WORDS AND PHOTOS BY SHAN MOORE
T
he 40th running of the Monster Energy AMA
Amateur National Motocross Champion-
ship completed five days of racing Saturday,
August 7, at Loretta Lynn Ranch, as Monster Energy
Star Racing Yamaha's Levi Kitchen claimed the
coveted AMA Nicky Hayden Amateur Horizon Award
based on his performance in the Pro classes.
Other special award winners included Amateur
award winner Nick Romano, Youth award winner
Drew Adams, and Vet award winner Broc Peterson.
After a very successful run in the B classes last
year, Kitchen made a successful transition to the A
class for 2021 and came into Loretta Lynn's riding
a wave of hype and momentum.
He did not disappoint.
Kitchen parlayed three moto wins, a second and
two thirds into championship titles in the Open Pro
Sport and 250 Pro Sport classes.
Though Kitchen was clearly one of the fastest
riders on the course, the Washougal, Washington
native certainly made things difficult for himself with
his inconsistent starts, which forced him to come
from the back of the pack in three of his six motos.
The second Open Pro Sport moto was Kitchen's
most impressive race of the week.
Kitchen finished third in the first Open Pro Sport
moto after starting the race outside of the top
20. In the second Open Pro Sport moto, another
poor start left Kitchen nearly last. Determined to
improve on his first-moto finish, Kitchen started a
CHAMPIONSHIP
VOLUME 58 ISSUE 32 AUGUST 10, 2021 P71
