claimed sixth. In Heat 1, McAdoo and Hammaker launched their KX™250 race machines into Top 5 positions off the start. As the Kawasaki duo fought for the lead, McAdoo made a late-race push but went down in the sand, finishing fourth just behind Hammaker in third. In Heat 2, Kitchen started in fourth but wasted no time making moves, quickly advancing to second on the opening lap. The No. 47 then executed a decisive pass for the lead and held strong to take the win. When the gate dropped for the 250SX Main Event, all three Monster Energy® Pro Circuit Kawasaki riders surged into the Top 5. Kitchen positioned himself in second early on, while McAdoo battled his way from fifth to fourth. Hammaker, still feeling the effects of an illness before the Main Event, struggled to maintain his pace, slipping to eighth before ultimately finishing 17th. Kitchen remained in pursuit of the leader for most of the race until a red flag unfortunately caused by McAdoo who crashed in the whoop section and could not finish. With just seconds left in the 15-minute Main Event, a staggered restart would allow Kitchen to restart on the heels of the leader. When the green flag dropped, Kitchen launched an all-out sprint, engaging in a back-and-forth battle at the front, ultimately making a pass for the lead and pulling away to clinch his first victory of the season. Kitchen’s bounce-back race moves him up to second place in the Eastern Regional 250SX Class championship points standings as the series returns to the West Region next weekend.

In the 450SX Class, Anderson kicked off the day by qualifying sixth overall. The No. 21 Kawasaki rider got a strong jump off the gate in 450SX Heat 1, quickly slotting into third around the first few turns with his eye on the leaders. Anderson did not hesitate when he saw an opening and executed a sneaky double pass to take over the lead on Lap 1. With pressure from behind, Anderson put in consistent fast laps to claim the Heat Race victory. In the 450SX Main Event, Anderson powered his KX™450SR off the gate and into the right-hand first turn, securing third place early on. He fought hard to maintain a podium position, but a late mistake—casing a jump in the rhythm section—led to a crash, dropping him to sixth, where he ultimately finished. Anderson now sits fourth in the Monster Energy® AMA Supercross Championship standings, just five points shy of third place.

“I felt like I was riding really well all day. Qualifying went solid, and I had a strong Heat Race where I was able to make some good passes and take the win. In the Main Event, I got a good start and put myself in a good position to fight for a podium, but as the race went on, I just lost some steam. I made a mistake in the rhythm section that set me back, which was frustrating because I knew I had the speed to be up there. I just need to clean a few things up and put it all together when it counts.”

• Jason Anderson

“Man, that was a crazy race. The emotions were all over the place, especially with having to stop and restart. Max [Anstie] was riding really well at the start and pulled a pretty big gap on me. When the red flag came out, I knew it was time to reset and take advantage of the opportunity. I took a few deep breaths and treated it like a two-lap sprint and—I just sent it. I made a pretty aggressive pass, nailed that three out of the turn, and opened up a little gap. This win means a lot, especially after having to bounce back from last weekend. Huge thanks to the fans, the entire Monster Energy® Pro Circuit Kawasaki team, my trainers, my mechanics, and all my family back home. Let’s keep this momentum going!"

• Levi Kitchen

“It was a tough night for me here in Detroit. Unfortunately, I had a crash in the whoops with a couple of laps to go and banged up my face pretty good. I ended up with a cut and some stitches. Other than that, I think I’m okay. We’ll take the next couple of days to assess everything and make a plan moving forward. I really appreciate everyone’s support, and next time I come to Detroit, I’ll be looking for redemption."

• Cameron McAdoo

“I felt great at the start of the day with a solid qualifying and Heat Race, and I was really looking forward to carrying that momentum into the Main Event. Unfortunately, I started feeling pretty sick before the Main Event, and it definitely took a toll on me during the race. I did my best to push through, but it was a tough one. We’ll regroup this week, figure things out, and come back stronger after the break."

• Seth Hammaker