🏁 AMA Pro Motocross 2026 — Round 1 | Fox Raceway at Pala, Californie
250 Class — Moto 1 | Ouverture de la saison outdoor !
Levi Kitchen signe une victoire dominante en Moto 1 pour lancer sa saison 2026. Seth Hammaker complète le doublé Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki en P2, et Cole Davies prend la 3e place.
📊 RÉSULTATS 250 MOTO 1 — FOX RACEWAY 2026 :
1. Levi Kitchen
2. Seth Hammaker
3. Cole Davies
Un résultat historique : le vainqueur du Round 1 a remporté le championnat 250 les 7 dernières saisons consécutives. Kitchen met tout le monde sous pression dès la première manche !
⏱️ TIMESTAMPS :
00:00 — Intro & départ Moto 1
01:00 — Tour 1 : bagarre au départ
04:00 — Kitchen prend la tête
08:00 — Kitchen s'échappe en tête
12:00 — Duel Hammaker vs Davies pour le P2
16:00 — Arrivée & résultats
17:30 — Analyse et enjeux Moto 2
🔔 Abonne-toi pour ne manquer aucun moto, aucune race de la saison Pro Motocross 2026 !
#ProMotocross #AMAMotocross #FoxRaceway2026 #250Motocross #LeviKitchen #SethHammaker #ColeDavies #ProCircuit #OutdoorMotocross #Motocross2026 #Moto1 #Round1
250 Class — Moto 1 | Ouverture de la saison outdoor !
Levi Kitchen signe une victoire dominante en Moto 1 pour lancer sa saison 2026. Seth Hammaker complète le doublé Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki en P2, et Cole Davies prend la 3e place.
📊 RÉSULTATS 250 MOTO 1 — FOX RACEWAY 2026 :
1. Levi Kitchen
2. Seth Hammaker
3. Cole Davies
Un résultat historique : le vainqueur du Round 1 a remporté le championnat 250 les 7 dernières saisons consécutives. Kitchen met tout le monde sous pression dès la première manche !
⏱️ TIMESTAMPS :
00:00 — Intro & départ Moto 1
01:00 — Tour 1 : bagarre au départ
04:00 — Kitchen prend la tête
08:00 — Kitchen s'échappe en tête
12:00 — Duel Hammaker vs Davies pour le P2
16:00 — Arrivée & résultats
17:30 — Analyse et enjeux Moto 2
🔔 Abonne-toi pour ne manquer aucun moto, aucune race de la saison Pro Motocross 2026 !
#ProMotocross #AMAMotocross #FoxRaceway2026 #250Motocross #LeviKitchen #SethHammaker #ColeDavies #ProCircuit #OutdoorMotocross #Motocross2026 #Moto1 #Round1
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AutoTranscription
00:00Hello, welcome to the CV's Flight Channel.
00:30He's a young New Zealand racer to motocross, does not have much experience on these tracks
00:34here in America, but that's just the start of the list, and it's the start of the season
00:40for the first time in pro motocross this year.
00:42Braves are up, gates down.
00:49Seth Hamaker trying to control it from the inside, and he does, so he's got his teammate
00:55Nick Romano there with him.
00:57And Caden Dudney as well in the 82 in the second.
01:00Great start by Seth.
01:01We know how strong he is and how fast he is, so there's a great start by the pro circuit.
01:06Looks like there's some star racing Yamahas in there.
01:08Great start by him.
01:10Two rookies, Dudney and Gordon, but then around the outside is Romano, fill-in rider for the
01:16team.
01:16Didn't even have a ride about six months ago up to second.
01:19Look at Dudney, the outside line working for him.
01:21Yeah, he wants to go in this 250 class.
01:23He's opening lapses.
01:24Control chaos.
01:25These guys are going everywhere.
01:27They want that track position.
01:28Great to see him up here fighting.
01:30It's not too much.
01:31It's not too wet.
01:31So I think these guys can be racing.
01:33If not, you're not moving forward, you're going to be moving backwards as this guy tries
01:36to make the pass.
01:37Oh, yeah.
01:37They're battling.
01:38Yes, Romano's going to get Dudney.
01:39Oh!
01:40Down from fourth.
01:41I think that was Ryder DeFrancisco.
01:43How about this battle?
01:45Dudney and Romano side by side three, four times already.
01:48Yeah, you can see the gap starting to open up, but Levi Kitchen got a bad start.
01:53If you're watching Dax get back on the racetrack.
01:55Or Ryder De, excuse me.
01:56Really fast in practice.
01:58But Levi Kitchen got a horrible start.
01:59He made a lot of moves, and I believe he's in form.
02:01So it just shows you that confidence that he's been carrying from that practice.
02:06I'll show you some confidence.
02:08Look at Nick Romano, the pride of Bayshore, New York, in the city.
02:12Now has completed the pass on Dudney, and is starting to make tracks toward his teammate
02:18Hamaker.
02:19Yeah, I think this race, as this first couple laps, it starts settling down.
02:23The problem about this 250 class is that every, you go back, it doesn't get any easier.
02:27If you think you let one guy pass, you have five more behind you.
02:30So might as well stay up front, but good job by Dudney.
02:33Settle down in his third position and try to regroup.
02:36Yeah, you called it, James.
02:37The 47 is already on the radar.
02:40Bad start didn't even matter with Kitchen.
02:44He's moving forward, challenging Dudney, JT.
02:46He is, and it's interesting to watch Dudney and Romano battle there.
