Wiseco Riders Hampshire And Seely Earn Best Supercross Finishes Of 2019

 Monster Energy AMA Supercross returned to NRG Stadium Saturday night where the series featured Triple Crown action for the third and final time of the 2019 season. Triple Crown races feature a unique structure where riders compete in three main events and tally their combined effort into an overall score to determine the winner at night’s end.


 GEICO Honda rider RJ Hampshire led the charge for the Wiseco-sponsored contingent and turned in an impressive 3-2-4 showing. Hampshire’s effort proved good enough for a second-place overall finish – his first podium of 2019 – and second since his 2015 rookie campaign. The solid effort also powered the rider of the No. 31 Honda CRF250R from fifth to fourth in the Western Regional 250SX Class points with two races remaining to determine a champion. 


 “My rookie year, I made pretty big strides forward and then I had an injury that set me back,” explained Hampshire. “Honestly, I just kind of felt like an outdoor guy, really. People just kind of wrote me off in Supercross. I felt like I was in a really good spot coming into this year. First couple of races were decent. I had good speed and then I fell in a slump. I don’t think I’ve had a top five in the last four weekends, so it was rough. We made some changes this week with the bike and, man, we made some huge improvements. I had good starts all night and that led to good finishes. I didn’t do anything special. I just kind of rode, so I’m stoked with the podium and to finish second.” 


 Hampshire’s GEICO Honda teammate and fellow Wiseco rider Cameron Mcadoo turned in a sturdy effort aboard his No. 44 Honda and jockeyed a 9-6-5 night into a his third sixth-place finish of the year. Mcadoo is currently tied for seventh in the standings, just one point behind sixth and 12 outside the top five. 


 “Houston had lots of positives again for me,” said McAdoo. “My starts were awesome but then something happened each time in the first two races. Unfortunately, the first main, I had the holeshot but then I hit a tuff block and went down, then in the second one I got pushed off the track into the wall. I had to come from last in the first two mains, but our speed was there and then the last race was solid. I ended up going 9-6-5 for sixth overall. Definitely seeing improvements every weekend!”


 The Western Regional 250SX Class will take a short break before returning for the division’s penultimate race of the year in Denver in two weeks at Broncos Stadium at Mile High. 
 In 450SX action, Team Honda HRC’s Cole Seely showed the way in the premier class for the Wiseco brand and picked up his best finish of the year. Seely, who spent much of 2018 on the sidelines with an injury, turned in a  4-4-11 effort to earn his best effort of the season and first top five of 2019. 


 “We had a good night,” said Seely.  “I finally finished in the top five, which is where I feel like I should’ve been all year. The way things have been going so far have been frustrating, and it’s hard to explain; the toll the injury took on me last year was a lot more intense and in-depth than I thought it was. It’s been a long road to get back … but I feel like I’ve had speed all year, I just haven’t been able to put it all together.


It feels good to finally break into that top five and run up front with those guys in the first two mains, relatively easy, too. I know it’s not a traditional 20-minute main, but it felt like it was coming to me pretty easy, so that’s definitely a confidence booster heading into the final rounds. It’s a bummer it has taken this long to come around, but I’m happy it did and we’re going to keep working forward.”


 Seely’s Team Honda HRC teammate Ken Roczen looked like he was in a class by himself in the first main event. Roczen grabbed the hole shot and rode away from the competition, eventually leading every lap and winning the first 450SX Class main event by nearly nine seconds. 


 Unfortunately, in the second main event, Roczen’s front wheel clipped another rider’s machine sending the 24-year-old German to the ground before he rounded the first corner, forcing him back to the pits before he was able to complete a lap. Despite being scored 21st after the second main event, the fan favorite returned to the starting gate for the third and finished eighth to record a 1-21-8 combined effort to notch his 13th top 10 of the year. 


 “The first main event was seriously so good,” commented Roczen. “We grabbed a great start and got out front right away. It was amazing to see the checkered flag before anyone else.

Unfortunately, it was only in one main. In the second one, I got tangled up with Dean’s (Wilson) rear wheel and went down pretty hard. I got checked out and it actually started to feel better, instead of worse, after 15 to 20 minutes. Luckily, I was able to just jump back on the bike and do what I could in the third main, salvaging an eighth-place and getting 10th overall. It’s not really how we wanted to end tonight, especially with how well the day and first race went, but again we’re healthy and moving on to the next one. At one point, it will come.”


 Monster Energy AMA Supercross heads for Music City this weekend where the series takes its highenergy, high-flying action to Nissan Stadium in downtown Nashville. The 14th race on the 2019 Supercross schedule will be televised on NBCSN Sat., April 6 beginning at 8 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time, 5 p.m. Pacific.
 

Adam Sinclair