When RJ Hampshire debuted in the 450 class at Fox Raceway for the first round of AMA Pro Motocross he did so less than two weeks after having wrist surgery. He was impressive at the first round running up front at the beginning of the motos before settling in for 6-12 moto scores for ninth overall. However what might have been more surprising was his claims that once he regained his strength he would be better on the 450 than he was on the 250!
But as the races wore on, it was obvious RJ was true to his word. His win or bust riding style of the 250 days calmed down and all of a sudden RJ appeared as smooth, calculated contender. Finally at Ironman it all came together, and RJ logged his first overall 450 podium. He told Steve Matthes after the race:
“We knew it was coming, there’s still more. I’m not saying this is kind of where we are at, there is still a lot of progression that we can get to. Just find some comfort and some durability because that’s where we’re at right now. When it's good it's great and then it kinda goes away. So, we are working on that. But overall, stoked.”
At Budds Creek Hampshire had another great day, riding in the lead pack both motos, just barely missing the overall podium. He said in the press release from Husqvarna, “I feel like I rode the best I have all season at Budds Creek across both the motos," commented Hampshire. "I got a good start in Moto 1, but just couldn’t make a pass on the rider [Justin Cooper] in front of me for the whole 30 minutes, which was frustrating. Then in race two, I made a good push there at the end after another strong start, and both my bike and body are getting a lot more comfortable toward the end of these motos now. Overall, I'm happy with the day and my whole rookie 450MX season in general – that’s the best outdoors series I have had by far. Thank you to the team, we’ll take this form into SMX!”
Hampshire also took to Instagram after Budds Creek to talk about his newfound consistency in the 450 class.
Finishing up the season in fifth overall, Hampshire found consistency without the help of great starts. As PulpMX's Super Stats pointed out, RJ passed the second most riders all summer in the 450 class. Quite the feat in such a deep field of talent.
| Position | Rider | Hometown | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Jett Lawrence | Landsborough, Australia  | 509 |
| 2 |  Hunter Lawrence | Landsborough, Australia | 454 |
| 3 |  Eli Tomac | Cortez, CO  | 395 |
| 4 |  Justin Cooper | Cold Spring Harbor, NY | 389 |
| 5 |  R.J. Hampshire | Hudson, FL | 366 |
It was one heck of a rookie 450 outdoor season for Hampshire. Up next is the SMX Playoffs, but then one has to wonder: Hampshire was never a slouch in supercross on a 250. Will that carry over on the 450? Because if RJ can improve on his 450 Pro Motocross rookie season in supercross, the competition may have to look out for the number 24.
