Day 3 in Sturgis – Conquering the Super TT
By the third night of racing at the legendary Sturgis Rally, the familiar short track oval had been completely transformed. The dirt was cut, reshaped, and rebuilt into a brand-new Super TT course — complete with elevation changes, right-handers, and a jump that could make or break a lap. For many riders, this track was unfamiliar territory. For Dalton Gauthier, it was another chance to prove his versatility and grit.
AFT Singles – Finding Speed When It Mattered Most
Dalton’s night on the KTM 450 SX-F started quietly, with Practice 1 delivering a 28.469 (12th) and Practice 2 showing modest improvement at 27.771 (9th). The bike was close, but not quite where it needed to be. Qualifying 1 left him sitting 12th again at 27.525, and the frustration was clear.
That’s when the team dug deep. With setup adjustments and a new approach to the technical TT sections, Dalton unleashed a 27.296 in Qualifying 2 — rocketing to 2nd place overall. It was the speed he’d been hunting, and the confidence boost carried straight into Heat 2. There, Dalton battled hard, dropping another chunk of time with a 26.887 and finishing 4th.
By the time the Main Event rolled around, the air was cooler, the track was holding moisture, and the racing was intense. Dalton pushed the KTM through every right-hander, danced it across the jump, and found his rhythm in the flowing sections. With a best lap of 27.122, he brought it home 5th overall, showing that persistence and mid-day adjustments can turn an average start into a strong finish.
AdventureTrackers – Proving the Tiger’s Bite
While the Singles class gave Dalton a familiar weapon, the Triumph Tiger 900 GT Pro in the AdventureTrackers class was still a handful — a full-sized adventure bike muscling its way across a TT course built for lighter machines.
Practice sessions were strong, with Dalton running 30.151 (P4) in Practice 1 and dropping to 29.717 (P4) in Practice 2. In Qualifying 1 he posted a 29.228 for 5th, then followed up with a nearly identical 29.542 in Qualifying 2, again in 5th. The Tiger was consistent, but the limits of a stock adventure bike against a technical TT layout were real.
Heat 1 threw more challenges Dalton’s way. Struggling with setup and fighting the bike’s weight in the tight right-hand corners, he posted a 29.360 and slipped back to 8th. But when it came time for the Main Event, Dalton found another gear — literally and mentally. With smoother lines and more confidence across the jump, he dropped his best lap to 29.088 and clawed into 4th place overall.
For a bike that had been sawzalled together just days earlier — kickstand, mirrors, and lights hacked off to even make it through tech inspection — finishing just shy of the podium was a statement. Triumph didn’t just show up at the TT, they competed, and Dalton was the proof.
The Bigger Picture
Day Three at Sturgis showed why Dalton Gauthier has built a reputation as one of the most adaptable riders in the paddock. Whether wrestling a lightweight KTM through a brand-new TT course or muscling a showroom-fresh Triumph Tiger around jumps and switchbacks, Dalton made it clear that he’s capable of adjusting, adapting, and delivering when it matters most.
With three nights of racing now complete, Dalton and his team will regroup and focus on what comes next in the season. Now, the focus shifts to next weekend’s Peoria Thunder Valley TT, where Dalton will line up once again on both the KTM 450 SX-F and the Triumph Tiger 900 GT Pro. With one of the most iconic TT tracks in the country ahead — and hopefully a mechanic in the pits this time — the team is determined to keep building momentum and carry the lessons learned in Sturgis into another strong showing. The points from his 5th in Singles, combined with a near-podium in the AdventureTrackers main, keep momentum alive — and prove that even on unfamiliar tracks and unfamiliar bikes, Dalton knows how to make noise.
