RJ Hampshire made the move from the 250 class to the 450s and never missed a beat as he landed in the top 10 in SuperMotocross League with one of the most consistent performances in the league.
Hampshire may well have been ready to move up at the start of the season, but after winning the 2024 SX West division, he wanted the chance to defend his title. Unfortunately, a training crash during the off-season forced him to switch coasts so he could heal.
Hampshire’s move may have been a blessing in disguise since it put him in a three-way battle that was among the most compelling of the season and embroiled him in a winner-take-all scenario with Tom Vialle and Seth Hammaker.
In the closing laps of the season finale in Salt Lake City, he fought his way to Hammaker’s rear wheel after suffering a slow start. Hammaker was trying to show patience and get around Vialle and Julien Beaumer, who were fighting for second at the time.
Hampshire did not show the same degree of patience, which had worn thin as he worked his way through the field. Hampshire passed a dozen riders before getting to Hammaker, and when he attempted the pass, Hampshire and Hammaker collided. They both hit the dirt.
“Any racer in that situation knows what I was going through,” Hampshire said following the incident. “I passed 12-13 guys leading up to that position, and I’d seen what was going on in the earlier laps. I made an aggressive pass, and we both ended up going down. But did you not see the four other guys, two laps before that, all slamming each other? The only difference was that we both went down. Some of the calls they were making were just as bad as mine; it just so happens mine didn’t work out.”
Vialle won the championship. Hammaker recovered to finish fourth in the race and second in the championship. Hampshire finished sixth in the Salt Lake City feature and third in the standings.
But now, it was time to move on.
Hampshire’s Pro Motocross debut was respectable but not flashy. He finished sixth in Moto 1 and 12th in Moto 2 at Fox Raceway in Pala, California, for a combined ninth overall. He remained in the top 10 for the next four weeks before finding his groove to score six consecutive top-five results to end the season.
Hampshire had one win under his belt in the 250 East division at Daytona, but arguably the highlight of 2025 was his second-place Motocross finish at Ironman Raceway with three rounds remaining. He finished third in Moto 1 and fourth in Moto 2.
Seeded 10th in the 450 division on the strength of his Motocross results, Hampshire continued to show strength. He finished fifth in the first playoff round at zMax Dragway in Concord, North Carolina, and sixth in the final two rounds in St. Louis and Las Vegas.
Consistency is often more valuable than raw speed. Hampshire’s average finish for the season was 5.58, but that was only part of the story. All three divisional averages were separated by only a quarter of a point. Hampshire had an average of 5.7 in 250 SX East, 5.45 in 450 MX, and 5.67 in the SMX Playoffs.
Hampshire suffered another crash in the 2025 off-season, but he will mount up in Angel Stadium for the opener. Any slight improvement in 2026 will make him a consistent threat to finish on the podium.
RJ Hampshire 2025 Statistics
SuperMotocross League standings: Seventh (30th in 250s)
Seeding for SMX Round 1: 10th
Combined 250, 450 starts: 24 (10 in SX 250E)
Best finish: First (Daytona 250 SX)
Wins: 1 (SX)
Podiums: 6 (5 in SX; 1 in MX)
Top-fives: 15 (7 in SX; 8 in MX)
Top-10s: 28 (8 in SX; 20 in MX)
Supercross average finish: 5.70 (SX 250E)
Motocross average finish: 5.45 (MX)
SMX Playoffs average: 5.67 (MX)
Overall average: 5.58
450 SuperMotocross Countdown
7. Justin Cooper
8. Ken Roczen
9. Aaron Plessinger
10. Justin Barcia
11. Malcolm Stewart
12. Dylan Ferrandis
13. Justin Hill
14. Joey Savatgy
15. Jason Anderson
250 SuperMotocross Countdown
6. Julien Beaumer
7. Garrett Marchbanks
8. Jordon Smith
9. Michael Mosiman
10. Chance Hymas
11. Drew Adams
12. Levi Kitchen
