Team USA – Coming to Win

The Americans are coming, and the 2023 Monster Energy FIM Motocross of Nations is that much better because of it. Aaron Plessinger, Christian Craig and R. J. Hampshire have put their hands up to represent Team USA and the sports wins when you get three AMA riders wanting to race for their country at the MXoN.

Veteran Christian Craig, who races for the Husqvarna Factory and has been a solid performer throughout his career has always wanted to line-up for his country.

“I know it's easy to say that this isn't the best group to send,” Craig said. “But that's just more motivation for us to get over there and do it. Came out to California to test with the Husqvarna team and then got sat down and asked if I wanted to do the MXoN. I'm excited. I think I'll be more than ready for this. By the time this race comes, I'll have close to eight weeks on the bike. So that's plenty of riding, especially with the boys. This is obviously a prestigious race. It's a race that I've watched every year since I was a little kid and I wanted to be a part of it. So, yeah, this is crazy. But I'm up for this challenge."

Team captain Aaron Plessinger has ridden for his country before, in the 2018 Monster Energy FIM Motocross of Nations at the RedBud circuit, but things didn’t go to plan that year. He is more than ready to improve on these results and help Team USA climbing onto the podium.

“I've been waiting for this moment since I got to do it in 2018,” Plessinger said. “I need some redemption. 2018 wasn't really good for us. We had some struggles but we get redemption now. I'm going to be wrapped in the #1, baby. I'm really ready to go. It's in France and it will be my first time out of North America. I’ve got two great teammates alongside of me and I think they're just as pumped up as I am.We all work very well together. We train together, ride together, so I think we're going to be ready and a force to be reckoned with.”

Team USA’s MX2 rider R. J. Hampshire has experience against the best 250 riders in the World and back in 2017 raced to victory in the USGP at the W Ranch and while that is six years ago now, Hampshire is still one of the top MX2 riders in America and will without a doubt be looking to win the MX2 overall in France.

“Just getting to represent our country," Hampshire said. "Man, I am excited for it. I was really close to going racing on the 450cc (in the 2021 MXoN) out there which I was really stoked on. Don't get me wrong. I'm still so stoked to race it at all. But yeah man, I am just excited. I get to go over there and make a trip out of it with the family, and you know, we got three guys that are going to give it our best shot and put in our best effort. I had a full 450 setup there built, ready to go. I was going to start riding it this week. I know what I have with the 250cc the setting and it’s ready to go. So that's one good thing to it. But I'm excited about this team, our bosses, our manufacturers support in the race because if it wasn't for that, there would be no Team USA. That's just what it comes down to is these guys, they see how much it means to us and the sport. I've been watching quite a bit of video, and I mean, it's a hard packed track. We’ll be ready and that's about it. That's really all we can do. We don't really have much of a track kind of similar to that, especially in Florida. So, yeah, just go there, don't get too spun out, and stick to the plan.”

Now the three American riders will jump on the flight to France in less than a week and be putting all their ducks in a row and hope to at the very least finish on the podium, but they will also be looking at defending the Chamberlain trophy and taking that historical piece of silverware back to America with them.

Photo Credit: RacerX