Season Opener at Gopher Dunes a Success

(Amaranth - July , 2020) This first round of the Rockstar Energy Triple Crown series had been long awaited due to Covid-19. To finally have the rigs move in and see the series and event come together was an awesome moment for Canadian motocross. Everyone knows that Gopher Dunes is one of the roughest tracks on the schedule and usually experiences some of the hottest temperatures and humidity of the year. This year Gopher Dunes had no plans to change that trend. Temperatures on Saturday and Sunday were well over 30°c plus Humidity making the conditions some of the toughest at a season opener.

The practice on Saturday morning was charged with anticipation due to the delays and uncertainty of the Motocross race season. It was a relief to finally get the wheels on the track. Practice and qualifying went as it should. The riders were feeling comfortable and minimum bike adjustments had been made between practice and qualifying. When the checkers flew on the qualifier, Sam Gaynor would take P8.

The start of Moto 1 saw Gaynor inside the top 6 who stayed on the gas for 35 minutes to cross the finish line in 5th for his career best 450 moto finish.

After a quick optional warm up practice, the day was set to be hotter and rougher than day one. Moto 2 would see Gaynor click laps away and close in on the guys in front of them but would run out of time at the checkers and finish 6th respectively.

Heading into the final Moto 3 with the temperatures well over 30°c and the track quite possibly rougher than any Gopher national in history, the stage was set for a tough race. When the last gate dropped Gaynor grabbed the holeshot and cross the checkered in 6th position to take 6th overall with a 5-6-6 record. Gaynor gained valuable race craft and experience running with the lead pack.

Sam Gaynor

“Gopher Dunes this past weekend was insane hot and gnarly! I achieved my goals for the weekend, and I can’t wait to keep building off of my 6th place overall at gophers for the rest of the season! Thank you to my whole team for their continued support every race.”



  1. #9 DYLAN WRIGHT - 75
  2. #54 PHIL NICOLETTI – 64 (-11)
  3. #2 MATT GOERKE – 58 (-17)
  4. #5 TYLER MEDAGLIA – 56 (-19)
  5. #3 SHAWN MAFFENBEIER – 49 (-26)
  6. #28 SAM GAYNOR – 46 (-29)
  7. #64 LIAM O'FARRELL – 41 (-34)
  8. #26 JOSH CARTWRIGHT – 36 (-39)
  9. #10 KEYLAN MESTON - 35 (-40)
  10. #50 BOBBY PIAZZA – 35 (-40)