02:50We talked a little bit about this during Monster New Supercross, but remember, Romano was on
02:54Monster Yamaha Star Racing, and he lost his spot to give room to riders like Caden
03:00Dunney and Landon Gordon.
03:01You see Kitchen make a move there, so when Romano goes by them, you know he's got a little
03:05extra incentive to make the move.
03:07That's a great point.
03:08Yeah, Romano was one of the young stars of that team.
03:10Oh, mistake by Kitchen.
03:12That allows Dudney, now one of the young riders on that team, to move back up.
03:17Yeah, I mean, it's going to be a lot of back and forth, just one simple mistake, but I love
03:20what I see from the 47.
03:22He's been firing all day long from practice, being that much faster, and when you have
03:26that built-in speed, you can be a little bit more patient.
03:30Levi doesn't look like that.
03:31The kitchen is wide open as he's watching his teammate get away, so try to make quick
03:35work of the rookie, Dudney, and see if you can close that gap to the lead.
03:39Still a nice bounce back for Dudney, who made his pro debut in Monster Energy Supercross,
03:44and it did not go well.
03:46In fact, after a couple of rounds, he stopped racing Supercross to refocus on this, and it's
03:52going much better here in Pro Motocross with this early run for third, a rider who was
03:57an amateur, again, just a few months ago.
04:00But honestly, the big upset is Romano out there, wasn't even sure if he was going to
04:03race Motocross for the Pro Circuit team.
04:06It's Drew Adams out with injury for the moment.
04:08Romano got the call to stay with the team, at least to the early rounds, keep riding like
04:13He's going to be with them all year, running in second.
04:16Yeah, and these kids, you know, they're young, so it's a lot of pressure for them.
04:20But they also understand that if you don't perform, there's another guy that's ready to take
04:24it, as you just mentioned, with Romano out here.
04:27So I think they've got a lot to work for.
04:29He's got his hands full with Levi Kitchen, but early in this race, he'll be fine.
04:35Kitchen going to reset and go back after Dudney.
04:38Here is Romano.
04:39So yeah, it was dropped by the star team.
04:41Then got hurt immediately last year, was out for a long time.
04:45Said he had a couple of smaller teams calling him to raise Supercross, but he just had faith
04:50that a big factory level team was going to eventually call when they needed help.
04:54They did.
04:55He's making the most of it.
04:56Another pass.
04:57Kitchen is back around Dudney for third.
04:59Yeah.
05:00Okay.
05:00Try again.
05:01But again, Levi has a lot of speed built in.
05:04So, you know, he can be patient.
05:05Wait his time.
05:06Because he knows ultimate.
05:07He's faster than those guys.
05:08But right now, it's a cow psyche pro circuit.
05:10One, two, three.
05:11It's been a few years since we've seen something like that.
05:14It's great time for these guys.
05:15Find some speed himself as well.
05:16Yeah, he'll throw back there.
05:18This was once the dominant team in this 250 class.
05:21Right now, one, two, three.
05:22Feels like old times out here for them.
05:26Dudney going to try to hang on.
05:27Now, he opened some eyes.
05:28Finished seventh in a moto last year, Dudney, when he first tipped his feet into the pro ranks
05:33late last summer.
05:35And that was actually done only to get him in under the age limit.
05:39The pro minimum age has moved up to 17 this year.
05:44But if you raced one last year, you're automatically grandfathered in.
05:47So, they had him race one last year.
05:49He opened up some serious eyes at Unadilla.
05:51Raced one more.
05:52And that experience paying off for Dudney.
05:54But here comes the cavalry.
05:56Landon Gordon, another one of his young teammates.
05:58And Cole Davies.
05:59Yeah, you're a Supercross champion.
06:01It doesn't stop after that.
06:03You know, it continues to go.
06:04But I think the good part about this, that these kids, they're prepared coming in here.
06:09So, you know, though they're young, they're really prepared, JT.
06:12They are.
06:12And you know, as you see that Bradfordville, Florida, as the hometown for Landon Gordon,
06:16that's a little deceiving.
06:17Yes, he's located there because that's where the Monster Yamaha star racing training facility
06:21is.
06:22But he's a California kid.
06:23He's surely spent a lot of time here at this racetrack on this type of dirt, this type
06:28of terrain.
06:28So don't let that Florida address fool you.
06:31This is more of a home race for Landon Gordon.
06:32I don't think there's anything wrong with Florida address, whatever it is.
06:36He's doing good.
06:37But yeah, the whole star racing, as you mentioned, their facility is up in Tallahassee area.
06:42So he's got to change that license to Florida.
06:46Yeah, you know, he's logged a lot of laps on this track.
06:49Yeah, we're not saying any native Florida guy.
06:50That's totally fine.
06:52They've all headed your way, James.
06:53So this is pretty impressive for Dudney and Gordon.
06:56Look, we talked about how big the opener was for the title contenders to start on the right
07:00foot.
07:00What about for these young guys?
07:01It's huge.
07:02It's huge.
07:03And especially like Landon Gordon, you know, at one point you would almost, and no disrespect,
07:08maybe he was one of the weakest ones on here.
07:10But, you know, injuries, the opportunity, he got his first podium this year in the second
07:15race during Supercross.
07:16So clearly he has that confidence.
07:19He's just got to continue to build and this guy can be up here.
07:23Battle continues between the Yamaha boys up front.
07:25Look at this.
07:26Nick Romano.
07:28Can he go to the lead?
07:29He is catching Hammaker.
