Page 57 - ISSUE25
P. 57
theGRIT
IMAGES / WONDERGOAT
RJ Hampshire entered Millville with the goal of staying on two wheels and stringing together two solid motos. He has struggled with that in such a deep field this season and knew doing so would set him on
the right track. He qualified fifteenth in practice and was ready to do battle. Hampshire did not get the best of starts in the opening moto and rounded the first lap back in sixteenth place. He did not want to panic and make mistakes so he slowly but surely started moving towards the front. He was up to thirteenth place at the halfway point and continued moving forward. He caught up to Harrison in the latter half of the moto and made the move on him for twelfth. He looked to be stuck there for the remainder of the moto but then late in the moto he caught up to Oldenburg and Davalos and would make moves on both to finish in tenth place. It was a solid moto for Hampshire and he wanted another one in the second. He got off to a slightly better start in the second moto starting
in twelfth place. He settled into the position and set his sights on the riders ahead. He caught up to Oldenburg about ten minutes into the moto and made a move on him to take over eleventh place. He stayed there for a while until rookie Austin Forkner would pass him during the second half of the moto putting him back in twelfth. Hamsphire would be able to get back by him before the end of the race to finish eleventh. His 10-11 scores were good enough for ninth overall on the day. The results may not have been flashy but he stayed consistent and that is a step in the right direction.
words/SETHHARNISHFEGER
WWW.GRITMOTO.COM
57