RJ’s 4th Moto Win
At the 2023 AMA Pro Motocross Championship opening round at Fox Raceway at Pala, RJ Hampshire claimed the win in the first moto of the season. It was Hampshire’s fourth career 250 Class moto win. Unfortunately, Hampshire went down in the second turn of the second moto, which impacted his chances at the overall win. But a last lap pass on Chance Hymas gave Hampshire 11th place, and his 1-11 earned him enough points on the day for third overall—Hampshire’s tenth career 250 Class Pro Motocross overall podium.
Moto Win Then Tenth or Worse For Overall Podium
Oddly enough, the previous two times a rider has gone 1-10th or worse, Hampshire has been involved—but he was the beneficiary, winning the overall. Check out those races below:
Fox Raceway - 250
May 27, 2023| Rider | Hometown | Motos | Bike | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Hunter Lawrence | Landsborough, Australia  | 3 - 1 | Honda CRF250R |
| 2 |  Haiden Deegan | Temecula, CA  | 6 - 2 | Yamaha YZ250F |
| 3 |  R.J. Hampshire | Hudson, FL | 1 - 11 | Husqvarna FC 250 RE |
RedBud National II - 250
September 7, 2020| Rider | Hometown | Motos | Bike | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | R.J. Hampshire | Hudson, FL | 2 - 3 | Husqvarna FC 250 |
| 2 |  Dylan Ferrandis | Avignon, France  | 5 - 2 | Yamaha YZ250F |
| 3 |  Shane McElrath | Canton, NC | 1 - 10 | Yamaha YZ250F |
Budds Creek - 250
August 18, 2018| Rider | Hometown | Motos | Bike | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | R.J. Hampshire | Hudson, FL | 2 - 1 | Honda CRF250R |
| 2 |  Chase Sexton | La Moille, IL | 7 - 2 | Honda CRF250R |
| 3 |  Aaron Plessinger | Hamilton, OH | 1 - 11 | Yamaha YZ250F |
Vohland’s Best Moto Finish
In the first moto, Max Vohland finished second—a new career best moto finish. It was his first moto podium finish, which came in his 49th career Pro Motocross moto. He finished ninth in the second moto for sixth overall.
Hunter’s 2nd Overall Win
In the second moto, it was Hunter Lawrence who was victorious. The #96 claimed the moto win—the eighth moto win of his career—and his 3-1 finishes gave him the overall, the second career overall Pro Motocross win of his career. He leaves round one with the 250 Class points lead.
Deegan’s First OA Podium
In just his third career Pro Motocross start, Haiden Deegan finished 6-2 to earn his maiden 250 Class overall podium finish as he claimed second overall.
Pro Motocross Debuts
The following riders made their AMA Motocross debuts over the weekend:
Jett Reynolds | 12-16 for 14th overall
Caden Braswell | 18-18 for 19th overall
Tom Vialle | 7-3 for 4th overall
Brad West | 24-27 for 27th overall
Carter Dubach | 37-DNS for 39th overall
Jett’s 450 AMA Motocross Debut
In his first ever AMA Motocross 450 Class start, Jett Lawrence went 1-1 and claimed the overall. First holeshot, first moto win, first moto podium, and first overall podium all checked off at one race! Jett Lawrence became the 75th different rider to win an overall in premier class of Pro Motocross, the first new winner since Jason Anderson won his maiden overall at the 2022 Hangtown Motocross Classic in June of ’22.
Jett Lawrence becomes the first 450 Class debutant to go 1-1 in their maiden AMA Motocross start since MXGP star Jeffrey Herlings did so in 2017 and before that, Ryan Villopoto did so in May 2009.
6-for-6 at Fox Raceway at Pala
Jett continued his streak of winning the overall at Fox Raceway at Pala—taking the 250 Class overall win in 2020, then twice in both 2021 and 2022 before now taking his first ever 450 Class start as well: an impressive six-for-six for the #18!
Honda Repeats 1-1, 2-2
For the second straight season, Honda HRC goes 1-1, 2-2 in the 450 Class at the opener. Last year, it was Chase Sexton going 1-1 ahead of his teammate Ken Roczen’s 2-2. At least year’s opener, Jett went 1-1 in the 250 Class, followed by a 2-2 from his brother Hunter.
This year, it was Jett going 1-1 over Sexton, with Hunter taking the overall in the 250 Class.
Shout-Out to Kris Keefer, Josh Mosiman
Our test guy Kris Keefer tried to qualify at the opener. Unfortunately, a hard fall early in the day ended his chances. Glad he is only banged up and not worse off.
Former pro racer and now fellow media member Josh Mosiman of Motocross Action Magazine finished 33-28 for 31st overall on a Yamaha YZ450F.
SMX Standings Update
Through 18 rounds (of 31) of the SuperMotocross World Championship (SMX), here are some things to note in the standings.
450 SMX Standings notes:
— Kellen Brauer (@kellenbrauer) May 28, 2023
Benny Bloss and Joey Savatgy were bumped out of the top 20 after Fox Raceway. Fredrik Noren (P17) and Dylan Ferrandis (P19) are back in.
Jett Lawrence is now 26th after one round.
The top 20 cutoff is now at 94 points, currently held by Justin Starling
| Position | Rider | Hometown | Qualifying Points | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Haiden Deegan | Temecula, CA | 539 | 157 |
| 2 |  Jo Shimoda | Suzuka, Japan  | 468 | 152 |
| 3 | R.J. Hampshire | Hudson, FL | 474 | 122 |
| 4 |  Levi Kitchen | Washougal, WA | 478 | 114 |
| 5 |  Jordon Smith | Belmont, NC | 234 | 110 |
| 6 |  Justin Cooper | Cold Spring Harbor, NY | 399 | 101 |
| 7 |  Max Vohland | Sacramento, CA | 416 | 98 |
| 8 |  Tom Vialle | Avignon, France | 421 | 90 |
| 9 | Hunter Lawrence | Landsborough, Australia | 643 | 89 |
| 10 |  Jalek Swoll | Belleview, FL | 221 | 88 |
| Position | Rider | Hometown | Qualifying Points | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Jett Lawrence | Landsborough, Australia | 550 | 163 |
| 2 |  Ken Roczen | Mattstedt, Germany  | 340 | 146 |
| 3 | Chase Sexton | La Moille, IL | 710 | 126 |
| 4 |  Cooper Webb | Newport, NC | 451 | 120 |
| 5 | Aaron Plessinger | Hamilton, OH | 622 | 104 |
| 6 |  Adam Cianciarulo | Port Orange, FL | 538 | 96 |
| 7 |  Garrett Marchbanks | Coalville, UT | 255 | 92 |
| 8 |  Jason Anderson | Edgewood, NM | 449 | 91 |
| 9 |  Colt Nichols | Muskogee, OK | 163 | 90 |
| 10 |  Ty Masterpool | Paradise, TX | 242 | 84 |
Vlogs/Videos
"HE CAME IN AND BEAT THE GUY HE'S REPLACING!" PALA MX REWIND // Bubba's World w/ James Stewart
2023 Fox Raceway National | Best Post-Race Show Ever
Infield Access - 2023 Fox Raceway Trackside RAW | Racer X Films