07:30Yeah, this is actually a good thing for Nick because it's been a while since he's been
07:34up here, if ever.
07:36So the fact that he's got his teammate right in front of him kind of keeps that pressure
07:40and keeps his goals focused.
07:41And now you're starting to see this field's going to close up.
07:45Levi Kitchen still with that speed.
07:47Everything's going good.
07:48A lot of things going to change over the next couple of laps.
07:51Senator Will.
07:53Guys, I'm looking at Seth Hammaker up front here.
07:56I had a conversation with him earlier about just kind of like where he's at mentally.
08:00He's had to overcome injury.
08:01He's coming back from an injury through his trap now.
08:05And he's suffered a lot over the last few years.
08:08I said, where are you at?
08:09And he said, what I've learned to do is basically kind of care less.
08:13He's like, I care so much.
08:15And he's like, but I need to sort of let that go of it.
08:17I said, okay, so you care.
08:18How can you change that?
08:20Because you live for this.
08:21And he's like, well, I can change it on the back end of things.
08:24And Stu, he talked about just being able to learn to let things go.
08:28He's like, so I care.
08:29I want this.
08:30But when it doesn't go right, or if the bike is not perfect, or if I am not physically
08:34perfect, I just have learned to move on from that.
08:37Just let those things go.
08:39And that's just kind of a bit of a mentally freeing process for Seth here.
08:43Hopefully it will work for him there as he starts to attack his promoter first challenge.
08:47Yeah, no, I understand it completely what he's saying.
08:50And it's weird because he's like, I want to care less because I care too much on there.
08:54But what he's talking about is more perspective.
08:57You know, where he was a couple of years ago being injured and not really sure if he ever
09:01ever get to this level.
09:02I think that perspective of knowing that helps him continue to get out here and fight.
09:06And so far, for the last couple of years, Seth has been here and I suspect he's going to
09:11be here all year long for championships.
09:13And where you see that really pay off is the consistency.
09:16He was always a fast but crash guy.
09:18He has been very consistent the last two years, but he knows he has company.
09:22I look over the shoulder.
09:23It's his teammates, Romano and Kitchen.
09:26Unbelievable stat here.
09:27The last time this team swept the podium was at this track 15 years ago with Blake Baggett,
09:34Tyler Rattray and Dean Wilson.
09:35It's been 15 years since a 1-2-3 for Monster Pro Circuit Kawasaki.
09:40But they've got at least the riders in position right now.
09:44You see Joe Shimoda, one of the expected contenders in the bottom back at 8.
09:47Yeah, there was a struggle for a few years with Pro Circuit.
09:50Just a lot of injuries.
09:51But I think that also shows you that when you get, you know, the alpha dog out,
09:55the opportunity for these guys, they ride together.
09:58So when one teammate's doing great, it just raises level with everybody else.
10:02Just like the NBA, you've got to make your teammate just as good.
10:05And that's the successful of a great team.
10:08And now you're starting to see that with Pro Circuit.
10:09You saw it over the years for a star racing Yamaha.
10:12You can see Mitch Payton.
10:14And they've pulled away from the Dougie Gordon rookie battle.
10:17Davies about a second behind that in sixth.
10:21Lutz Turner riding very well both in qualifying and in this moto.
10:24And then it's Joe Shimoda, JT.
10:27It is Joe Shimoda.
10:28You know, Joe has been so consistent.
10:29He was fantastic last year in this championship and really has been for a while.
10:34And when you contrast the way Joe goes about his racing versus a lot of the other riders in this
10:39class,
10:39thinking who can be champion.
10:41Well, Joe seems to find a way to be there week in and week out.
10:45And the other guys, Seth Hemmaker in the past, Chance Hymas who's trying to fight through the pack.
10:50They've been known as what people call a cow.
10:52It's crash or win.
10:54And that is really difficult to be in a championship contention late in the series if that's your MO.
10:59If you crash or win, guess what?
11:01The weekends where you crash, you lose too many points.
11:03And a guy like Joe Shimoda racking up podiums week in and week out, he can have his way with
11:08this title.
11:09JT, are you talking about me?
11:11Crash or win?
11:12Because I heard that statement about my career.
11:14No, no, never.
11:15No, we never said that.
11:16Ain't nothing wrong with that.
11:17Turn the volume down.
11:17Yeah.
11:19Hey, play SMX for cash.
11:21Go to nxtbest.com or just scan that flow code on the screen right there.
11:26Try to make your picks as this new pro motocross championship begins.
11:30Certainly, this guy was looking good for folks.
11:33The 47 at Levi Kitchen from qualifying with a ton of speed.
11:37And we're seeing it now.
11:38Yeah, it's a great sign.
11:40Normally, Levi have these rising.
11:41But we talked to, you know, it was kind of laughing over a couple of years ago.
11:45And I mentioned to you, Levi would win that first moto and then get 13 for the next one.
11:49Yes.
11:49And you'd be like, oh, he kind of wrote the same.
11:51Did he crash?
11:51No.
11:52But I think what you're seeing this early in the season is the Levi that I wanted to see.
11:57He's got that everything rolling.
11:59His teammates are in front of him.
12:01And clearly, he has the speed.
12:02And he looks good where he's at, Will.
12:04Yeah, I'm just thinking back, James, to last year when I spoke to Levi.
12:08And he was at that point, like, middle of the season when things weren't going particularly well.
12:13He was suffering after that back injury.
12:15If the bike wasn't set up, they weren't where they were supposed to be.
12:19Starts weren't good.
12:20The team was struggling with that.
