Troy Lee Designs Red Bull Ducati Factory Racing has signed R.J. Hampshire on a multi-year contract beginning with the 2027 season, adding an established premier-class rider to Ducati's developing American motocross programme.
The team announced the agreement on 7 October 2026. Hampshire will race the Ducati Desmo 450MX in the premier class across the organisation's US programme. The release describes a multi-year deal but does not state the full duration or disclose its financial terms.
Signing adds proven 450-class experience
Hampshire won the 2024 AMA Supercross 250SX West championship before moving into the premier category. The team credits him with four career Pro Motocross 250 victories, three Supercross 250SX West wins and third place in the 2023 250SMX standings.
During two years in the 450 class, Hampshire recorded 11 top-five finishes and two podiums, according to the official announcement. It also lists fifth overall in the 2025 and 2026 AMA Pro Motocross standings and a podium at Ironman in 2026. These are team-published sporting statistics; MRI has treated them as attributed facts from the first-party release rather than independently reconstructing every result.
The move is a personnel decision with a technical-development dimension. Ducati's Desmo 450MX programme is still young in the US market, and a rider with recent experience across Supercross, Pro Motocross and the combined SMX format can give the factory team another reference point for setup, durability and development priorities.
Hampshire said the opportunity to join Ducati and help build the programme appealed to him. Race team manager Josh Wisenor described the rider's experience and determination as important to the team's next phase. MRI has paraphrased both statements and has not reproduced quotations from the announcement.
Factory programme moves into its next development phase
Troy Lee Designs Red Bull Ducati describes 2026 as its first season. The organisation says it achieved a best overall finish of fourth at Hangtown, placed 11th overall in Supercross and recorded seventh- and tenth-place overall finishes in Pro Motocross. Those results are company claims and provide context for the programme rather than a forecast of its 2027 competitiveness.
The signing gives the operation a named lead rider for the next phase of the Desmo 450MX project. It may also help Ducati and its technical partners compare data across tracks and disciplines, but the announcement does not identify specific bike updates, testing dates, engineering hires or changes to the team's facilities.
The team has not disclosed Hampshire's team-mate, complete 2027 race schedule, contract value, performance incentives or sponsor changes. It also has not published production or customer-racing plans connected to the agreement. MRI has therefore limited the report to the confirmed rider appointment and the development context stated by the team.
No feature image has been used because reusable first-party permission was not established. MRI does not have an exact directory profile for Troy Lee Designs Red Bull Ducati Factory Racing, so no unrelated Ducati business profile or logo has been attached.