In the latest installment of Young and on the Rise, we take a look at one of our fast Western riders, Cruz Gordon. This summer, Cruz was able to travel to all of the Eastern rounds of the Triple Crown Series with Ryan Lockhart and his family. It was a great experience as Cruz got to ride some new tracks and meet new people. Now, he’s back home and training for the 2026 season. We caught up with Cruz to get his thoughts on how the 2025 season went.
Hey Cruz! It’s been a few months since we last saw you at the Walton TransCan. What have you been up to since then?
Hey Chris! It’s been a few chill months since I’ve been home from TransCan, I have been doing some local races and hitting the golf course as much as I can before the snow gets here.
Overall, how did the Walton TransCan go for you?
Walton went pretty good for me! I went in with a goal of top five in 85 and supermini and a top ten in schoolboy. I had some good motos and some not so good motos, but overall I’m happy with my results. I reached my goal with 5th in both 85 and supermini and was one spot short of getting top ten in schoolboy. In the last supermini moto, I got the start I needed and just didn’t look back from there and ended up on the box with a 3rd.
Yes, it was great to watch that final moto at Walton. You looked very fast at both the ECAN, as well as the TransCan. Was there anything you think you could have improved upon to get up to the top step of the podium?
Thank you! I could have definitely improved my results with better starts, I’ve been struggling with them all year and just not getting the first lap intensity I needed to have. Cleaning up a few small mistakes would have helped too.
Well, that is part of learning and improving. As we mentioned, you raced the ECAN in July. Did you enjoy the MX Deschambault Circuit?
Deschambault is a track I’ve always wanted to go to, I’m happy I finally got to experience it this summer to see what it’s all about. The track is unreal and has a great flow, but the off-track facility is just as good with all the cool features like the pump track and the pond.
Deschambault is certainly one of the premier facilities in Canada. You did something very cool this past summer, and we hope you have thanked your parents a million times for allowing you to do it (laughs). You travelled East with Ryan Lockhart just before the Ste Julie National, and stayed with Newf until your parents arrived a month later. Overall, how was your time hanging out with Newf and his family?
This summer was definitely an adventure. I’m very grateful that my parents let me experience this and travel the country with Ryan. I did the whole East side of the series with Ryan and I got to experience some things you couldn’t even pay for, it was definitely a summer I’ll never forget. I had a lot of fun hanging out with Newf but sometimes it wasn’t all fun and games (laughs).
Which Eastern track was your favourite and what did you like about it?
The tracks in the East were no joke! All of them were a lot of fun, but I think my favourite one was Riverglade MX Park in New Brunswick because it was similar to home dirt, and the overall layout was good. Another track I really liked was Ste. Julie and I think it would have been even better conditions, if it didn’t rain.
Riverglade has always been one of the most iconic tracks in Canada, it was cool that you were able to ride it. Other than riding and racing, motocross is also about meeting new people and experiencing new things. Was it cool making some new friends on the Eastern side of the Country?
Definitely! It was great to get to know everyone. I enjoyed getting to make some good friends on the East Coast because I normally only got to see them once a year at Walton Raceway. Another great time I had was when I went to Quinn Amyotte’s house for a week and got to meet the legend Larry Enticer. Also, getting to know Lars Van Berkel was cool. He’s a nice guy.
Okay, give us your funniest story from your travels this summer?
There was a lot of funny times, but I honestly can’t come up with one, I think travelling across Canada with the Newf from start to finish is the funny story on its own (laughs).
Good point Cruz, Newf is always fun to hang out with. Being a motocross racer you obviously spend a lot of time on the road. But, given that this was your first time away from your parents for a long period of time. Was it hard being away from home for that long?
It honestly wasn’t too bad, being close family friends with the Lockhart’s definitely helped. They made me feel at home living with them. It wasn’t so bad for me, but for my parents, it was hard with me racing without them. It was a lot of firsts for all of us, but we made it through okay.
As we said, you’ve been back home now for a couple of months. What is the plan as far as racing and training this off-season?
The outdoor season is done and not sure if I’m going to do any AX. This off season. I plan to hit the gym hard and hopefully put some muscle on to handle a big bike next year. We don’t have a set plan for riding down South yet, but hopefully we can travel to Texas again.
Heading into 2026 what is the one thing that you think you need to work on the most in order to be a better rider and racer?
Definitely this winter I’m going to grind in the gym and stay in the best shape I can, as well as work on my mental side. On the bike, I’m going to focus on my sprints and my consistency. I feel I have the speed, I just need to put it all together.
It sounds as though you have a productive off-season planned. What grade are you in and what is your favourite subject?
I’m in 9th grade, so it’s my last year middle school. Also, my favourite subject besides PE is probably foods. I like trying to cook a little.
Foods is always a fun class. I took it three times when I was in high school. Other than motocross and you mentioned golf, what are some other sports or activities that you enjoy doing?
Yes, I enjoy golfing, and I’m also on our school basketball team.
Take us through what a normal day looks like for Cruz Gordon during this time of the year?
A day in the life with me is wake up, get ready for school. When I’m done school around 3:00 I do my normal chores and eat something. After that, my mom drives me to the gym for a workout, when I get home I normally meet up with a buddy and go to the golf course five minutes away and put in a quick 9-holes before it gets dark. After that, I’ll have dinner, do my homework, then shower and get ready for bed.
Another thing I thought was cool was when I was 8 years old at the Prince George National, I waited around the GDR Honda rig in hopes to get a Dylan Wright jersey. He gave me his jersey, and I have it hung up on my wall, I would have never thought 6 years later I’d be travelling Canada with Newf and the GDR team, and end up going to Dylan’s home for a family dinner. Crazy how things happen!
That is a great story Cruz, thank you for sharing. It proves that sometimes dreams do come true. Well, it was a pleasure to get to know you this summer and to watch you race. Thank you for doing this, and would you like to thank anyone?
Thank you, I appreciate the opportunity to talk with you.
I would really like to thank the Lockhart family, my parents, along with all my sponsors. I really appreciate what everyone has done for me so I can race moto:
Prince George Motorsport, FXR, Matrix Concepts Canada, Atlas Brace, HRH MX Performance, Merge racing, Hall Race Fuel, Renegade Race Fuel, Three Demons contracting, Three demons photography, Tidy Trucking, Velocity Industries, Walts Automotive, CTI technology, Pro Pile, Trojan Safety, Al from GDR, Frontier Security and my trainer Tommy.
