The trio of Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing Team riders lined up to do battle in the beautiful forested hills above the Columbia River for round eight of the Pro Motocross season, with RJ Hampshire leading the way.
250 MX
RJ Hampshire got to show off his relentless pursuit skills in both motos at Washougal as he moved forward in each race. In the first moto, he was in eighth place aboard his FC250 after the drop of the gate, and one by one, he picked off the riders in front of him on the way to an eventual fourth-place finish.
Early in moto two RJ was challenging for the fourth position, but he went down before the whoops and lost several spots. Though he had a huge time deficit to the riders in front of him, he put his head down and charged back to a strong fifth at the finish.
“In the first moto, I felt I rode well; I just didn’t get a great start. In the second moto, I had a better start and was going for a pass, but the line wasn’t there and I lost my front end,” said Hampshire. “I got a fourth and that’s getting old right now. I’m definitely going to use this break to kind of recover a bit and give it the best we’ve got here for the last three rounds.”
Talon Hawkins has shown improved speed all season on his FC 250 and has spent more frequent time inside the top ten. He finished the day with an 11-14 score, and knows more to be gained.
“We’ve got a lot to work on, but I’m excited I matched my best overall finish with an 11th. It’s something to build off of. I got good starts, and there’s a lot to take away that’s good. But in the second moto, I was smoked. I need more,” said Hawkins. “But we’re going to work on that and I’m ready to get back to these next races. I’m ready for this two-week break. I’ve been building all year, getting better at every race, so let’s keep it rolling.”
The final member of the Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing Team, Jalek Swoll, finished in 13th overall with a 10-18 score in his motos.
“Today was frustrating. I feel good and feel like I can ride good, but I’m still dealing with whatever happened at Millville and unfortunately, I can’t shake it right now,” said Swoll. “I’m looking forward to these two weeks off and getting myself back in fine form. I’ll come back with a chip on my shoulder. I feel like I was gaining momentum, but I’ll be back and keep chipping away and figure it out.”
Image Credit – Simon Cudby