12:21And he had his eyes already on this year, this championship.
12:25And part of that was the exit of Hayden Deegan.
12:28He knew the bike would get better.
12:29He knew he physically would get healthy again.
12:31What does it do to these guys when they know it's more possible than it perhaps was before?
12:37I mean, I think you're seeing it right here just from the whole standpoint.
12:42And it's not that, you know, Levi was afraid of Hayden Deegan or he didn't think he could win.
12:46But he knew how great Hayden was.
12:48And with his race team, you need everything working for you to be able to compete at this level.
12:53And when you know one part isn't working, you know, you've got to start looking towards the future.
12:57But I love what I see.
12:58The whole team stepped up.
13:00Levi stepped up.
13:01And, you know, we're only a few minutes into this race, but it looks good for him.
13:05But talking to Levi yesterday, he has a pretty unique perspective on this wide open storyline that everyone is talking
13:12about in this class.
13:13Here's Levi.
13:15I feel like a championship is wide open no matter what year it is.
13:19Like whether, obviously there's always people that are favorites, but, you know, people can go out in the first or
13:24second round or things happen, you know.
13:28I don't know.
13:29It's just I don't like to go in with the mindset that it's wide open because no matter what, it's
13:34never wide open.
13:35I mean, we're all going fast.
13:38I feel like, like you said, a couple of us have won races.
13:40There's going to be others that are going to feel that they can win, obviously, this year.
13:45So I think my chances are good.
13:50Obviously, Joe and Chance probably think theirs are good, too, if we're the only ones who have won.
13:54So that's cool.
13:57I'm excited.
14:00I get what he's saying.
14:02I mean, it is wide open, but we know.
14:04I mean, if I oversleep, then that means I'm going to take my kids to school.
14:07So that's a possibility of possibly happening.
14:09You know, but Levi.
14:11Shimoda makes a move.
14:12I'd like to turn it here, by the way, for seven.
14:14Yeah, go ahead, Levi.
14:14Yeah, you know, Levi knows he's got to be there, and he's always had the speed.
14:18But, you know, Joe Shimoda, it was a little off of practice, and we were kind of concerned on, you
14:23know, not only he's missed some time in having the rust,
14:26but just how he feels, you know, possibly being a little scared timid with this injury as we're watching the
14:31battle up front.
14:32I think this is going to be a great thing for Joe because this is what he does.
14:36He always moves forward.
14:37He has that heart.
14:38And maybe because the speed's not there, he just marches his way up.
14:41I think we'll get a better version of Joe Shimoda, that confidence to come back, and he'll be up here
14:45battling with these guys.
14:47Looks like Kitchen made the move, James, on Romano now.
14:50So he's up to second, and still about two seconds behind his teammate Habaker, who has yet to win a
14:56moto in his career in pro motocross.
14:59So let's see if today is the day for Habaker, who had a lot of physical issues that slowed him
15:04in his early development in motocross.
15:06He's gotten a lot of that behind him, clearly.
15:09But still, we're not even at the halfway mark, so a long way to go to prove how strong he
15:15can be.
15:15Yeah, we're not.
15:17But I also think, like, when you're looking at Kawasaki, this is probably their best two opportunities, Handmaker and Kitchen.
15:25So we're going to watch Kitchen goes up the inside right here.
15:28I think things are probably going to start happening a little fast for Nick.
15:31Hasn't been racing all year long, so kind of lets his teammate have it.
15:36And Levi was probably going to have it anyway, but still a great ride by him.
15:40We have now reached the halfway point, and I can remind you to stock up on Monster Energy at Stater
15:46Brothers.
15:46Now, what's interesting about that pass, Kitchen and Romano are really good friends off the track.
15:51When Romano didn't have a ride months ago, he got a bike at Kawasaki and was just riding with Kitchen
15:56to try to stay somewhat ready in case the phone call came.
16:00I've got to imagine Kitchen was putting in a good word to the team owner, Mitch Payton, to give Romano
16:05a look.
16:05That has certainly paid off with a good run for him.
16:08But Kitchen's got to go.
16:09Left Romano behind.
16:10He's going for the lead.
16:11Yeah, Kitchen's on.
16:13You know, I can tell by his body language.
16:15I mean, he's really smooth.
16:17He feels good, and he's got a lot of equity built up in that speed.
16:21Seeing Joe close in.
16:22I believe this is Landon Gordon right here.
16:24So, as I said earlier, Joe will continue marching his way up here.
16:28He could have ran it in, but I'm too early in the race for that.
16:31But I think Joe's probably going to get him here pretty soon, the way he's moving.
16:34So, if this is Gordon, it actually means Davies, as you see, the results on the left side of the
16:39screen has moved ahead of him.
16:41So, Davies kind of quietly up into fifth.
16:45This is sixth and seventh right now with the rookie Gordon and Shimoda.
16:49Yeah, Joe's good.
16:50Some parts of this racetrack, you just got to sit back.
16:53Now it opens back up.
16:54See Joe can rail this outside or cut back in there.
16:57Start to see Landon Gordon.
16:59Starting to sit down a little bit to be expected.
17:02Long race.
17:03You know, first race is always tough for these guys.
17:05But overall, Joe and both these guys are doing good.
17:08Well, I talked to Landon Gordon yesterday and he said really he was never on a full training program when
17:13he lived out here in California.
17:14He'd ride, but nothing fully structured like he now has with this Yamaha team.
17:20But he's only about eight months into it.
