LEVI KITCHEN - GRIT 237 250SX

LEVI KITCHEN | GRIT-237 | 250 SX

With a phenomenal performance being put forth last week in the treacherous conditions of Northern California, Levi Kitchen would roll into the territory of San Diego with an abundance of self-belief. And upon assembling notable whoop and corner speed throughout the practice sessions on Saturday, there seemed to be little that could stand in his way as he later occupied a position within the classification of heat one. He vowed to march forward and strive for a commanding lead, though various opponents would look to infiltrate his aspirations and force him to the outside of turn number one. He was a marksman upon this relatively groomed track, and despite the sea of mud that encompassed the raceway, Kitchen was able to move into the lead at the end of the whoop section (just after the race began), passing Thrasher. This was after the race had restarted, and upon taking the lead and obtaining clear vision, Kitchen took forth his attributes gained from last week's events, and put them to use in San Diego. Still managing to launch the finish line and "SX" triple when possible, he combatted feelings of illness, fatigue, and a muddied raceway to ultimately take a decisive win! The narrative for the finalé was now set. And as the plot began to unfold for this round of the 250cc SX West competition, Kitchen stood engaged within the position of second while relentlessly attacking the war wheel of RJ Hampshire. There was little room for error, but after leaping to the right of RJ in the whoop section (after a few minutes of action), a critical mistake when jumping too far from the landing of the following "SX" triple, would have him rolling the double that preceded the mechanics area. This extended Hampshire's lead to around two-seconds, though Kitchen fought forward (again) until just after five minutes had transpired. It was on the camelback jump after the finish line, when Kitchen drifted wide in an attempt to leap past the Husqvarna rider - but Levi would get kicked via the rear spring, and crash into the middle jump! Losing a number of positions, he would fall to sixth place before accelerating again. The process of gaining substantial ground at that point, was difficult. But Kitchen attempted to mimic the lines of Jo Shimoda as the end grew nearer. Following the Honda athlete as they worked their way into the final moments, Kitchen ultimately generated a score of fifth as the final flag was thrown - keeping him well in contention for the overall championship.

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