Ninth on debut at Fox Raceway National for RJ Hampshire in 450MX Class

Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s RJ Hampshire made a successful full-time 450MX debut in Round 1 of the 2025 AMA Pro Motocross Championship at the Fox Raceway National, charging to ninth overall and displaying front-running form throughout the opener alongside teammate Malcolm Stewart.

Hampshire and his Husqvarna FC 450 Factory Edition posted the sixth-fastest qualifying time during the morning sessions, before racing to a hard-fought P6 finish in Moto 1 after being in the thick of battle for the duration of the race.

In Moto 2, the 29-year-old was once again inside the front group as the race commenced, however, an early fall relegated him down the order, and a comeback performance was required from there. Hampshire would claw his way back to P12 and earn ninth overall for the round, ticking the goal of a top 10 leaving the opener despite undergoing recent surgery on his wrist.

“Man, it was cool to be here and be competitive,” commented Hampshire. “I’m a man of my word, I said I would be here, and we qualified in sixth, then in the first Moto we were running in the top-five for a while. Pulled off P6 in that one, which was more than expected, then the second Moto I had another good start, but slid out and kind of mailed it in from there. Thankful to be here, top 10 was our goal, so ninth is a solid result to begin with.”

Alongside Hampshire in the premier class was teammate Stewart, who enters this year's AMA Pro Motocross campaign after a successful Supercross season. Stewart would power his Husqvarna FC 450 Factory Edition to 12th in Moto 1, and was running inside the top 10 in Moto 2, before a late-race crash impacted his result. He was credited P15 overall after an eventful first round.

"Fox Raceway is a tough track,” reflected Stewart. “It’s one of those places that’ll catch you out pretty quickly, which happened to me in Moto 1, where I fell and then came back to 12th place. Moto 2, I had a decent start, and then ended up making another mistake in the back section and went down pretty hard. I had to regroup, call it a day, and I’m just thankful that it wasn’t anything too crazy that will put me out, so we’ll just rest up and get ready for Hangtown."

Next Race: May 31 – Hangtown, California

Results 450MX Class – Fox Raceway National

1. Jett Lawrence (Honda)

2. Eli Tomac (Yamaha)

3. Hunter Lawrence (Honda)

4. Aaron Plessinger (KTM)

9. RJ Hampshire (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing)

15. Malcolm Stewart (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing)

Standings 450MX Class 2025 after 1 of 11 rounds

1. Jett Lawrence, 50 points

2. Eli Tomac, 40

3. Hunter Lawrence, 38

4. Aaron Plessinger, 37

9. RJ Hampshire, 26

15. Malcolm Stewart, 10