The day started well for Kitchen with a top-five qualifying result. He didn’t get the start he was hoping for and found himself 14th in the first moto, but put his head down and made his way to ninth. In the second moto, he got a much better start in seventh and once again, charged his way forward. On Lap 12, he claimed third but ultimately was passed a couple of laps later and rode on to finish fourth. His 9-4 result earned valuable championship points to move him back into the top five in the standings.
Cooper qualified sixth, but also struggled with his start in that first moto and was 16th after the first lap. The New Yorker got to work and made gains by executing the infamous LaRocco’s Leap at RedBud and crossed the line seventh. In Moto 2, he was back up front at the start, battling for a podium position but unfortunately came together with another rider and rejoined at the back of the field. Cooper once again showed resolve and fought his way back to ninth, salvaging points to maintain his fourth spot in the title chase and end the day seventh overall.
Thrasher struggled earlier in the day and qualified 13th, but when it came time to racing, he found his stride. He was eighth after the start of the first moto and advanced to sixth on Lap 6 but was dealing with some arm pump issues and ultimately salvaged a 10th-place finish. In the second moto, he was 10th after the start and worked his way to seventh to end the day 10th overall.
As for Romano, he hit the ground running at his RedBud National debut. He was second in the first qualifying session and then led the way for the team with a fourth-place result in the combined timesheets. The rookie from New York was 11th after the start of the first moto and tried to make his way forward but ultimately finished 12th in the challenging conditions. In the second moto, he got a better start in sixth but was shuffled back to 16th in the challenging conditions and scored 15th overall.
Rookie LeBlanc struggled to find his flow at his first RedBud National and qualified 18th. In the first moto, he got a great start in sixth but was shuffled back to 19th. With another less than ideal gate pick, he was 11th after the first lap of Moto 2. He tried to make his way forward but ultimately scored another 19th-place finish to end the day 20th overall.
Next weekend, the Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing team heads to Southwick, Massachusetts, for Round 6 of the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship at The Wick 338 on Saturday, July 9.
