It was a long season for RJ Hampshire. Starting at the Anaheim 1 Supercross back on January 7 and completing on October 8 at the Monster Energy FIM Motocross of Nations in France, the Rockstar Energy Husqvarna rider had quite a busy year. He experienced the highs—podiums and winning the Denver Supercross—and the lows—injuries and being sidelined—but he still takes it as a positive.
His biggest issue was a stomach problem that popped up during the Pro Motocross campaign, and it took a long time to find the right diagnosis to get it right. RJ has now changed his diet and finally feels like he has that issue behind him, although it did make things tough during the last few months of the season.
The veteran knows he is on the back end of his career as a pro racer, and he is not taking any of it for granted. Despite the short off-season, Hampshire will be back and ready to race the 2024 A1 Supercross in just a month’s time—and he is okay with that. Feeling reset, Hampshire is looking forward to starting a new season once again with the Rockstar Energy Husqvarna team. This time, he has high expectations to fight for a championship all year long.
Our Kellen Brauer caught up to Hampshire to get an update on his off-season prep, his mentality heading into another year of racing, and more.
Racer X: All right, RJ Hampshire. First of all, end of last year, it didn't exactly go the way you wanted with [Motocross of] Nations and everything at the end. So, just take me through like the mental reset of shutting things down after the year and then coming into this year, the fresh mindset, I guess.
RJ Hampshire: Yeah, it wasn't even Nations that really I needed to reset from. I was set on going to race there and no matter how bad it was or how good it was, I was gonna have the best dang time I could during that trip, and I did that. People don't realize, man, I was struggling leading up to that. So, just for me to commit to it was a big deal. And then to race a 250 after I was supposed to race a 450. Like that was pretty draining, I'll be honest with you. But it was just an awesome time, so much fun. And then came home, I think I had about seven days off, which we did all we could: hit a couple of country concerts with the wife and a couple of dinners here and there. And then, right back to it. We have a lot to test right off the bat for ‘24 with the bike and wanted to get on it as early as possible. So, I had a good base starting out on my bike. One that I liked. From day one, as soon as I got back on supercross, it was like I never stopped. Like that's a good thing and a bad thing at the same time. As long as you can kind of control it, when you peak, and kind of ride that out for where we're at now, I just feel like it kept getting better and better and at a good spot right now.
![]()
Simon Cudby ![]()
Simon Cudby
Well, I asked that question because it was such a long season with SMX and you add Nations at the end of it, and now we're already coming in A1 so quick. How has that been to adjust to that and have such a short off-season?
Yeah, I knew what I was getting myself into so I was mentally prepared for it. I was struggling with my health more than anything during all of outdoors. I took those couple of rounds off there at the end just to try to get my body back, kind of recouped a little bit. But like I said, I knew what I was getting myself into. I wanted to race West Coast from the beginning as soon as we get going again, which gave me also a shorter off-season. But there's pros and cons to a short off-season. I'm in great shape right now. My base is so high and then we just continue to build from the last two years. We still had a great time, we enjoyed everything, my family is involved in everything I do. So, nothing really different other than, you know, having a couple of days off.
What's it been like to sign back with the team for another two years and have your future pretty well lined up. It it kind of title or bust on the 250?
It's awesome. I enjoy this group. I love racing for an Austrian brand from the management to the bosses overseas. Man, it's a really good group and I enjoy being here. I love what I do. These guys believe in me, I don't wanna go ride for anyone else. So, hopefully they feel the same as I do, and I can end my career here, because that's my goal. I'm so happy with everything where I'm at in my life: where I'm able to live, where I'm able to train, just everything, man. It fits. It feels like home for myself. Which, is hard to find.
I know last year, if I remember, right, you did a little bit more time in California because you were gonna do West and you kind of got a little bit more used to the dirt and everything. Is that a similar plan to this year? And what did you learn from last year that helps you fit better this year going into west?
It was more just my mindset really. Like I've never liked coming to California and last year I told myself I'm gonna like this trip no matter what and brought my family with me. We got a nicer place, stayed in Orange [County], a little bit closer to the beaches and stuff, where they had things to do, which made the whole trip much, much better. We're doing the same thing right after Christmas we're heading out here for about four and a half weeks, living or staying over there near Anaheim/Orange County area. I like it. Last year was awesome for myself. Even though, Anaheim 2, it didn't end good and my trip going home was miserable and I ended up in the hospital when I got back home. But that trip in itself was awesome. So, if I can have that trip again with a better ending, I'd be in an awesome spot leaving here.
I heard a lot of West Coast guys last year say how kind of unstable the season was with Oakland being postponed and then you guys would start and stop and start and stop. Are you looking forward to having four straight races to start? Kind of get into a bit of a groove then?
Yeah, I am. Like last year, this season definitely was kind of hard on myself because I was healing still after Anaheim 2. And then I had to go race Oakland because they rescheduled it in that weekend off, which was tough. And then I think I had four weeks off, but I also raced Daytona [on the 450]. So, it was just like here go race this, here ride a 450 for a couple of days. Let's go race this thing. So, just have a little bit more stability and knowing what's coming. Man, these first four races are gonna be a big point in my career, like a big point in my year. Like I need to start it off good from the get-go. I'm looking forward to it though. Like this is whole West Coast swing, and then we have to race the Nashville East/West shootout, stoked to race there. I've wanted to race there a while and haven't been able to, St. Louis, West Coast round. Man, I feel like there's a lot of things that are going good for myself right now. And super happy with the bike. I'm stoked on it, and we made another big jump forward.
Being a veteran of the 250 class, what are some of the things that you feel are like key over some of your younger competition that you can use as a way to beat them week in and week out?
I'd say I showed it last year where it was like, even when I didn't get a great start, I was calm and okay with where I was there for a bit and let those opening laps kind of play out. And then my fitness is really good. So, I'm able to use that at the end of those races. Just be able to control my mind because sometimes it gets going a little bit crazy and, I wanna do some things that I felt I shouldn't do. So, I just kind of control myself.
I know you said toward the end of the year, last year was more about getting healthy. But now that you've seen one full season of this format with supercross, motocross, and SMX, what are the things that you learned about that whole experience and the longevity of the season that you feel is gonna be a building block for you in 2024?
It's tough to say because I really feel like I had a shot there at the outdoors, even with battling with what I did [stomach issues] before I got hurt. And then coming into SMX, we didn't know what to expect. So,you're building a bike that you have no idea what it's gonna do. It started out in Charlotte and that was terrible. Like Charlotte was ugly, ugly and I was like, SMX is the worst thing ever. Like we need to cancel this right now! Then Chicago got better and then LA was the best supercross I think I've ever been to, like, that was an unreal atmosphere. An awesome event and then of course the payout and stuff, it was completely flipped from round one to round three of SMX. But yeah, at least we know kind of what to expect now and not to try to build a new bike for three races, like race what you know and that's kind of what I did those last two and it was much better. But it was a long year. But, man, it was awesome.
