With Chase Sexton suffering a mild concussion and a shoulder injury as well as Haiden Deegan breaking his collarbone it is more than likely (but not yet confirmed) that both riders are out of their home MXoN at Ironman in two weeks time!
We speculated that RJ Hampshire and Justin Cooper could be the best fits for team USA, with both very fast in 2025 and very proven on both the 450 and 250 machines and, now Lewis Phillips, having his ear to the ground out in Vegas, has suggested that both Hampshire and Justin Cooper are the next two in line for team USA in what will be a quick turnaround for both men and their teams with graphics and gear getting sorted over the next week.
I think/hear that both Justin Cooper (MX2) and RJ Hampshire will be on Team USA.
— Lewis Phillips (@LewisPhillips71) September 21, 2025
No word yet on which rider would ride the 250 but both men have MXoN experience with Hampshire who has been a revelation on the 450 since he moved up in May having raced at Ernee in 2023 on the 250 and Justin Cooper part of the winning team at Red Bud in 2022, with his ride in the MX2 category pivotal for the win.
If both are on the team, it’s still a very strong team for the USA at home and a team very much in with a chance of victory in front of a vibrant home support.
