Slawservation: I’m Pretty Sure RJ Hampshire is a Cyborg, Part II

If you are curious why this epic feature is titled “Part II,” then you have not been keeping up with Slaw enough.

Back in 2020, I wrote Part I about RJ Hampshire.

This was part of that piece. Read it in full.

Look, I’m no doctor, but I do own a computer, and can Google things. So, yeah, suck it!

Why, you ask, am I talking about “not” being a doctor? Well, according to a recent interview with Racer X, Rockstar Energy Husqvarna’s RJ Hampshire confirmed he started riding just 10 WEEKS!!!!! after undergoing ACL surgery.

To put this into perspective, Adrian Peterson, widely known as one of the most gifted running backs in NFL history, took nine months to return to action. And the entire NFL was floored at his speedy recovery. Given, he takes hits below the belt on just about every play, but it’s not like motocross is returning to the pitch to play cricket. I’d be willing to be it’s every bit as hard on the knee as football is.

Well, RJ “Cyborg” Hampshire is back at it again.

Remember his insane crash at Anaheim 2?

MASSIVE crash for Hampshire 😳 #SupercrossLIVE #SuperMotocross pic.twitter.com/sN0Kmgd5Wm

— Supercross LIVE! (@SupercrossLIVE) January 29, 2023

This was in the second main event. He returned to race the third main event. That would be pretty insane in itself. Even more insane? The injuries he suffered. Then he returned at Oakland, led laps and finished second.

“No one really knew other than my team,” he said after the race. “I separated my shoulder pretty bad at A2, thought that was it. Flew home, slept in my own bed Sunday night and wasn’t feeling right. Checked myself into the ER and had some internal bleeding that was feeling pretty bad. Got transferred and spent a night in the hospital and yeah, after that was pretty brutal. Couldn’t even sleep for a few nights. I’d go to bed and my body would be sweating, nonstop. Yeah, it looked like Oakland wasn’t even happening, but we did all we could and showed up tonight.

“I didn’t ride for two weeks, I didn’t even leave my house for a week. It was questionable if I was going to race, but on Monday I made the call, “Look, we’re going to go racing.” But Aldon [Baker, trainer] wasn’t really going to let me race unless I did a main event. So, I did one Tuesday and at the end of it I was pretty weak, but we got through it. I knew we needed to execute a start, but I knew I wouldn’t have 15 in me.”

RJ is just built different, man. Dude is one tough SOB!

Main image: Husqvarna