Lachlan Turner
Tightens Grip on Women’s
Motocross Championship
Points Lead with Dominant
Victory at Budds Creek
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Head-to-Head Showdown
with Rival Charli Cannon
Awaits at Season Finale
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MECHANICSVILLE, Md.
(August 23, 2026) – The
penultimate round of the
2026 Women’s Motocross
Championship Powered by
Synchrony [WMX] was a
tale of two motos, with
dramatically different
weather and track
conditions across the
two days of competition.
While sunny skies shined
down for Friday’s first
moto, heavy morning rain
on Saturday gave way to
sunny skies in the
afternoon, with a
continuously evolving
racetrack. Through it
all, Altus Motorsports
bLUcRU Yamaha’s Lachlan
Turner [#1] proved why
she has the No. 1 on her
motorcycle and why she’s
held possession of the
red plate all season,
with another dominant
performance that
tightened her grip of
the points lead and
moved her one step
closer to a third
consecutive title.
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Qualifying
-
Due to weather
mitigation efforts to
protect the racetrack,
Friday’s morning
qualifying was limited
to a single session. In
it, Quad Lock Honda’s
Chari Cannon [#7]
emerged with a top time
of 2:08.261, which
placed her a tenth of a
second ahead of Turner’s
time of 2:08.340. SLR
Honda’s Mayla Herrick
[#7] rounded out the top
three [2:14.410].
Moto 1 [12 Minutes +
1 Lap]
-
Before the gate dropped
on the first moto of the
weekend misfortune
struck Dusty Rocks
Yamaha’s Jordan Jarvis
[#301], who sits third
in the championship,
when she lost power on
her motorcycle and
missed the start of the
moto. She was able to
get on track and log a
single lap but
ultimately retired from
the moto.
-
The moto began with
Partzilla Blaster Power
PRMX Kawasaki’s Taylah
McCutcheon [#10] out
front with the holeshot
ahead of Phoenix Racing
Honda’s Tayla Jones
[#713] and Team KOH-Z
Yamaha’s Nanami Honda
[#33]. The series’
championship rivals were
both forced to fight
through starts outside
the top 10, with Cannon
12th and Turner 15th.
-
As the field jockeyed
for position on the
opening lap it was SLR
Honda’s Mikayla Nielsen
[#51] who made a charge
up to second, followed
by her teammate Herrick
and Cannon. Turner,
meanwhile, clawed her
way up to fifth.
-
Soon a five-rider battle
unfolded at the front of
the field, as Nielsen
was able to take the
lead from McCutcheon
with around nine minutes
to go. Cannon followed
through into second,
while Turner made her
way into third. Amidst
this battle, Herrick
lost touch with the
leaders and eventually
dropped out of the moto
after her Honda lost
power.
-
While Nielsen looked to
assert her hold on the
top spot Cannon and
Turner began a battle
for second. That allowed
Cannon to push onto the
rear fender of Nielsen.
As Cannon attempted to
make a move for the
lead, Nielsen took her
line, which allowed
Turner to capitalize and
make the pass for
second. That sequence
was replicated moments
later when Turner’s pass
attempt was also
defended by Nielsen,
which allowed Cannon to
reclaim the position.
-
With a little more than
six minutes remaining on
the race clock Cannon
made the move around
Nielsen to grab control
of the lead. Turner
quickly followed through
with a pass for second.
The lead duo then pulled
away from Nielsen.
-
On the following lap,
Cannon overjumped a
section and went wide in
a turn. That opened the
door for Turner to slip
into the lead with about
four minutes to go. On
the following lap,
Turner dropped the
hammer and laid down her
fastest lap of the moto,
which was 2.6 seconds
quicker than Cannon and
allowed Turner to
establish nearly a
three-second advantage.
-
The distance between
Turner and Cannon
continued to grow over
the final stages of the
moto as the reigning
champion and points
leader put the finishing
touch on her seventh
moto win of the season
by 4.4 seconds over
Cannon. Nielsen carded
her fifth moto podium of
the season in third,
with McCutcheon in
fourth and Built Hard
Racing KTM’s Piper Bell
in fifth.
Moto 2 [12 Minutes +
1 Lap]
-
Saturday’s second moto
began under improving
track conditions and
sunny skies, as Nielsen
stormed to the holeshot
ahead of Turner and
Cannon, while McCutcheon
was involved in a
first-turn incident with
another rider.
-
Turner went on the
attack right away and
was able to make the
move around Nielsen for
the lead after just a
few corners. Cannon
followed into second
moments later.
-
The clear track allowed
Turner to push the pace
as she opened a near
three-second lead on
Cannon. Behind them,
Nielsen ran solidly in
third as her teammate
Herrick gave pursuit
from fourth. As she
closed in on Nielsen to
begin a battle for third
Herrick went down and
dropped to sixth.
-
As the moto dipped into
its final five minutes,
Turner’s lead grew to
more than eight seconds
over Cannon. She
continued to add to the
advantage, which grew to
double digits as the
moto wore on.
-
Turner wrapped up
another dominant
performance with her
eighth moto win,
crossing the finish line
14.9 seconds ahead of
Cannon. Nielsen followed
in third.
Overall
-
Turner’s fourth victory
and fourth 1-1
performance of the
season further asserted
her hold on the
championship lead
heading into the final
round.
-
Cannon was once again
consistent in pursuit of
Turner, finishing in the
runner-up spot for the
fourth time this summer,
posting her third 2-2
effort.
-
Nielsen ended an overall
podium drought that
dated back to the
opening round, posting a
solid 3-3 effort for her
second top three finish
of the season.
