On the surface, the 2022 season seemed to be the perfect prelude to an all-out assault on the 2023 Parts Unlimited AFT Singles presented by KICKER championship and pulling off the monster challenge that is toppling the category’s reigning king, Kody Kopp.

The pairing of Dalton Gauthier and the American Honda-backed Turning Racing squad teamed an elite talent with a powerhouse outfit known for its stunningly fast machines. And they showed plenty of promise together a year ago when Gauthier made the impressive transition back to single-cylinder competition with three victories and a championship runner-up.

But all was not what it seemed to be on the surface. After Rob McLendon – better known in the Progressive American Flat Track paddock as “Robby Bobby” – parted ways with Turner Honda mid-season, Gauthier found himself lost without his long-time mechanic/coach/mentor/champion in his corner and uncomfortable on a bike he could never quite gel with – no matter how impressive the results.

So Gauthier did the unthinkable and walked away from what many would consider the dream ride. Instead, he elected to return to his privateer roots while retaining that sky-high goal of taking down Kopp and company.

“I had a two-year deal with Turner,” Gauthier explained. “But after the first season, I was just kinda over it, pretty much. I just wasn't happy – it was just a lot for me. I struggled a lot on the bike, getting comfortable on it and getting comfortable with the team as well. I had a lot of people in my ear, telling me what to do and trying to help me get better on the bike.

“Once Rob was gone, I was like, ‘That's my guy. What am I doing here now without my guy?’

“I didn't want to do it again, so I talked to (team owner) Mike (Turner) at Volusia, and he let me out of the contract. All he said was, ‘The least you can do is go win this last race for me.’ So that's what I did. We're all good friends still, but I wanted to go my own way and do my own thing again.”

Unsurprisingly, once freed from his contract, Gauthier teamed right back up with McLendon. However, the reunion wasn’t without its hurdles. He said, “After (Rob and Turner Honda parted), me and Rob didn't talk for like almost a month. It was weird for sure. He's my dude. He's my #1 guy. But there was a little animosity between me and him. I couldn’t leave when he did. I was on a two-year deal and had to do my job. But it worked out in the end.”

Once back on the same page, they assembled a supercharged version of the effort they used to win the 2019 AFT Singles crown in the form of D&D Racing/Certified Racing.

“Basically, we wanted to bring back the 2019 vibes,” Gauthier said. “I had a lot of fun that year. Not a lot of pressure, just went out and had fun. I always tell people that when I'm having fun, I'm winning races.

“We're not gonna have a lot of money, but we're gonna have a lot of heart and we're gonna go win some races. That was the plan. Obviously, I'm on the bikes I want to be on now, and I've got my suspension that I want. I'm back with my old sponsors from 2019 too, which is cool.

“And I will say that this year, our program is twenty times better than it was in 2019. That year we were just scraping pennies to get to each race. Even at the last race of the season when I won the championship, I only had one bike and one motor because I blew up in Minnesota.

“That won't happen this year. We ended up putting together a deal with KTM and they gave us some bikes and a good ole parts budget. And Vance & Hines is building our motors again. We've got some good people around us and some really good bikes.”

As promising as it looked on paper, it was going to have to be even better on the dirt in order to take down Kopp, who dominated the ’22 championship and figured to be that much stronger in 2023. And the works KTM star set off all the alarms at the DAYTONA Short Track opener, scoring a pair of imperious victories, threatening to pull another early-season disappearing act.

“He was really, really good at Daytona. I couldn't figure out what he was doing. It might have been something with the bike or something besides just him. But I mean, we finished second both nights, and that was good for me. I was happy with it. Obviously, we wanted to win, but to come out on a new team, it was cool to be on the podium both nights. Last year, you didn't see non-factory teams on the podium that much at all. So it was good for me to be up there again.”

Gauthier then removed all caveats, remaining the only rider to have podiumed in every race this season at the Senoia Short Track before taking his first victory of the year at the Arizona Super TT to move within a single point of Kopp.

Early-season crisis averted.

“I'm stoked with this start. And the more I keep riding these bikes, the more acclimated I get and the more comfortable I get. I think the other guys are in a world of hurt these next few rounds if I can keep doing what I'm doing and having fun and not putting any pressure on myself.

“The goal is to just go beat Kody and (Kopp’s factory Red Bull KTM teammate) Max (Whale), pretty much. For sure there are other fast guys in the class, but I think we've seen after the first four rounds, who it's going to be up front for most of the year. I’ve just got to try to stay ahead of those guys as much as I can. And if I'm in the points hunt with two or three rounds to go, that's where I want to be, and then we can make a good push for it.”

And what if he does exactly that and wins the whole thing again in 2023. Would he contemplate another shot at the premier Mission SuperTwins presented by S&S Cycle class?

“I don't know. That's a hard question. If KTM said something to me about doing something, then maybe. But that would be a hard decision for me because I'm really comfortable on the Single. I feel that where the best racing is at and that’s where the most brands are. I'm happy with where I am.

“I came back to the class really focused; I've evolved a lot. I think I'm a different rider than I was before – smarter, faster, smoother. I’ve put everything toward the Single, and I think I’m one of the very best on one. Even though I'm a little bit older than some of those kids, I still think I can go out and win races and go for the championship.”