Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s RJ Hampshire and Malcolm Stewart raced to consistent 450MX top 10 finishes in Round 3 of the 2025 AMA Pro Motocross Championship at Thunder Valley, highlighting ongoing progression being made as the season develops.
Hampshire and his Husqvarna FC 450 Factory Edition posted the sixth-fastest qualifying time during the morning sessions, before racing to a well-earned P6 result in Moto 1 on a rutty, technical race track.
Moto 2 was another strong showing for the premier class newcomer, who finished in seventh place, and climbed to sixth overall in the 450MX standings in his first year as a full-time racer in the category.
“I definitely progressed this weekend,” commented Hampshire. “I made progress during the week with my wrist, and I finally feel like we're turning a corner there. I was inside the top-five again for the first 25 minutes of Moto 1, so I am getting longer with that. Then the second moto, got a good start, then made a mistake early and went down... Got up, then went down again a couple of laps later, so I had my work cut out for me, but that was the strongest I've been at the end of a moto. I'm pretty happy with where we are at and we'll keep on building."
Teammate Stewart – also equipped with the Husqvarna FC 450 Factory Edition – raced to 10th in Moto 1, before collecting another P10 score in Moto 2. Those combined finishes rewarded him with eighth overall for the weekend in Colorado.
"The day started off a little rough with the mud,” reflected Stewart. “I got off to a mid-pack start in Moto 1 and made a lot of passes to get my way up into 10th there. Moto 2, the track was pretty gnarly in that one, another average start for me, and I made a lot of passes throughout the race. I tried to find a flow and eventually ended up with 10-10 for eighth overall. Things could've been better, but at the same time, we learned a lot, so we'll come back for High Point and try to put this bike inside the top-five."
Next Race: June 14 – High Point, Pennsylvania
Results 450MX Class – Thunder Valley National
1. Jett Lawrence (Honda)
2. Eli Tomac (Yamaha)
3. Aaron Plessinger (KTM)
7. RJ Hampshire (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing)
8. Malcolm Stewart (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing)
Standings 450MX Class 2025 after 3 of 11 rounds
1. Jett Lawrence, 145 points
2. Eli Tomac, 120
3. Aaron Plessinger, 118
6. RJ Hampshire, 87
11. Malcolm Stewart, 60