RJ Hampshire Dominates Showdown to Grab Points Lead in Western Regional 250SX Class
Nashville, Tenn., (April 21, 2024) Team Honda HRC’s Jett Lawrence earned his sixth win of the season with a convincing victory inside Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tennessee.
Nissan Stadium delivered great racing, dramatic setbacks, and a points lead change in all three of the championships. Opening Ceremonies featured a special drop-in from the Frog-X Parachute Team. Photo Credit: Feld Motor Sports, Inc.
Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Eli Tomac grabbed the Main Event Holeshot and held onto the lead until the midpoint. He finished in second place in the annual Love Moto Stop Cancer event, benefiting the children of St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital. Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Cooper Webb, who had tied up the points leading into Nashville, earned third place; the finish puts him back five points with three rounds remaining in the 17-round Monster Energy Supercross season. In the season’s first 250SX East/West Showdown, Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s RJ Hampshire had riders from both regional championships handled and grabbed the win.
“I hate losing, so that bit of a losing streak really sucked. But [I’m] really pumped to come out and get it done here, especially with the Slash and Gibson [designed] gear. Those people are awesome to us, so I have to say a big shout out to them; I reckon it helped a lot. [I] felt good out there [and] hit my marks. A big [bummer] for Kenny, I didn’t get to fully see [Roczen’s crash] because of all the smoke, but it looked like it was pretty bad, so I hope he’s okay or has a speedy recovery from that. But… this [win] is leading in the good direction, so hopefully we keep it going.” – Jett Lawrence, when asked about returning to the top step of the podium after four rounds without a win.
“I was feeling it in the beginning, I’ll tell you what. And I was just trying different lines, and I figured we would have to do something special to get out front. Unfortunately, I didn’t maintain the lead there. I tried my heart out, that’s for sure. [I] had so much fun being up front for those few laps there. I’ll try to get better and better. You know, get better in the second half of the race. And so overall, great night for us, thank you so much, Nashville.” – Eli Tomac, when asked about launching some big jumps in the Main Event.
“I got off to a third-place start, and the guys just rode away from me. So gotta give it: when you’re not on, you’re not on, and tonight I definitely struggled. So I’ll take it; to get on the podium is great. Those boys were riding awesome. And last year I ended my season here [with a crash], so you got a little bit of that in the back of your mind. So, it’s good to get out of here healthy, still in the points hunt, and yep, can’t get ‘em every weekend… I want to give it up to the Good Lord, [my sponsors]… all these fans were great today and yeah, we get back to work this week.” – Cooper Webb
In the 250SX East/West Showdown, which pits riders from the Western Regional & Eastern Regional 250SX Class against one another, the west coast riders took the top two spots. RJ Hampshire grabbed the Holeshot and pulled away from the field; he earned enough points to take over the points lead in the west. Team Honda HRC’s Jo Shimoda took a strong second place. Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Tom Vialle earned third, and enough points to move him into first place in the Eastern Regional 250SX Class championship.
“First off, [I’m] just so dang proud of this team. They stuck behind me during those rough couple rounds. Yeah, honestly… there was that break. It was that long six weeks break. I had a couple big crashes, just stupid [mistakes early in the season]. Man, it just kind of dragged me down… But [I] just executed my start in that Main Event, and that’s what I really needed. I mean, I feel like I always have the speed, it’s just executing that start, and giving myself a chance… [That was] just an awesome race. I had a couple moments there in the beginning, settled in, [then] I clicked off my laps… Just a big weight off my shoulders. I knew I could close the points lead tonight, didn’t expect to get the red plate back, but man, I’m so dang happy for my whole team, all our supporters, just everybody that sticks behind us… This Nashville crowd [is] awesome. I love this state. Pretty cool to come away with a win here tonight.” – RJ Hampshire when told he looked like a different rider and asked what made the difference in Nashville.
“For sure, confidence-wise it’s good. Good for me; me and my team worked really hard for this. Honestly, I was stressing so much during the day today. But it’s nice to get this out. With the podium it’s a good confidence booster, for sure. But I really want to win bad, so I’m just [going to] have to keep trying.” – Jo Shimoda, when asked what a good finish at a 250SX East/West Showdown does for his confidence.
