Famous Last Words With Palms: The Gopher Dunes National- Opportunity Or Survival- Presented By Fox Racing Canada

When you think of the Gopher Dunes National and all the challenges that come with it, one rider over the past several years has used this race to further catapult himself to the 450 class, Triple Crown Series Championship. With the exception of the past two years where mechanical issues and injuries have derailed his chances of yet another Gopher Dunes win, Dylan Wright has looked at the tough Gopher Dunes National as an opportunity to both increase his points lead, as well as his mental stranglehold over the competition, instead of just trying to survive the long and difficult day. Whenever a rider faces challenging conditions, whether that’s a rough track with hot temperatures, or even wet and muddy conditions, to begin the day with a sense of optimism is certainly not everything, but it can be one of the keys to success. 

As the riders in the 450 class prepare for Sunday at Gopher Dunes, they are all chasing Dylan Wright in the points standings, as well as in the all important mindset of who is the fastest rider right now. After two sub-par seasons riddled with injuries and strange mechanical issues, Dylan is back and he’s back with a vengeance. During the opening six motos of the 2026 450 series, he’s shown little to no signs of stress. His GDR Honda CRF450R looks much happier underneath him, and with the exception of his fastest qualifying lap at Round 3 last weekend, we haven’t seen the ‘On the edge’ Dylan. Obviously, as we’ve seen in the past with not just Dylan, but also several of the other top 450 riders, things can go wrong in a heartbeat and the chase for the title can change with one crash or mishap. For Dylan and his GDR Honda Team, things appear to be different so far in 2026, and right now it’s looking a lot like 2023.

So, let’s look at a rider that should be heeding the advice to look at this weekend as perhaps an opportunity to make up some points. Harri Kullas has been very fast so far this summer, but even his speed and fitness hasn’t been on the level of Dylan. In the past, Harri has proven to be an excellent sand rider, and proof of this is his 9-13 moto score last year in Southwick. Anytime you can finish inside the top ten at a USA Pro National you’re doing something right, but to do it, in the sands of Southwick, is even more impressive. Does Harri have the speed and endurance to run with Dylan this weekend? I would say maybe he does, or at very least maybe he can take a page out of Jess Pettis’ playbook and just remain on Dylan’s back tire and try to force a mistake. We’ve seen this work for Pettis on multiple occasions in years past. However, going back to how Dylan has been riding so far in 2026, his ‘comfort zone’ appears to be much larger, so getting him out of his comfort zone this weekend is going to be much more difficult. I hope for the fans sake that we see a Dylan/Harri battle in both motos this weekend as that would be fun to watch. But, as fast, confident, and comfy as Dylan has always been, he’s hard to beat at Gopher Dunes.

Another rider who needs a great result this weekend is Priority Thor GASGAS rider Tanner Ward. With growing up only 30 minutes from Gopher Dunes, Tanner is very familiar with the bottomless sand conditions and over the years some of his best results have come at this famous track. Last year, was perhaps his best ever pro national as Tanner went 2-1 for the overall win in the 450 class. He would also back that up with a win the following weekend at Sand Del Lee. This mid-series success vaulted Tanner into the 450 class championship chase for the remainder of the summer. After a somewhat of an average start to the 2026 450 series, Tanner is no doubt looking forward to returning to the track that started it all for him a year ago. If we go back to that hot and humid day at Gopher Dunes last year, you may recall that Dylan was still hurting from a practice crash suffered in between round’s one and two, so he was far from 100%. Pettis was the points leader and the favourite to win his second 450 title in as many years, but a random crash in qualifying put him out for the day. Then, in moto one, Dylan had that infamous mid-moto fuel stop that we got on video and soon went viral around the motocross world. With Dylan’s mishaps and Pettis’ injuries, Tanner was presented an opportunity, and to his credit he took full advantage of it. You see, every pro rider, regardless of where they sit in the points standings, are handed certain opportunities during a series, and it’s up to them whether or not they benefit from them. A rider either seizes an opportunity or they don’t, it’s that simple. Tanner went full ‘Carpe Diem’ at Gopher Dunes last year and he used those results to almost win the 450 title a few weeks later. So, what finishes does Tanner need this weekend? I would say a strong 2-2 moto score, or even a repeat of last year’s 1-2 would no doubt get Tanner right back on track. I hope he does it because a confident and happy Tanner Ward is fun to watch! Finally, let’s not forget about Sebastien Racine and Quinn Amyotte, who come into Round 4 separated by 27 points. Racine has always been a solid sand rider, and this year he’s shown to be also one of the fittest riders on the track in the 450 class. With one podium finish so far in his rookie 450 season, can he win his first 450 moto this weekend aboard his Kawasaki SSR KX450F. For Amyotte, he enjoyed his Triple Crown Series best finish last year at Gopher Dunes with an amazing second overall. However, like his teammate Ward, he’s been solid so far this summer, but he hasn’t had that breakout ride yet. Could this be the race that gets the ball rolling for Quinn? As I mentioned with the other top 450 riders, the opportunity could be there, he just needs to grab it!

With temperatures ranging anywhere from 26 to 30 Celsius forecasted for Sunday at Gopher Dunes, as well as a good chance of some rain showers. The conditions will no doubt be muggy and challenging for the riders, but as of now, they don’t appear to be so tough that the riders will shy away from pushing too much. There should be some excellent battles, and riders like Kullas, Racine, Ward and Amyotte (as well as Daniel Elmore if he’s healthy enough to race) will all be looking to push points leader Dylan Wright to his limit. For them, this weekend isn’t about simply surviving, it’s about opportunity! See you at Gopher Dunes!