Slaw Dog
Richard James Hampshire is a champion in Monster Energy Supercross.
There were times in his career, this seemed inevitable.
There were other times where you thought he may end up in the same territory as a Cole Seely or Shane McElrath—ultra fast and talented, but never able to close the deal on a title.
Throughout his 10-year career, certain things seemed to follow Hampshire: he left his heart out on the track at EVERY race, but he tended to make too many mistakes to win a title. And while Hampshire did have some mistakes during the 250SX West Region this year, he came up clutch when he needed. Tied with Levi Kitchen entering the East/West Showdown in Salt Lake City on Saturday, it was truly a winners take all scenario. And RJ delivered. He quickly got through the pack and put distance on Kitchen to close the deal.
SIDE NOTE: I was super scared watching him try and track down Deegan for the win. But that’s who RJ is: just balls out all the time.
RJ has certainly put his time in the 250 Class and will be moving up to the 450 Class soon. But when?
In the post-race press conference, RJ outlined his ideal scenario to move up, which includes defending his #1 plate in 2025.
“Now is probably a good time to talk about an extension, I’ll tell you that! [Laughs] What I want I think will happen…. I’ll tell you guys. My plan is, I want to spend the whole off-season on a 450, train like I’m going racing on a 450, then defend next year West Coast on a 250, race the opposite coast on a 450, then race a 450 outdoors next year. That’s what I want to do,” he explained.
Slaw’s Thoughts
Honestly, I think this is a very smart route. Guess who also agrees? A Mister Zach Osborne, that’s who…
RJ doesn’t need more time training on a 250. So, spend the off-season getting used to a 450, go to the opposite coast (Ala a Mister Ken Roczen way back when) and then crack outdoors. Perfecto.
I have no idea what RJ will do in the 450 Class, but I’ll tell you this, he will leave his heart out on the track. EVERY. SINGLE. RACE.