“I couldn’t really see Haiden, and saw actually [that] Cameron was pulled over, or had an issue, early in the race. But [I] just tried to stay focused on my own race. I had a good pace; [the] track was pretty sketchy, so you really had to stay focused. And yeah, I’m pretty happy, it was a nice race, the track was actually – I kind of liked it today. I was riding good all day and yeah, two races to go, we’re getting closer.” – Tom Vialle, when asked if he could track where his Eastern Regional 250SX Class competitors were during the race.
The Nashville round also acted as the annual Love Moto Stop Cancer race, which kicks off a yearly auction that raises money for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. The Love Moto Stop Cancer partnership between Supercross and St. Jude is in its eighth year. The Supercross fans and racing community have raised over 1.5 million dollars for the organization that fights childhood cancer and keeps families together during treatment. The teams and racers increase their support at the special round each year with bike graphics and gear designs inspired by and incorporating art from the young patients at St. Jude. The custom items, along with more great prizes, now go up for auction. Please go to SupercrossLIVE.com/St-Jude to bid. Even if you’re not looking into the auction, you can join the racing community’s efforts by donating; just text SUPER to 785-833.
The Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship lines the racers up again next Saturday night inside Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, Pa. Round fifteen of the 17-round Supercross season also pays points toward the 2024 SuperMotocross World Championship. The details for the sport’s post-season racing were recently announced with three events taking place in September.
Each Monster Energy AMA Supercross and Super Motocross World Championship round is streamed live on PeacockTV, with select rounds also broadcast or streamed domestically on NBC, USA Network, CNBC, NBCSports.com, and the NBC Sports app. CNBC airs next-day encore presentations of all 31 rounds of 2024 racing. Live audio for each Supercross race can be found at NBC Sports Audio on SiriusXM Channel 85. International racing coverage is available on the SuperMotocross Video Pass (supermotocross.tv), live and on-demand, in both English and Spanish.
Tickets are on sale now for the final three 2024 Monster Energy Supercross events. For ticket sales, video recaps, race results, and event details please go to SupercrossLIVE.com.
Facebook: facebook.com/supercrosslive
X: twitter.com/supercrosslive
Instagram: instagram.com/supercrosslive
YouTube: youtube.com/supercrosslive
TikTok: tiktok.com/supercrossliveofficial
Official Merch: SupercrossSuperstore.com
About Feld Motor Sports:
Feld Motor Sports, Inc. is the worldwide leader in producing and presenting specialized arena and stadium-based motorsports entertainment. Properties include Monster Jam®, Monster Energy AMA Supercross, and the SuperMotocross World Championship. Feld Motor Sports, Inc. is a subsidiary of Feld Entertainment, Inc. Visit monsterjam.com, SupercrossLIVE.com, and feldentertainment.com for more information.
About Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship:
Monster Energy AMA Supercross is the most competitive and highest-profile off-road motorcycle racing championship on the planet. Founded in America and sanctioned by the American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) since 1974. Over 17 weeks, Supercross attracts some of the largest and most impressive crowds inside the most recognizable and prestigious stadiums in North America to race in front of nearly one million live fans and broadcast to millions more worldwide. For more information, visit SupercrossLIVE.com.
About the SuperMotocross World Championship:
The SuperMotocross World Championship™ is the premier off-road motorcycle racing series that combines the technical precision of stadium racing with the all-out speed and endurance of outdoor racing. Created in 2022, the SuperMotocross World Championship combines the Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship and the AMA Pro Motocross Championship into a 31-event series that culminates in a season-ending two round playoff and SuperMotocross World Championship Final. Visit SuperMotocross.com for more information.
About the American Motorcyclist Association:
Founded in 1924, the AMA is a not-for-profit member-based association whose mission is to promote the motorcycle lifestyle and protect the future of motorcycling. As the world’s largest motorcycling rights and event sanctioning organization, the AMA advocates for riders’ interests at all levels of government and sanctions thousands of competition and recreational events every year. The AMA also provides money-saving discounts on products and services for its members. Through the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame in Pickerington, Ohio, the AMA honors the heroes and heritage of motorcycling. For more information, visit americanmotorcyclist.com.
