MXGP France: Testing times at Ernée for De Wolf and Everts

Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing teammates RJ Hampshire and Ryder DiFrancesco both delivered podium results with Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing at the 2026 Pro Motocross Championship season finale on Saturday, with Hampshire finishing second in 450MX and DiFrancesco third in 250MX at the Ironman National. Hampshire continued his impressive late-season form in 450MX qualifying on board the Husqvarna FC 450 Factory Edition, setting the fifth-fastest time on the combined timesheets with a 2:10.249 to establish a positive direction for the day. The 30-year-old launched to a strong start in Moto 1, completing the opening lap in P3, before advancing throughout the race to secure a solid P2 finish. A measured sixth-place result in Moto 2 saw Hampshire take home second overall and claim fifth in the final 450MX standings. “It’s awesome to get a podium!” said Hampshire. “Congrats to Hunter and the Lawrences on the championship. As for me, it was just a super-solid day. I didn’t do anything special – I got decent starts, and I have to say a huge thanks to my whole Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing team. We’ve had a great run together and I’m looking forward to finishing these SMX rounds strong.” Also aboard the Husqvarna FC 450 Factory Edition, Malcolm Stewart finished 12th in Moto 1 after running as high as sixth during the early stages, while a non-finish in the second moto saw him credited 16th overall. A knee injury sustained at the Fox Raceway opener sidelined Stewart for the following eight rounds, before he returned for the final three outdoors. "Ironman's always a good track and a nice place to visit – the fans were awesome today!" said Stewart. "I feel like we had some good speed in Moto 1, running well inside the top-10 there for some time, which was a confidence boost for me after returning to racing late in the season." Equipped with the Husqvarna FC 250 Factory Edition, DiFrancesco set the fourth-fastest time during the morning sessions with a 2:10.810 lap, before an impressive recovery ride from 28th on Lap 1 saw him climb to seventh by the conclusion of Moto 1. Another rapid charge through the field in Moto 2 saw Ryder D climb from 10th to third, with his 7-3 scorecard earning him P3 overall for the weekend. Five top-five finishes, including podiums at RedBud, Washougal and Ironman, helped him complete the 250MX season in fifth overall. "The finale was solid!" commented DiFrancesco. "Both qualifying sessions were good, and I literally came from the back to seventh in the first moto, which was a nice ride, although I'm still frustrated as I feel like I'm leaving a little bit on the table. I think I'll get off the gate well in SMX though and really show what we can do there. But it was a solid day in third overall, and now looking forward to these last three – I feel like we are in with a good shot at it." 250MX teammate Daxton Bennick powered his Husqvarna FC 250 Factory Edition to a top-five start in Moto 1, maintaining strong pace throughout the race to claim fourth at the finish. A tough second moto had Bennick further back in 16th, with his 4-16 scorecard earning 11th overall. "Ironman had its ups and downs," reflected Bennick. "I got off to a good start in Moto 1 and was able to climb up to fourth there, which was a solid result, and then Moto 2 was a bit of a struggle. We'll take the positives into the one-week break and look forward to the SMX rounds." Rockstar Energy Husqvarna amateur prospect Landon Gibson returned to the SMX Next division for the final round of the Pro Motocross season, posting a 5-1 scorecard for second overall at the Ironman National on Friday. The upcoming 2026 SuperMotocross World Championship (SMX) post-season will get underway with Playoff 1 at Historic Crew Stadium in Columbus, Ohio, on September 12. Results 450MX Class – Ironman National 1. Jorge Prado (KTM) 2. RJ Hampshire (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing) 3. Cooper Webb (Yamaha) 5. Eli Tomac (KTM) 8. Aaron Plessinger (KTM) 16. Malcolm Stewart (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing) Standings 450MX Class 2026 after 11 of 11 rounds 1. Hunter Lawrence, 474 points 2. Jett Lawrence, 472 3. Haiden Deegan, 404 4. Jorge Prado, 401 5. RJ Hampshire, 346 12. Aaron Plessinger, 159 14. Eli Tomac, 121 25. Lucas Coenen, 44 27. Malcolm Stewart, 41 Results 250MX Class – Ironman National 1. Julien Beaumer (KTM) 2. Chance Hymas (Honda) 3. Ryder DiFrancesco (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing) 11. Daxton Bennick (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing) Standings 250MX Class 2026 after 11 of 11 rounds 1. Cole Davies, 407 points 2. Julien Beaumer, 369 3. Levi Kitchen, 364 5. Ryder DiFrancesco, 326 15. Casey Cochran, 146 16. Daxton Bennick, 142 21. Sacha Coenen, 83