17:22So, he feels like he's got a lot more to give as far as getting stronger, building his endurance.
17:27He's hanging on right now against the pressure of Shimoda.
17:30Then it's Turner, Benick, and Nate Thrasher riding out the top ten.
17:34And Kitchin continuing to take a few tenths out of the lead of Hamaker.
17:38Yeah, I mean, for a lot of our viewers, they've seen Levi Kitchin's rod.
17:42And he's really all over the bike.
17:44Don't really lose, slamming in his stuff.
17:45But watch his body language.
17:46He's standing up, you know, just relaxed and not really over-rushing himself going into the corners.
17:51And that's why I said he looks really relaxed to me because of that speed he's had, speed advantage he's
17:56had over these guys.
17:57He can take his time and just go to work on Seth because he knows if I need to put
18:00down a lap, I can close that gap pretty easy.
18:03Maybe put a little pressure on his teammate, get in that lead.
18:07So, when you're in Kitchin's situation, you start to know.
18:10He'll come back to me.
18:11I don't need to rush it right now.
18:12I'll get there.
18:13Yeah, no, Levi knows he's, on speed-wise, he's got his teammate.
18:17You know, that's why you'll see this little cat and mouse.
18:19You know, it's not because Seth's really pulling away.
18:21I think it's because Levi's just sitting back.
18:23But what he's also doing is taking, you know, breathers.
18:26And in his first race, as I just mentioned earlier, it's easy to hold your breath.
18:31It's a big difference from Supercross.
18:33So, I think a lot of things are going on besides just racing the racetrack.
18:36Levi's just taking his time.
18:37And when it comes to it, I think he'll attack his teammate.
18:41How about Romano still there in third?
18:43That would be a career best for him if he can hang on to it.
18:46His best is a fourth.
18:47Shimoda and Gordon still going for it.
18:51Joe makes it happen.
18:53Yeah, Joe put a little game of Chicken Rat there.
18:55He, you know, swore over there, like, are you going to do it?
18:57He backed out of it.
18:59So, it took him a while.
19:00He was working on it.
19:01But, you know, Levi's standing up in the corners.
19:04And, as I mentioned, he's got that speed, but he's also saving a lot of energy.
19:08Seth doesn't know that.
19:09So, it makes you nervous behind you and you start getting that mental will spin.
19:13You know, things are starting to happen really quick.
19:15Great position where I'm at if I'm Levi Kitchen.
19:19And, 11 minutes and two laps to go.
19:22Still Hamaker.
19:25Leading laps.
19:26Never won a moto.
19:28And, at the moment, looking good.
19:30Yeah, look at both these guys looking good.
19:32And, it just shows you how good Levi's been riding all day because they gaffed the rest of the field.
19:38I mean, Nixon almost 10 seconds behind him.
19:40And, then, our Supercross champ Cole Davies is 13.
19:42So, it's not like, you know, they just got out front.
19:46They built this lead.
19:47So, it's been a great ride.
19:49They both have speed.
19:50But, I love the 47 and his body language.
19:52It looks very relaxed.
19:54Get a little style for him, Levi.
19:56Alright, let's hop on board.
19:59And, watch this play out.
20:11So, again, even though the gap hasn't really closed, you still feel like Kitchen has some level of control here.
20:17This is Gordon and Turner.
20:19So, Lux Turner, whose career best in a moto is an 11th.
20:22Looking to move into seventh.
20:24And, he hasn't.
20:24Oh, he moved into seventh.
20:27Looked really good.
20:28We're going to watch his sister next weekend.
20:31I can't wait to watch that.
20:32Right.
20:32So, yeah, great route for all these guys.
20:34And, again, they sensed the opportunity when, hey, Deegan, being out, who knows what can happen.
20:39And, I think Lux is going to have a breakout year as he did last year.
20:43He'll be even better this year.
20:46Got to imagine Lux has ridden here a lot.
20:48He's from Reno, Nevada.
20:49Not too far in motocross terms as far as a road trip to this track.
20:54Check out the riders.
20:55We're in the fly racing gear.
20:56Turner is tops right now in eighth.
20:58You've got Heimus at 11th.
21:00Schwartz, Volenshock, Ross.
21:03Those are your fly racing athletes.
21:04Kitchen now about, I believe, to put an attack on Hamaker.
21:09And, Hamaker made it easy.
21:10Yep, there it is.
21:11That's what I was saying with Levi.
21:12Put your team into that mental wheel spin.
21:15You know, have him starting to think.
21:16You know, Seth doesn't know.
21:18He doesn't know if Levi's, you know, trying really hard or doing what he did.
21:21As we got our lap rider just getting a little whiplash in the background.
21:26But great move by Levi, JT.
21:29Yeah, and James, I would not be shocked to see Levi put in his best laps of the race right
21:33here.
21:33If he can really drop his pace, maybe get back into that 220, 221 range for two or three laps,
21:39that will be enough to break the back of Seth Hamaker in this moto and ride the last few laps
21:43uncontested.
21:45Yeah, absolutely.
21:46And you can start to see that gap, as you were saying, Jason.
21:49He was just sitting back.
21:50There's certain parts of this racetrack you can't pass.
21:52So, you know, sit back, get your teammate, relax in, a little false hope, and then you attack it.
21:57And that's exactly what Levi did.
21:58And he's already starting to bridge that gap over his teammate.
22:03Hey, I know it's only one race, but we kept saying how up for grabs this is.
22:06But you dominate qualifying, and then you just completely have this first moto charge under control.
