Troy Dog
You couldn’t have scripted this any better! The 2024 250SX West Region Championship is coming down to a winners take all showdown (literally a East/West Showdown) at the season finale!
Both RJ Hampshire and Levi Kitchen have somehow positioned themselves to have the same amount of points as the other. We’ve seen them make mistakes, crash, win, be consistent, and in Levi’s case, even go to the hospital. All to get to this point!
Who’s it going to be?
The Rockstar Energy Husqvarna rider, RJ Hampshire is looking to being Husky home its first Championship since Zach Osborne’s 2020 450MX Pro Motocross Championship. Levi Kitchen is trying to do the same for Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki since Adam Cianciarulo’s 250MX Pro Motocross Championship in 2019.
The coolest part about whoever does win this championship will be the fact that it will be their first professional title. Both of them have had a different journey to get to this point. Hampshire is the veteran, while Kitchen is fairly young still and only in the first few years of his career.
Kitchen’s progression has happened quickly, especially since his switch over to the Pro Circuit team this year. He’s changed himself from a potential race winner to title contender this year. His crash at the East/West Showdown in Nashville put him in the hospital afterwards to get his ribs evaluated. Had that not happened,he would have had a cushion heading into the final round here instead of tied.
Hampshire on the other hand, won the opener, has been strong, but has made mistakes along the way. It’s been a very classic Rick James season. The only differenc this year is that when Kitchen had his issues, RJ was the one who got hot at the right time and made up a ton of points. Hampshire tried everything in his power to get passed Kitchen in Denver, even with the Chef’s boot fiasco, he couldn’t get close enough to make a pass on the dry, slick conditions.
Neither one of these riders hold any advantage at this point in the series. It literally could go in any direction. I think the coolest part about this entire deal is that it seems like RJ and Levi get along very well. They have been caught joking around with one another during the press conferences and the vibe seems great. That may change this weekend, but as it stands right now, the series has been fun to watch because of their camaraderie.
May the best man win.
