RJ Hampshire: "When we were in France, they had home field advantage and everyone was cheering for them. Now we're in the States and everyone is cheering for us."
CRAWFORDSVILLE, Indiana: Team USA has faced a unique challenge as they lined up this weekend for the Motocross of Nations at Ironman Raceway. Injury is a constant challenge for the riders, but when both Chase Sexton and Haiden Deegan went down in the SuperMotocross Championship finale, RJ Hampshire and Justin Cooper waited for a call.
Sexton was first to announce he would not be able to mount up, but it took a few days to dot all the i's and cross all the t's. While those conversations were happening, Hampshire knew he had to keep mentally and physically prepared for what has been described as Motocross' version of the Olympics.
"I stayed ready and into it until I got that call," Hampshire told NBC Sports on Saturday.
Saturday Success
Hampshire slotted into the second position in Free Practice early in the day, wedged between Australia's Hunter Lawrence and The Netherlands' Calvin Vlaanderen. Hindered by a poor gate pick draw of 35th, Hampshire got a modest start outside the top 10 before steadily working his way forward to finish fourth. Two of the three riders ahead of him in the Open class were SuperMotocross regulars Hunter Lawrence and Jo Shimoda. The other was Vlaanderen.
"I was kind of getting the cobwebs off [during Free Practice]," Hampshire said. "I felt a little rusty at first, but I like Ironman a lot so it came back pretty fast.
"Had a pretty big case at the finish, which didn't feel good, but overall it was pretty good. I was happy overall."
The Motocross of Nations is like no other race on the calendar. There are no season points and no prize money, but that does not detract in the least from its prestige. In fact, in some ways it adds to aura.
"It's more the fans and vibes than anything," Hampshire said. "I feel like we have that than even Australia. We have more fans here and they want to see us win.
"I'm a lot more comfortable here. Got a lot of family and friend here, which for sure helps, and the fans here are crazy. When we were in France, they had home field advantage and everyone was cheering for them. Now we're in the States and everyone is cheering for us. You have the whole country behind you."
Hampshire's last MXoN was in 2023, in Ernée, France. Hampshire finished a best of 10th in one of his two races when MX2 riders were combined with Open riders. Hampshire was hooked.
"Any chance I get in my career to race for Team USA, I'm here," Hampshire noted. "I said I would do this again in Ernée, and I got to Ernée and got a chance. Sure enough on a 450, we're back here. I haven't even had a full year on this bike yet, so I feel like I can continue to improve and get better. I hope to be here next year with even more experience on setup and what else. It's such an honor."
The key to success in 2025 will be keeping the Lawrence brothers in sight. Hampshire's modest start in Saturday's qualification race means he did not have the opportunity to study Hunter's lines. But by qualifying fifth overall on Saturday, Hampshire's odds of standing on the podium improve in both of Sunday's races.
"Eli and I just need to stay as close as we can to the Lawrences. They're going to be hard to beat no matter what, but we need to stay close to them. I don't want to put a lot of pressure on J. Coop, but he can really be the won that wins it for us," Hampshire opined. "Make a lot of points, so Eli and I just need to stay close."
More Motocross of Nations News
Justin Cooper is an ace in the hole for Team USA
Jett Lawrence wins MXoN’s MXGP qualification race
Jett Lawrence, Justin Cooper, and Hunter Lawrence set pace in Practice
Haiden Deegan out, Justin Cooper in for Team USA
RJ Hampshire replaces Chase Sexton on team
Category: General Sports
