RJ Hampshire

What's like the running order? It's literally Deegan, Jett, Hunter, maybe Ken, Chase, Barsha, Anderson.

Who else are we? March Banks, Malcolm Stewart, RJ Hampshire.

Dude, that's fucking Justin Cooper, Cooper Webb, Justin Hill, Joey Savace.

Savace, Ducati, right? Dude.

And I'm like, this guy was dead to rights.

Like he was, he was getting his college degree.

I wrote RJ Hampshire off a long time ago.

And so that, that to me, he's just got that, uh, like he's got that grit that you can't help but respect.

So maybe his results don't suffer that much because he's been riding really good.

RJ Hampshire taking his talents there to Ducati also.

I think RJ – and we'll get into Chase here – I think RJ was, like, sniffing around Cali a little bit and like, hey, what are we doing? He rode the Beta.

He really liked it.

I mean, again, it was 20 years ago, and things change.

One thing I do like, though, D- Daniel, and maybe when we get RJ Hampshire on here a little bit, we can talk to him about it.

Aldon Baker has way more championships than I ever have as a mechanic, and he's a way better trainer than I ever was or will be.

So there is that.

Out of all the silly season swaps, I'm gonna need the most time to get used to this with the bike and the gear.

It's weird, uh, so I need some time, but, uh, he is a champion of the sport, and he's moving over to Troy Lee Designs Ducati next year.

It's RJ Hampshire.

What's up, Rick? How are you?

All right, the news drop.

Troy Lee designs Ducati, RJ Hampshire.

No more fly.

No more Husqvarna.

I think he did two years of 24 and then changed.

Yeah, 2002, 2003.

No, RJ, yeah, made the move over there.

We'll see how it goes.

We've been a member of Fly for a long time.

Uh, RJ Hampshire, he is leaving Fly Racing after championships and many years in the brand.

Later on in the show I have some ideas for his budget-

Yeah

Yeah.

Yep.

Uh, so you're losing RJ Hampshire.

He's going to Ducati-

So maybe it's actually worked out and it's a big step for Triumph.

Some news that hasn't been announced yet, Malcolm Stewart's going to be going to Monster Energy Kawasaki and RJ Hampshire is going to be going to Troy Lee Designs Red Bull Ducati.

What kind of made this off-season become a lot more dynamic than anyone thought? First of all, I don't think anyone expected at the beginning of the year that Webb wouldn't come back.

That's for sure.

And then that was the whole Husqvarna fallout.

The team closed.

RJ Hampshire would have been back.

Malcolm Stewart would have been back.

Uh, but these guys on 250s, when they go on a 450 for the first time, there's kinda, like, this added power that allows them to do some things that, that, you know, they're, they, they built their whole riding style around momentum, and then they get this power, and they kind of over-perform right away.

Uh, even RJ Hampshire, right out of the gate on the 450, he was so good early because he had all this power.

I actually think Juju will probably surprise.

Higham would've too.