Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing experienced a mixed outing at Round 6 of the 2026 AMA Pro Motocross Championship at Southwick, with RJ Hampshire securing eighth overall in the 450MX division whilst Ryder DiFrancesco landed on the 250MX podium in the opening moto.
Equipped with the Husqvarna FC 450 Factory Edition, Hampshire qualified seventh-fastest in the premier class, posting a 1:57.531 lap time during the morning sessions at the notoriously rough and sandy Southwick circuit. Running inside the top five in Moto 1, a mid-race fall dropped the 30-year-old down the order, recovering to salvage eighth position.
A first-turn crash in Moto 2 saw him charge back to 10th, with those combined scores earning eighth overall. As a result, Hampshire now sits tied for fifth in the 450MX standings as the series heads to Spring Creek on 18 July.
“Honestly, Southwick was a really tough day,” commented Hampshire. “I crashed in the first moto, and never found the flow – I was struggling pretty badly. Moto 2, we made some changes and got a pretty good start, but lost the front in the first corner, so I was dead-last, but felt much better in the race. I worked my way back into the top-10, so overall we finished with P8 on the day – it wasn’t great, but I’m happy to salvage a result.”
Entering Southwick off the back of a career-first 250MX overall podium at RedBud, DiFrancesco qualified 10th aboard his Husqvarna FC 250 Factory Edition, before converting that pace into a hard-fought third-place finish in Moto 1. A solid start to Moto 2 was undone by an early crash, ultimately finishing just outside the points to claim 12th overall. Following six rounds of Pro Motocross, he retains fifth in the standings.
“I had a pretty good feeling on the track all day at Southwick,” reflected DiFrancesco. “Qualifying was so-so, but I knew that a start here is very important and was able to put myself in a good position in Moto 1. I rode solid to post my best moto at this venue to date, which shows we’re continuing to improve. It was unfortunate to crash in Moto 2, but we’ll shift our eyes forward to Millville.”
In the 250MX class, teammate Casey Cochran powered his Husqvarna FC 250 Factory Edition to a solid eighth-place finish in Moto 1. In the demanding conditions of race two, the 20-year-old charged forward to 16th position and secured 11th overall. It was a difficult weekend for fellow 250MX contender Daxton Bennick, who qualified 13th and recorded a 25th-place result in Moto 1 before his day finished with an unfortunate DNF following a crash in Moto 2.
Also in action at the Southwick National was Rockstar Energy Husqvarna amateur talent Landon Gibson, who finished 20th in Moto 1 before improving to an impressive 10th-place result in race two, claiming 14th overall in just his second-career 250MX start.
The AMA Pro Motocross Championship continues on 18 July at Spring Creek, Minnesota.
Photo: Husqvarna Media