A rain-affected Budds Creek round of the 2026 AMA Pro Motocross Championship resulted in a mixed weekend for Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing, where RJ Hampshire and Daxton Bennick both finished inside the top-10 overall. Hampshire and his Husqvarna FC 450 Factory Edition made the most of the Mechanicsville circuit in 450MX qualifying, powering to third-fastest on the combined timesheets with a 1:55.501 lap-time to set a positive tone for the day. An incident in the early stages of Moto 1 and a damaged gear shifter forced Hampshire to charge from outside the top 20, eventually recovering to 12th by the checkered flag. He then improved to a consistent sixth in Moto 2 to claim 10th overall. He retains fifth in the 450MX standings heading into next weekend's finale at Ironman Raceway. "My day started good," commented Hampshire. "The skies then opened, and it got pretty muddy! I didn't get off the gate well in Moto 1, and then made contact with someone and damaged my gear shifter. I was stuck in second gear the whole first moto and salvaged what I could, and then second moto was a bit better. I just needed to be a little better today and didn't really have it, so we have one to go, and I want to finish the season strong in Indiana." Also equipped with the Husqvarna FC 450 Factory Edition, Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing teammate Malcolm Stewart posted 15-14 moto scores at Budds Creek to claim 13th overall, marking his second round back in action since the season-opener. "The crowd was awesome at Budds Creek – I felt nothing but love," said Stewart. "This is one of those races that I look forward to coming to every year, and although the results weren't exactly what we wanted, at the end of the day I felt like we rode a lot better than last weekend. I enjoyed myself. The rain threw a little plot twist into the mix for everybody, but anyway, we'll keep trying and I feel like we're making solid progress in getting back to race form." 250MX challenger Bennick showed promising speed at Round 10, qualifying 11th on the combined 250MX timesheets before finishing ninth in Moto 1 aboard his Husqvarna FC 250 Factory Edition. He followed that with an 11th-place score in Moto 2 to secure ninth overall for the weekend. "Budds Creek was good," said Bennick. "I felt like I went back to making it a little more simple for myself this weekend, and just tried to have fun with it. My start was really good in Moto 1, and then I had a big bobble with another rider on the opening lap, so had to work my way back to ninth. In the second moto, I was again able to charge forward, which I have been struggling with lately, so I think today was a good step for me, and I want to take this momentum into the final round to finish the outdoor season strong." Also aboard the Husqvarna FC 250 Factory Edition, Ryder DiFrancesco qualified third in 250MX with a 1:56.944 lap-time, carrying strong form into the opening moto. The 21-year-old started Moto 1 outside the top 10 before steadily working his way forward to sixth by race's end. A crash during the early stages of Moto 2 sent him down the running order, eventually recovering to finish 25th and that placed him 15th overall. "I had a good day going at Budds Creek," commented DiFrancesco. "Qualifying was good with P3, and Moto 1 was a good comeback ride from starting pretty deep in the pack. I was also in a good position in Moto 2, but I high-sided coming down the hill, which cost me a lot of time and positions. I'm looking forward to next weekend, because Ironman is a good track for me, so I want to finish the outdoors off on a good note." Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing prospect Landon Gibson also contested the Budds Creek National this weekend, gaining added experience in the pro ranks and posting a 12-15 scorecard for 12th overall in 250MX. "I didn't make it easy on myself!" recalled Gibson. "But overall, it was a good day. I crashed in each of the motos, so considering I was on the ground both times, I'm happy that I continued to fight all the way until the end and scored some decent results that we can build from." Next Race: August 29 – Crawfordsville, Indiana Results 450MX Class – Budds Creek National 1. Hunter Lawrence (Honda) 2. Jorge Prado (KTM) 3. Haiden Deegan (Yamaha) 7. Aaron Plessinger (KTM) 9. Eli Tomac (KTM) 10. RJ Hampshire (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing) 13. Malcolm Stewart (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing) Standings 450MX Class 2026 after 10 of 11 rounds 1. Hunter Lawrence, 442 points 2. Jett Lawrence, 441 3. Haiden Deegan, 376 4. Jorge Prado, 351 5. RJ Hampshire, 308 12. Aaron Plessinger, 129 17. Eli Tomac, 89 23. Lucas Coenen, 44 28. Malcolm Stewart, 31 Results 250MX Class – Budds Creek National 1. Chance Hymas (Honda) 2. Cole Davies (Yamaha) 3. Landen Gordon (Yamaha) 4. Julien Beaumer (KTM) 9. Daxton Bennick (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing) 12. Landon Gibson (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing) 15. Ryder DiFrancesco (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing) Standings 250MX Class 2026 after 10 of 11 rounds 1. Cole Davies, 378 points 2. Levi Kitchen, 364 3. Julien Beaumer, 322 5. Ryder DiFrancesco, 291 13. Casey Cochran, 146 18. Daxton Bennick, 118 20. Sacha Coenen, 83

Kay de Wolf delivered a front-running 2-2 performance on home soil, while Liam Everts doubled down with a race victory and overall podium in MX2.