Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing navigated challenging conditions at the rain-affected Budds Creek National, with RJ Hampshire and Daxton Bennick both securing top-10 overall finishes at Round 10 of the 2026 AMA Pro Motocross Championship in Mechanicsville.
Hampshire showed promising pace aboard his Husqvarna FC 450 Factory Edition in qualifying, posting the third-fastest time with a 1:55.501 lap. However, his day was derailed by an early incident in Moto 1 that damaged his gear shifter, forcing him to complete the entire moto stuck in second gear. The setback saw him salvage 12th position after charging from outside the top 20.
The Florida rider rebounded with a consistent sixth-place finish in Moto 2, combining for 10th overall on the day. Hampshire retains fifth in the 450MX championship standings heading into next weekend’s season finale at Ironman Raceway.
“My day started good,” commented Hampshire. “The skies then opened, and it got pretty muddy! I didn’t get off the gate well in Moto 1, and then made contact with someone and damaged my gear shifter. I was stuck in second gear the whole first moto and salvaged what I could, and then second moto was a bit better.”
Teammate Malcolm Stewart, also aboard the FC 450 Factory Edition, recorded 15-14 moto scores for 13th overall in his second round back since the season-opener. “The crowd was awesome at Budds Creek – I felt nothing but love,” said Stewart. “Although the results weren’t exactly what we wanted, at the end of the day I felt like we rode a lot better than last weekend.”
In the 250MX class, Bennick delivered a solid performance with ninth in Moto 1 and 11th in Moto 2 aboard his Husqvarna FC 250 Factory Edition, securing ninth overall. The result marked a positive step forward for the young rider as he builds momentum heading into the finale.
“I felt like I went back to making it a little more simple for myself this weekend, and just tried to have fun with it,” said Bennick. “My start was really good in Moto 1, and then I had a big bobble with another rider on the opening lap, so had to work my way back to ninth.”
Ryder DiFrancesco qualified an impressive third in 250MX and charged to sixth in Moto 1, but a high-side crash early in Moto 2 relegated him to 25th and 15th overall. Team prospect Landon Gibson gained valuable experience with 12-15 moto scores for 12th overall despite crashes in both motos.
The 2026 AMA Pro Motocross Championship concludes on 29 August at Ironman Raceway in Crawfordsville, Indiana.
Photo: Husqvarna Media
