Gannon Audette - Motocross

The only Motocross Hall Inductee in the class of 2011, Gannon won District 23 championships in nearly every class he entered over a span of 5 to 6 years, from 50s to 85s. When he hit the pros, he did well in his rookie year, but had a few down years with injuries after that. It all came together in 2016 when he got a fill-in ride with Pro Circuit, and rode it to a podium and a string of top ten finishes in 250 Supercross.

Years Pro: 2011 - 2017

Competed in 74 AMA Supercross and Motocross events

18 Top Ten, 56 Top Twenty Finishes

Best Race Finishes: 3rd 250 Supercross, 8th 250 Motocross, 16th 450 Motocross

Best Championship Finish: 6th 250 Supercross, 15th 250 Motocross

Long before his pro days, he appeared in the old results-only format of the early MxBob.com race report, and in this race story from 2004. He is also the only member of the Hall to have an in-focus photo taken by long-defunct R. Chase Photography.

After moving down south about the same time that Audette transitioned to the big bikes, he continued to finish well. He raced at Loretta’s every year from 2002-2010, from 50s to 450s. He had breakout years in 2009 and 2010, winning 450A/Pro Sport and finishing 2nd in 250A in 2010. The next year he turned pro.

Gannon hit the professional circuit in 2011, riding for the Star Yamaha team. Racing 250 East Supercross, he started out near the top ten, but then rolled off a 7th at Toronto, 8th at Dallas, and a 6th at Saint Louis. Despite missing a few rounds and DNFs in a few others, he still finished 13th Overall. His results were a little inconsistent in his rookie season in 250 Motocross, but he did finish a strong fourth in the first Southwick moto, 8th overall, on his way to 15th in the series.

Gannon signed with the Dragon Racing Fuels KTM team for the 2012 season, but had a rough year. He was out with injury for the entire Supercross season, and then struggled to find his form in the nationals. Goonin’ was injured again in 2013 Supercross and lost his ride. His only pro race was at Millville, where he scored an 18th in the first moto.

Still mostly on a shoestring budget in 2014, Audette came back for selected rounds of 250 East Supercross. His best finish was an 8th at Las Vegas, finishing 17th in the championship despite the limited schedule.

Gannon was finally able to get some fairly decent support again in 2015, and, more importantly, able to complete a season without serious injury. In 250 East Supercross, he was reunited with Kawasaki, but his season was a bit up and down. He still finished 17th overall, with a best finish of 12th at Indianapolis and Atlanta. Riding a partial schedule, Gannon finished in the points at most rounds of 450 Motocross he competed in, with a season best 13th at Millville.

Starting on a better funded team in 2016, Gannon was putting in consistent finishes in the 250 East Supercross series when he got the call from Pro Circuit to fill in for an injured rider. In his first race, he responded with a career best 3rd place finish, and was in the top ten every round after that, to finish 6th in the championship, only one point out of 5th.

The ride on Pro Circuit, despite his good results, did not extend to the outdoors. He found a home on the much lighter funded, Traders Racing Kawasaki team for 250 Motocross. In a class deep with factory riders, Gannon struggled to match the results of previous years, hovering just outside of the top 20 many times. His best moto finish was a 16th at Unadilla.

Competing in 250 East Supercross again in 2017, Audette rode a Kawasaki for Kissimmee Motorsports, but it was nowhere near the level of the powerhouse Pro Circuit ride he had for a while the previous year. He did make nearly every main, finishing a season-best 8th at Detroit and Saint Louis, and 11th in the championship. He did not compete in any rounds of the AMA Motocross series.

In December of 2017, he announced his retirement from professional racing.