RJ Hampshire leads Hangtown charge for Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing

Round two of the Pro Motocross series turned up the heat on the riders as they headed for their annual visit to the rolling foothills of California’s Eastern Sierra Nevada at Hangtown.

250 MX

RJ Hampshire led the way for the Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing Team, with his best qualifying effort of the season (2nd), and a pair of fifth-place moto finishes. He made the best of a pair of tough starts, and put together huge charges from near midpack in each moto aboard his FC250 to eventual 5-5 finishes for fifth overall.

RJ Hampshire: “I felt really good on the bike, I just had two terrible starts that kept us off the box. My riding was really good all day, from qualifying through both motos I felt awesome. But you can't do much when you start outside the top 15. It was probably the hardest 5-5 I've ever had in my life. We'll go back home to Florida after this weekend and we'll look forward to getting some better starts in Colorado and being where we should be.”

Jalek Swoll continues to build speed and confidence after returning to racing following off-season injuries and carded a ninth and eleventh in his two motos that weren’t really indicative of where he raced most of the day. After finishing ninth in moto one, he ran third for much of the second moto before a pair of costly mistakes dropped him just outside of the top ten. But a top ten overall was his best result of the season and added optimism for the races ahead.

Jalek Swoll: “I'd say it was a step in the right direction. I wish I could have gotten a good start in the first moto and learned more of that pace, but I had a mid-pack start and got ninth. It's something to build off. In the second moto, I felt pretty good in the beginning. I got a really good start and ran third about half the moto. I had a pretty close call where I went off the track and lost a few positions. After that it was survival. But I hung around fifth for a while and had a tip-over and it put me back to tenth and that's where I finished. It sucks to fall and have a little mishap off the track, but it's good to see some light at the end of the tunnel and some progression. All is well and we'll keep the building blocks going.”

Talon Hawkins is still learning the ropes of the Pro Motocross series but saved his best result for the tough and hot second moto, where he finished 15th.

Talon Hawkins: “It was pretty good. There's definitely a lot to work on. I need to be doing more motos and the cardio needs to be a little better, so I'm ready to get back out to the Baker's Factory this week and work on that. There's a lot to work on, but it was a step in the right direction. I did better than last weekend, and that's all I can ask for is to do better every weekend. I'm looking forward to this next weekend out in Colorado with the high elevation. We'll be ready to go.”

Next Event (Round 3): June 10, 2023 – Thunder Valley Motocross in Lakewood, Colo.

Round X Results: Hangtown

250 MX Results

1. Hunter Lawrence (Honda), 3-1
2. Justin Cooper (Yamaha), 2-2
3. Haiden Deegan (Yamaha), 1-4
…

5. RJ Hampshire – Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing, 5-5

9. Jalek Swoll – Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing, 9-11

18. Talon Hawkins – Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing, 21-15
29. Kai Aiello (Husqvarna) 31-26
39. Jaret Finch (Husqvarna)40-34
40. Brantley Schnell (Husqvarna) 38-37

450 MX Results

1. Jett Lawrence (Honda), 1-1
2. Dylan Ferrandis (Yamaha), 2-3
3. Cooper Webb (KTM), 4-22
…

23. Scott Meshey (Husqvarna) 40-19

250 MX Rider Point Standings
1. Hunter Lawrence – 90 points
2. Haiden Deegan – 80 points
3. Justin Cooper – 78 points
…

5. RJ Hampshire – Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing, 67 points
14. Jalek Swoll – Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing, 23 points
19. Talon Hawkins – Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing, 11 points

450 MX Rider Point Standings
1. Jett Lawrence – 100 points
2. Dylan Ferrandis – 82 points
3. Cooper Webb – 74 points