RJ Hampshire made a quick impression on the tough circuit at the 2023 Daytona Supercross, Round 8 of the AMA Supercross series, in his debut ride in the 450 class.
The day got off to a positive start when the 250 West Coast regular qualified fifth fastest. When the gate dropped for the second 450 heat of the night, Hampshire jumped into the lead, followed by his Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing teammate, Christian Craig. RJ held the lead until the finish, trailed by of a trio of championship contenders including Cooper Webb and Chase Sexton. In the main event, the 27-year-old battled in the top ten, running as high as sixth in the opening laps until ultimately finishing eighth.
“Man, it was an awesome day, and an awesome experience,” Hampshire said. “Murph pushed hard for it, believed I could do it, and we got all the other guys on board. I was just happy I was able to prove myself today. We were solid from the beginning of the day, really. My qualifying times were decent, P5. I holeshot the heat led a few laps, and then reality hit that I might win this thing. I won my first heat, my first time ever trying to do it, and my first ever race on a 450, so that was awesome. The main event start was decent and I just kind of rode my own race. I didn’t really race anyone hard and wanted to finish in the top ten of my first main and I did that. I’m just really stoked on our whole day and like I said, for the team giving me a chance to come out here and race tonight.”
