Hampshire cruises in 250SX East class
Through eight rounds of the 2025 AMA Supercross season, six unique winners have stood at the top of the podium.
On Saturday, March 1, Progressive Insurance ECSTAR Suzuki’s Ken Roczen earned his first win of the season, pulling out of the middle of the pack midway through the race and holding onto to first place across the finish line. The win marked Roczen’s first at the historic Daytona International Speedway, and Suzuki’s first since 2009.
“I honestly still can’t believe it… I had some really good lines. When you make those passes you have to put your head down or else they’ll retaliate and come back,” Roczen said. “I was just charging the whole time, trying to get a gap. Coming out of these turns it was really rutty, and very easy to make a mistake, but I just kept my head down and charged the whole way. I seriously cannot believe that this finally happened… This is a dream come true.”
The German native was joined on the podium by 450SX class leader Cooper Webb of Monster Energy Star Racing Yamaha and Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Aaron Plessinger.
Webb’s second-place finish kept him in the lead in the overall 450SX standings, with the Newport, N.C., native maintaining 168 points through eight rounds. Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Chase Sexton — who finished in fifth place in Daytona — held firm at second place with 158 points while Roczen rose to 152 points in third place.
Despite losing the holeshot to Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Tom Vialle, Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s R.J. Hampshire regrouped before taking the lead in the third lap and cruising to victory — despite a red-flag restart tightening the bunch during the middle stages of the race.
For Hampshire, the win carried extra significance for him after the recent passing of his father.
“It’s special. I lost my dad a few months ago and this was his race. Growing up as a kid, this is where I came with him. It was the only Supercross I came to. And he was with us today,” Hampshire said. “Some guy came up to me in the pits and had his old jersey that he raced with back in the day, that was something I never had. He gifted me that and – it just felt different today, man, like my dad was definitely here… Finally got to burn one [a victory burnout on the banked track] down here in Daytona, that was for my dad, for sure.”
Despite losing the lead early, Vialle maintained his hold on second place to the finish line while Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki landed on the final rung of the podium.
The win boosted Hampshire to fourth place in the overall 250SX East standings, slotting behind Chance Hymas (Honda HRC Progressive), Vialle and Max Anstie (Monster Energy Star Racing Yamaha).
The SMX Next series also ran its second round of the season at Daytona International Speedway, and Kawasaki Team Green’s Landen Gordon took home the win. Gordon has won both races of the season.
“The fans are – it’s insane and I truly have no words. I’m just trying to soak it all in,” Gordon said. “I’m super pumped on my bike and my team. All the hard work we’ve put in, my dad, my mom, my family watching back home. Yeah, I’m just going to soak it in, that was awesome.”
The ninth round of the 2025 AMA Supercross season heads to Indianapolis on Saturday, March 8, with gate drop set for 6:30 p.m. The racing action will be streamed live on Peacock.