Dennis Stapleton always dreamt of becoming a professional motorcycle racer. Like so many with the same ambition, he fell just short but his determination to stay in the sport set him apart.

Today, as the new World Supercross Championship season approaches, Stapleton is preparing meticulously for his role as Race Manager, a job that demands precision, patience, and a love of racing that runs deep.

It’s not quite the version of the dream he imagined as a kid, but it’s close enough to feel it, even if he never crossed the finish line as a winner himself.

“Like any kid, my dream was to be a professional motorcycle racer,” Stapleton says. “I grew up in Santa Cruz, California, which isn’t exactly a motorsports town. It’s all about hiking and nature. Motocross tracks were limited, so we had to travel constantly. My parents would finish work on Friday, load up the car, and drive eight hours to Southern California just so I could race over the weekend. Those long drives and early mornings really shaped my commitment to the sport.”

Finding a New Lane

Stapleton’s competitive career may have fallen just short of the top tier, but that same dedication kept him rooted in motocross.

“Motocross is a brutal world – it’s win or get left behind,” he admits. “I was often a fourth-place rider, which doesn’t bring much attention or support. But instead of giving up, I found other ways to stay involved.”

That decision led to a new path testing motorcycles, tyres, and gear. The work opened doors into the business side of the sport, allowing him to build relationships and expertise that would later define his career.

“I started testing and working with manufacturers, and that helped me understand how the industry works,” he explains. “Now I get to do what I love, just from a different angle.”

Motocross is a brutal world – it’s win or get left behind,” he admits. “I was often a fourth-place rider, which doesn’t bring much attention or support. But instead of giving up, I found other ways to stay involved.

These days, Stapleton wears many helmets. He collaborates with Fox Racing Gear and the Motocross Action Magazine team, contributing to journalism, bike testing, and product development. Alongside his father, he runs Knobby Shop, a Southern California business that sells American-made Cobra motorcycles and helps kids, some as young as four, start racing.

“It’s rewarding to give young riders the same opportunities I had to chase my dream,” he says.

A Global Perspective

Stapleton’s passion has taken him far beyond California. His work as a coach and consultant has seen him spend time in the Gulf region, including Kuwait, and with teams from the U.S., Australia, and Europe. Those experiences gave him a global view of the sport and, as it turned out, caught the attention of one very influential figure.

The Call That Changed Everything

One of the people Stapleton met along the way was Kurt Nicoll, a former British Motocross Champion and now Senior Consultant of Racing Development for the World Supercross Championship. When Nicoll needed a new Race Manager, and someone who understood both racing and operations, he knew who to call.

A vital cog in the machinery that keeps the championship running smoothly, the Race Manager ensures everything is in place long before the first gate drops. That means coordinating with track builders, managing logistics, ensuring safety standards, and keeping teams, sponsors, and broadcasters aligned.

Race weekends are long! I’m at the venue from six in the morning until after midnight…when it’s all over, there’s no better feeling than grabbing a late-night beer and knowing the event came together perfectly.

“Kurt reached out to me and talked to me about the role,” Stapleton recalls. “Now I’m involved in everything from sourcing parts and working with teams to overseeing track safety and race management.

“Race weekends are long! I’m at the venue from six in the morning until after midnight, making sure everything runs smoothly. It’s stressful leading up to the show, but once it starts, it’s pure adrenaline. And when it’s all over, there’s no better feeling than grabbing a late-night beer and knowing the event came together perfectly. Then we pack up and do it all again.”

More Than One Way to Win

It’s a long way from chasing podiums in Santa Cruz, but Stapleton’s story proves that there’s more than one version of living the racing dream.

He may not have lifted a championship trophy, but he’s built a life at the heart of the sport and shaping its future, mentoring the next generation, and ensuring that when the gates drop, the show goes on without a hitch.

In the high-octane world of motocross, that might just be the biggest victory of all.

CLICK HERE TO FIND OUT HOW TO WATCH ALL THE ACTION