22:12That has got to be doing wonders for him under the helmet.
22:15No, it is.
22:15As we go back to Cole Davies trying to get, you know, around his old teammate.
22:21Yeah, old teammate.
22:22Yeah, old teammate.
22:23And Nick, it does a lot for guys, but it does even more for certain guys.
22:28And I think Levi is that certain guy.
22:30We always know when he's had that speed, it's just got to get off the gate.
22:33And we see how deep this field is.
22:35Cole Davies got a decent start, but he's almost, you know, 13 seconds back.
22:39And, you know, just the difference of start as Cole tries to go up inside of this Nick.
22:44Battle for the podium.
22:45Davies almost had it outside, worked out for Romano, at least for the moment.
22:51Yeah, still a great ride by Nick.
22:53You know, if nothing happens, I'm thinking Cole's probably going to get by him.
22:56He's caught him.
22:57Nick's starting to sit down, but still, you know, not riding all year.
23:00Kind of a fill in.
23:01This is a great ride.
23:02And if he can ride this thing with a top four, top five, I'm sure Mitch Payton would be super
23:07happy.
23:08So will Nick with you.
23:09This might clinch a ride all summer for Romano right here.
23:13As of now, it's just the early rounds while Drew Adams is out.
23:16But they'll find room if you're fast, no doubt.
23:19I think YouTube music came out.
23:20Right now definitely proves something.
23:22It's a good run for Davies.
23:25Yeah, I mean, even though Cole is our Supercross champion, a lot of expectation.
23:28He could be your title.
23:29So he's definitely a title contender, but he might win this championship.
23:33He's also really young.
23:34He got hurt last year, so he only did a few outdoors.
23:37Got an overall last year.
23:39But I think, you know, Cole is very, you know, technical.
23:43Takes his time as he takes his time up the inside of Nick.
23:47If he can finish on third, that'd be a great moto for Cole Davies.
23:50Well, there goes the stat.
23:51This is potentially the first Monster Pro Circuit Kawasaki moto sweep since 2011.
23:56But now that has been broken up by Davies.
23:59Still a great ride for the squad, a great ride by Romano.
24:02But Davies...
24:04Okay, look, it's not the dominant runs like we were seeing in Supercross,
24:07but I've got to figure this is not a bad position to be in just getting rolling.
24:11No, I think Cole is doing a great job.
24:14Again, the way this field is and the way Levi is riding,
24:17if you don't get up there with him, like, you can ride great and get beat.
24:20You know, that's the way it is.
24:21So just because Haydeegan's gone and some of these other guys, there's a lot of speed out there.
24:26And both these guys were able to beat Hayden last year at one point.
24:30So speed's not an issue just by being there week in and week out.
24:33So Cole Davies, top three.
24:35I'm sure he'll be happy with that.
24:37And after Davies trounced the field in Supercross,
24:40I think everyone is just looking for some sign that he can be the same guy in motocross.
24:45And it won't take much.
24:46I think everybody already knows how talented and how good he can be.
24:49This is a sign that he can be just as good outdoors.
24:52They just haven't seen it in America yet.
24:55But at least so far today, they've all got a long way to go to catch this guy.
24:59Yeah, this guy's good on this five and a half seconds and looks really comfortable doing it,
25:05saving a lot of energy.
25:06And that's the hard part of your competition.
25:09Levi's not riding that hard.
25:11So he'll be built up compared to where you got Chance Hymes fighting his way up with a bad start.
25:17He's going to be battling all the way to the end.
25:19So you got to look at towards Levi having a little bit more fresher legs.
25:23But rough start for Chance.
25:25I don't know where he was at opening lap, but trying to crack that top ten.
25:29Not the first motor he wanted to have, but keep moving forward if you're all right.
25:33No, this is a rider who's had a lot of speed.
25:34Again, the fast qualifier at this race a year ago.
25:37And now just trying to get into the top ten, battling Gordon.
25:41But so many of these riders, including Hymes and his teammate Shimoda, are coming back from injury.
25:47So you never know what those first race jitters are like.
25:51At the moment, he has at least put that Honda into the top ten.
25:55Here's Hymes on his physical update coming back from injury.
26:00Yeah, body's feeling 100%. Shoulders feeling good.
26:03Big thanks to Dr. G and Yvette Brioche for getting me dialed in and the folks over at Red Bull.
26:13Overall, body's feeling 100%.
26:16Been back on the bike for a couple months now, a few months.
26:20Just doing some testing and putting the motos in.
26:22So yeah, feeling good.
26:23Yeah, it's great to hear that, that he's healthy.
26:26You know, but certain riders, you know, when I look at Chance Hymes,
26:29if you were to say he holds shots and just runs away, like that would be expected.
26:33What I want to see from Chance is what he's doing right here.
26:36A bad start.
26:37I want him to grind his way through the field.
26:40Get up, hopefully a top five or a top ten.
26:42That's what we're looking for.
26:43And that's that belief that I think will carry him.
26:45The speed has always been there.
26:47He can win any of these races, but the grind is what I want to see.
26:51So great start.
26:52Looks like we got Max Anstey.
26:54The grind for him.
26:55Had that big crash in qualifying.
26:57I don't know if this is related to that or not.
27:00Yeah, he's got a little dirt on him.
27:01So at some point, something didn't happen the way he wanted.
27:04Good to see him riding off a tough bound first motor for Max.
27:07Yeah, not a good way to start the campaign.
27:10So there's Hymes, up the tenth.
27:12About two seconds behind Thrasher, who is in ninth.
