RJ HAMPSHIRE

Returning to the racetrack with an abundance of determination, was Husqvarna’s RJ Hampshire. The Floridian was striving for the highest of feats from the moment practice began, and continued to accelerate through the checkered flag to gather a commendable final lap-time. His gate choice (for moto one) on the inside of the grid would help him avoid the massive pile-up that consumed numerous members of the field...and as the first lap came to fruition, RJ appeared to occupy a standing near eleventh. As five minutes of action had transpired, he had moved forward to the seventh-place residency. However, a small mistake would deter him briefly out of the top-ten, before making his way back into single digits. By the halfway point, he had fought with the utmost intensity to surpass Nicholas Romano, while also keeping another Yamaha rider (i.e. Jordon Smith) at bay. The added motivation from the number thirty-one empowered Hampshire to embody the spirit that helped him win the respected 250cc SX championship, earlier in the year. The competitiveness of RJ couldn’t be denied — as he seemingly returned directly to the highest of racing formats, after being forced to the sidelines for numerous months in a row! Nevertheless, Hampshire was going to give it his all, despite proclaiming that he adopted a slightly new, more composed mindset prior to the race beginning...but the drive to succeed couldn’t be nullified for the Floridian — where he eventually earned ninth before making his way back to the pit area. With the track beginning to dry out, RJ knew that a slightly altered riding style would have to be adopted for positions to be gained. Therefore he would transition his weight to the front of the motorcycle a bit more often in this moto, hoping that the front tire could dig in to a slightly higher degree, in comparison to weighting the rear-end of his machine among deeper soils. An original placement of twelfth would quickly be amplified to that of eleventh, and he appeared to be cemented in ninth as the halfway point approached...with Jordon Smith just ahead. This led to a slight battle with he and Julien Beaumer, where the veteran’s pressure was nearly enough to overtake the newcomer as the clock neared zero. However, the athlete aboard the KTM continued to charge through the checkered flag...keeping RJ at bay, as they both eventually passed Ty Masterpool, simultaneously. And as the narrative for the second moto would cease, it was Hampshire’s return to competition that equated to final moto scores of ninth and eighth — earning ninth overall, before moving forward to Ironman.