R.J. Hampshire joins Ducati team after seven seasons with Husqvarna
NXTbets Pro | Published On: October 7, 2026
Hampshire’s Ducati move
Hampshire is headed to a new team and a new manufacturer after signing a multi-year deal with Troy Lee Designs Red Bull Ducati Factory Racing. The move ends a seven-season run with Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing and sends Hampshire to Ducati after Husqvarna shut down its factory effort for 2027. He will ride the Ducati Desmo 450MX when the switch takes effect, giving the rider a fresh start with a program built around a different platform and a different set of expectations. The deal also brings him back together with Factory Connection staff members who worked with him on the GEICO Honda team early in his career, a link that gives the transition a familiar feel even as the machinery changes. For Hampshire, the move closes one long chapter and opens another with a manufacturer that wants to make a stronger push at the top of the sport.
Hampshire’s track record
Hampshire brings a strong résumé with him. He won the 2024 Monster Energy AMA Supercross 250SX West championship and has collected four AMA Pro Motocross 250 wins and three Supercross 250SX West victories. He also finished third in the 2023 SuperMotocross 250SMX standings, a result that added another notable line to his record in the smaller displacement classes. The 450 numbers give Ducati another reason to value the signing. Hampshire has posted 11 top-five finishes and two podiums in the class, proof that he has already shown speed against bigger, deeper fields. His recent results in Pro Motocross back that up as well, with fifth-place overall finishes in both the 2025 and 2026 AMA Pro Motocross championships. He also finished fifth in the 2026 450MX standings and seventh overall in 450SMX, showing he remained competitive across the full SuperMotocross season. That mix of 250 success and steady 450 production gives Ducati a rider with race wins, championship form and experience at the top level.
Ducati’s next step
Troy Lee Designs Red Bull Ducati Factory Racing gets a rider who already knows how to win and how to adapt. Team manager Josh Wisenor said Hampshire’s experience can help the young Ducati program take the next step, and the results from the team’s first season show why that kind of help matters. Wisenor said Ducati opened with an 11th-place Supercross finish and a best motocross result of fourth at Hangtown. That gives Hampshire a clear role from the start. He joins a program that has already shown flashes, but still needs a steady hand and proven race pace to move forward. Hampshire’s background fits that ask. He has spent seven seasons in one factory environment, he has raced successfully in both 250 and 450 competition and he enters the Ducati deal with recent consistency in Pro Motocross and SuperMotocross. The team also gains a rider who knows the Factory Connection group and has worked with familiar personnel before. That combination gives Ducati an immediate point of reference as it builds around the Desmo 450MX and tries to turn a promising opening year into a stronger run at the front.