27:16And then quietly, a good run for Dax Benick.
27:18Running eight on the Rockstar Husqvarna.
27:20There is Anstey talking to his mechanic, Austin.
27:25Yeah.
27:26That's when you're a rider.
27:27When you're like that, you talk real slow.
27:31Just talk real slow.
27:32You want your mechanic to be like, just go back, son.
27:34It's all real slow, a little body movements.
27:36But Max is one of the toughest guys I know.
27:38That tough hit early in practice.
27:41And you can see the little dirt on him.
27:42He took another one.
27:43Hopefully he'll be back for that second moto.
27:46Bummer for the very likable veteran out of England who had several years when he's living in Europe where he
27:51wasn't racing Supercross at all.
27:53So a lot of people wondering just what would be his level here in motocross where he has more experience
27:58really than almost anyone in this field.
28:00Did not get to see it today.
28:04Okay, so we talked about riders coming back from injury and we always ask them how long they've been riding.
28:09Are they prepared physically?
28:10But what about that first race jitters thing?
28:13That's probably a lot harder to measure.
28:14No, it is.
28:16And that's what's impressive about this guy.
28:18You know, the speed, if you came here and been slow, it would have been a disappointment if you wouldn't
28:22have had a great finish.
28:23So to come out here and look as good as you did with all that pressure is great.
28:26But then at the same time, I think it helps, as I was saying with Joe Shimoto, maybe there is
28:31a lot of pressure.
28:32You are a championship contender.
28:33Getting a bad start kind of resets that focus and allows you to find your groove without being up front
28:38where Levi, you only want to be up here if you feel confident in your belief as he makes a
28:43little mistake right there.
28:44Or you want to be in the pack to where you just kind of move forward and build to yourself.
28:48Two ways getting it done.
28:51Next battle to watch here is Gordon, who has drifted back out of the top 10.
28:56And good to see Julia Bomer and the Red Bull KTM, the Orange 13th back at the races.
29:01That was a devastating back injury for the playoffs last year.
29:07He told me yesterday, the first doctor he went to said 12 months before you could even think about getting
29:12on a motorcycle.
29:13And here he is. That was September. And in May, he's back not just Friday, but racing.
29:18It was fast at qualifying and trying to close in the top 10.
29:22Yeah, that's riders. When we hear news like that, we don't want to be like, OK, cool.
29:25We'd be like, have a nice day, Doc. Where's the next one? We don't want to hear that kind of
29:29news.
29:30Will?
29:32Yeah, nine months all up was what he told me then.
29:36That was three months, Jason, in a back race.
29:39And then an additional four months with all of that hardware in that he had there.
29:43And then he came to a really tough decision. This was back in April.
29:46Keep the hardware in. But the risk is, James, if you take a bad crash, that could cause a break
29:51sort of either side of that metal work in there.
29:54Or take it out. But if he felt pain when he got back on the bike, when he takes that
29:59hardware out, then he misses the start of Pro Motocross.
30:02So a massive gamble there for Juju. He spoke to the team of Red Bull KTM. He said they told
30:08him, this is your health first.
30:10We've got to take that hardware out. If you missed the opener, you missed the opener.
30:13He took it out. He said he was extremely nervous two weeks later when he jumped on the bike.
30:17He felt absolutely nothing. He said, OK, I know I can line up in parlor.
30:22So he's been through a lot just to get to this round here.
30:25Yeah, that's that's crazy. And I'm sure that was a hard decision.
30:28But I know for Julian, because of what KTM said and they look at your health first, makes you want
30:34to get back out here and not only do it for yourself, but do it for your team.
30:37Because, you know, genuinely, they care about you. So great to see Julian out here.
30:42I'm sure it's going to take a little time to knock some of the rust off.
30:44But at least he's out here. And I can't wait to see what he does over the course of this
30:49season.
30:49Yeah, last year it's very fast. This race went four or five for fifth. But that's a much different circumstance.
30:56So when you see Bomer 12, that's solid for you.
31:00Yeah, I mean, it's solid. It's solid that the guy's even out here.
31:03Yes. You know, I think these guys overcoming some of these injuries, you don't know.
31:07It could do one or two things. It could break you mentally or it could make you even stronger.
31:11And we've seen both those things happen. You look in the 450 class of Hunter Lawrence, a lot of injuries.
31:16Look where he's at. And I think Julian, if he is pain free, stays healthy, this is only going to
31:21make him stronger
31:22where one day he might be up there where Levi is leading these races.
31:27Time has expired. So under two laps to go here for Kitchen, who has put Hamaker and Davies away.
31:33Still going to be a great start to the year for Monster Pro Circuit Kawasaki as they look for a
31:38one, two.
31:40And Romano trying to hold on for fourth. That would be phenomenal for him considering his road to get here.
31:46Shimoda fifth.
31:47Yeah, great, great grab by the top five.
31:52Romano's not out of it for the podium here. He's got Davies in sight again.
31:55Yeah, I think what's happening with Cole, I mean, one of two things.
31:57Either it's the first race or he's either settled in third place or that rabbit's not in front of him.
32:04So he doesn't have anybody to chase. So it's kind of hard to move forward. Nick is still there and
32:09he's giving life into him.
32:10Nick understands that, man, if I can get on the podium, I can make Jason right and read that stat.
32:15First time in a bunch of years and solidify my ride for next year or two.
32:20That's right. Get it back to the podium sweep. Yeah, it was two seconds faster than Davies the last time
32:25around.
