Bird Dog
Can we take a moment and talk about Levi Kitchen? I’m not sure if I’m more stoked on this kids overall, absolute, complete, smashing, ridiculous dominance every time the gate drops in one of his classes or the potential nick names that are sure to follow after literally everyone in the motocross industry starts talking about him. I can see it now. “Kitchen brings the whole sink to Loretta’s” or “Somethings cooking in the kitchen, and it’s Levi Kitchen.” Ok, those suck, but in my defense I’ve been mixing a 3 to 1 White Claw to water ratio this week and my brain is mushy. How bout “If You Can’t Stand the Heat, Get out of the Kitchen?”
The Bird Dog has been around for a while, so I’ve seen this story play out before and it NEVER gets old. Not one to simply rely on present results as a litmus test, I did a little digging and it’s not like we’re talking about a kid who’s seen this kind of success his entire amateur career, or even a third year intermediate rider sand bagging his way to the podium for that matter. He’s been to Loretta’s a ton, but no overly impressive results prior to this weekend. Last year he saw the podium in 125cc B/C but he was mainly a top 10 guy before that.
Now look, Bird Dog ain’t no top 10 guy, unless you’re talking about under the media tent. In that case I’m a damn 15 time champion. What we’re seeing here is the late blooming of a spring flower that grows large enough to cast a shadow over the other flowers.
His lap times are on par with the pros and when he goes on a sprint seem considerably faster than everyone else in the 250 and 450 B classes. He also appears unwavering by the results. His demeanor is pretty even keel and while the start to his week may come as a surprise to most, it ain’t no surprise to the Kitchen.
Peep back later this week for an update to see if he can finish what he started.
“Can You Smell What’s Cookin’ in the Kitchen?!”
Damnit, I’m sorry, I’ll stop now.
