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With the thirty second board turning sideways, the bikes revving in unison, the gate fell in an instant, and the 250 class was underway. Hampshire was amidst the chaos mid-field, finding his way in 13th across timing and scoring for lap number one. Hampshire was using the width of the track to his advantage, tak-
ing outsides when needed, and getting creative to pass riders ahead of him. Carving out the solid, clay formed berms, Hampshire had jumped to eleventh nearing the halfway point in the moto. Never stop, never settle, the pitboard would gen- eralize as the words of Hampshires mechanic added a reinforcement of encouragement to the number 31. He would work his way up to seventh nearing the two lap card, when disaster struck. A bike malfunction would cause the Honda pilot to push the 250 off in dismay, looking to return in the second moto. A non-points paying position was not what Hampshire had on the agenda as the gate fell for moto two, as he sat 21st through the first few laps. Get out the shovel and dig boy, claw your way into the ground and stamper to the front of the pack. The aforementioned, a train of thought running through RJ’s head as he began to pick off rider after rider. Exhausted of his breath, Hampshire crossed the line with sweat pouring, leaving everything he had on the Budd’s Creek landscape. The cumulative plucking would result in a ninth place finish by moto’s end and 17th overall.
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