32:25Although you've got to figure the 37 might catch a glimpse over his shoulder and say, all right, I've got
32:30to lock this podium down.
32:31Yeah, I'm sure he will. And you can tell by his body language that he probably was just relaxing a
32:35little bit.
32:36But that being said, Nick is really fighting. I'm really happy to see that for him.
32:41You know, all these pro circuit guys, because it's been a few years, but great start and he's still closing
32:46in on Cole.
32:49You know, if you're Nick, if you have an opportunity, I would say anything goes.
32:54We know Cole's going to be up here a lot, but this could be a huge boost for him as
32:58he's letting it all hang out.
33:00Yeah. All right. He knows what the podium would mean.
33:05This would be massive, again, for a rider who is just a fill-in racer.
33:09At one point thought maybe his career was done in a flash.
33:15Turned a pro a couple of years ago, had a solid summer.
33:17A lot of top tens, then about two straight years of injuries.
33:20Got injured again at the start of last year. Thought it might be over.
33:25But what did you say about injuries? How they can build a guy up?
33:27You know if you're Amano, you're leaving nothing on the track.
33:30Yeah. Because you know this is your shot.
33:32No, and this is. And just what I was saying about Julian, you know, Nick's out here.
33:36He was able to race a few races this year, and look what he's doing.
33:39So I think for him, if he came back from this injury, mentally he'll be stronger.
33:44And he's closing in on the Supergrass champ. So all these guys got talent.
33:49It's just whether they stay healthy and they believe how good they are,
33:52I was happy to see it happen.
33:54Yeah, you can see the belief right now, but the white flag is out.
33:57Davey's going to try to weather this storm.
33:59Kitchen looking to lock down what would be his eighth career moto win.
34:03And it's actually would be a career best in pro motocross for Hamaker,
34:08even if he hangs out for second.
34:10Yeah, it's a career best for a lot of these guys out here.
34:13But, you know, I was looking behind. Joe Shimoda is right there behind him.
34:17So Nick's got to push because Joe Shimoda is going to pop in the screen.
34:21Yeah. And we know Joe don't quit.
34:22He always keeps fighting. And he looks better, you know, peeking out of things.
34:26Joe looks better than he did earlier. This is what he needed.
34:29This is the Joe Shimoda that we've been wanting.
34:31I was going to say, is that not classic Shimoda?
34:33That's what it is. That's why I thought maybe if you put him out front,
34:36you know, it's a little bit different, the nerves.
34:38And he starts thinking about all the things he could lose.
34:40But you put him where Joe feels like he's more comfortable running these guys down.
34:45This is the guy that beat Hayden Deegan towards the end of the Supercross
34:48and then ultimately to win that championship.
34:51This guy right there never gives up.
34:52And Nick better pick up their feet because Joe Shimoda is coming.
34:56Man, he just does not get tired. He never gives up.
35:00And remember, folks, the two moto format, going to take the results of this one.
35:04They'll all come back and race another 30-minute and two lap moto.
35:08Combine those results together for the overall.
35:10So this could affect the podium.
35:11This could even affect who wins the race this afternoon.
35:15These passes down the stretch.
35:18Yeah, and I think with this class and how deep this field is
35:20and usually the inconsistency, this fourth place that Joe is able to get around,
35:24if he's able to win the next moto, he could win the overall
35:27because a bad start, you could end up in 10th,
35:31even though, you know, you're Levi Kitchen with his feet.
35:32So Joe, it really wouldn't matter if this was the last place.
35:36Joe would be doing what he's doing.
35:37But it could, you know, be big towards that overall for him.
35:41And each point pays in the championship per moto, not per overall.
35:46So you never know how close it could be at the end.
35:48All we're trying to say here is there's plenty of reason for these guys to push to the end.
35:53Although no reason to push for the win because this guy is gone.
35:57Levi Kitchen dominates qualifying, takes his time, goes fast when he needs to.
36:02Who's going to fire first with Deegan out?
36:05Firing first is Levi Kitchen wins the first moto of the year.
36:12Yeah, what a strong ride by his teammate.
36:15Second, Seth Handmaker, great ride by Cole.
36:20Let's see what happens behind him.
36:22But what we say earlier, he said the kitchen was open for breakfast.
36:24I think it's open for lunch now, too.
36:27Moto 2, you know what that is?
36:28Oh, that's dinner.
36:29That's dinner time.
36:30Don't worry about that.
36:30You're full right now, right?
36:31How many courses can the chef make today?
36:34Davies, as you mentioned, comes across in third.
36:36Solid start to the campaign for him.
36:38And Shimoda did it.
36:40He got Romano.
36:41Wow, what a great ride.
36:43Still a great ride by Nick.
36:44Yeah.
36:45Top five.
36:47Here's the pass.
36:48Shimoda.
36:49Yeah, let's see what happens.
36:51Let's see if...
36:52Was Josh is going to go in the inside of him?
36:54Now Nick makes a small mistake.
36:57Joe was going to make that pass anyway.
36:58Great ride by him.
36:59Came from a ways back.
37:01So, good right here.
37:03Nick's off the racetrack.
37:05Waves his hand.
37:06No harm, no foul.
37:08Good Rajo.
37:09And Nick.
37:10Shimoda takes a look over to Doe.
37:12Has him covered.
37:13This guy's happy.
37:15Way to start it for Levi Kitchen.
37:20He's like, man, that was pretty easy.
37:24He's going to be fresh for Moto2 as well.
37:27Levi Kitchen starts it strong.
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