Image: Octopi Media.

A rear brake issue in the second 250SMX moto drew an early end to Levi Kitchen’s night at the SuperMotocross World Championship (SMX) Final on Saturday, adding to what was a troubled outing in Las Vegas.

The Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki rider featured up front in the opening 250SMX race, only to bury the front-end in the sand section on lap one and go down. A spirited charge from there saw him climb to a P6 finish.

Up front once again in moto two, the 24-year-old was briefly involved in a back-and-forth with rival Haiden Deegan (Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing), before exiting the moto with 10 minutes left on the clock due to a rear brake fault.

“It was an up-and-down season, but I felt like there were a lot of positives,” commented Kitchen post-race. “I’m a bit frustrated with how the night turned out, especially with my position at the start of the first moto and then going down early on. I had a rock get stuck in my rear brake in that second moto, which unfortunately ended my race early.

“I put together some good motos and showed speed, just didn’t always put the whole night together. I learned a lot racing SMX and battling with these guys – I’ll take a little time off, reset, and then get back after it. Looking forward to coming in stronger next year.”

Kitchen completed the 250SMX post-season in ninth position, with his second season as part of the Mitch Payton-led outfit yielding both speed and inconsistency throughout each respective series.

A 9-1 scorecard across the opening two main events in the 250SX East division saw Kitchen second in the championship entering Daytona’s third round, although a high-speed impact during the main event ended his indoor campaign early.