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With the sweep of the
motos, Turner extended
her points lead to 21
points over Cannon
heading into the final
round. McCutcheon, who
finished fourth overall
(4-10), remained third,
71 points out of the
lead, but just three
points ahead of Nielsen
and Jarvis, who finished
12th (33-4).
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Taylah McCutcheon
[#10] grabbed the
holeshot to begin
Friday's moto before a
spirited battle for the
win unfolded between
several riders.
MX Sports Pro Racing,
Inc.
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Mikayla Nielsen
[#51] started Saturday's
moto out front with the
holeshot, before giving
way to Charli Cannon
[#7] and Lachlan Turner
[#1].
MX Sports Pro
Racing, Inc.
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WMX
Overall Results
(Moto Finishes
// Points)
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Lachlan
Turner,
Gardnerville,
Nev., Yamaha
(1-1 // 50)
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Charli
Cannon,
Maroochy
River, Qld.,
Australia,
Honda (2-2
// 44)
-
Mikayla
Nielsen,
Riverside,
Calif.,
Honda (3-3
// 40)
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Taylah
McCutcheon,
Cornubia,
Qld.,
Australia,
Kawasaki
(4-10 // 30)
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Brandy
Richards,
Lake Havasu
City, Ariz.,
KTM (6-9 /
29)
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Kaylie
Kyler,
Savona,
B.C.,
Canada,
Yamaha (9-7
// 28)
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Lilly-Ann
Pettus,
Hanceville,
Ala.,
Triumph (8-8
// 28)
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Piper Bell,
Sault Sainte
Marie,
Mich., KTM
(5-14 // 25)
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Jamie
Astudillo,
Gilbertsville,
Pa., GASGAS
(7-13 // 24)
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Tayla Jones,
Yass, NSW,
Australia
(10-11 //
23)
WMX
Championship
Standings (Round
5 of 6)
-
Lachlan
Turner,
Gardnerville,
Nev., Yamaha
– 232
-
Charli
Cannon,
Maroochy
River, Qld.,
Australia,
Honda – 211
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Taylah
McCutcheon,
Cornubia,
Qld.,
Australia,
Kawasaki –
161
-
Mikayla
Nielsen,
Riverside,
Calif.,
Honda – 158
-
Jordan
Jarvis,
Leesburg,
Fla., Yamaha
– 158
-
Piper Bell,
Sault Sainte
Marie,
Mich., KTM –
133
-
Lilly-Ann
Pettus,
Hanceville,
Ala.,
Triumph –
124
-
Ava
Silvestri,
Tahoe City,
Calif.,
Husqvarna –
91
-
Emma
Milesevic,
Lal Lal,
Victoria,
Australia,
Yamaha – 83
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Mayla
Herrick,
Thornton,
Colo., Honda
– 80
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1st
Place – Lachlan
Turner | #1
Altus
Motorsports
bLUcRU Yamaha
(1-1)
“I told my
dad I was going
to get the
holeshot and win
this, and I
pretty much did
that. I think
the track was
awesome and I
really felt
comfortable. I’m
just excited to
get another win
and looking
forward to the
final round next
weekend.”
2nd
Place – Charli
Cannon | #7 Quad
Lock Honda (2-2)
“I just let
[Turner] go a
bit too far. I
struggled with
finding my flow
today. It was a
tough weekend,
but we’ll go
back to the
drawing board
and keep working
on the small
things. Still a
solid day. We’ll
try to come out
strong next
weekend.”
3rd
Place – Mikayla
Nielsen | #51
SLR Honda (4-3)
“I got a
sick holeshot,
which was a
great start to
the day. I
struggled with
finding my flow,
but I got on the
podium, so who
cares. It’s been
a great weekend
and I’m just so
happy to be back
up here [on the
podium].”
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WMX Highlights //
Budds Creek National
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Post-Race Press
Conference // Budds Creek
National |
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The 2026 Women’s Motocross
Championship Powered by
Synchrony will crown a
champion next weekend,
August 28-29, with the final
round from Indiana’s Ironman
Raceway. The U.S. Navy
Ironman National Finals
Presented by Tucker Freight
Lines will feature two days
of racing, with Moto 1 on
Friday, August 28, followed
by the championship-deciding
moto on Saturday, August 29.
Free coverage of Friday's
moto will stream live,
exclusively on SMX
Friday Live Presented by
Honda on the
SuperMotocross YouTube
channel. Saturday’s second
moto will be featured as
part of the comprehensive
and exclusive live coverage
from Ironman on Peacock,
beginning at 10 a.m. PT / 1
p.m. ET.
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For more information on the
WMX series, visit the
official website at
www.racewmx.com or call
(304) 284-0101. Join the
conversation on the series Facebook page,
follow us on
Instagram, and be sure
to always hashtag
#RaceWMX.
Media Contact:
Kayla Bolton
(304) 284-0101
media@mxsports.com
About Women’s
Motocross Championship
The Women’s Motocross
Championship (WMX), an AMA
National Championship,
features the world’s fastest
female outdoor motocross
racers. The 6-round series
begins with Fox Raceway
National in May and
concludes at Budds Creek
National in August. It
includes stops at premier
facilities across America,
with events in California,
Colorado, Indiana, New York
and Maryland. These female
racers compete in a two-moto
format on machines ranging
from 125cc to 250cc. The WMX
series is managed by MX
Sports Pro Racing, a West
Virginia-based company and
industry leader in power
sports event production.
For more information, please
visit www.racewmx.com or
call (304) 284-0101.
About MX Sports Pro
Racing
MX Sports Pro Racing, Inc.,
manages and produces the
world's premier motocross
racing series – the Pro
Motocross Championship
sanctioned by AMA Pro
Racing. MX Sports Pro Racing
is an industry leader in
off-road powersport event
production and management,
whose mission is to showcase
the sport of professional
motocross competition at
events throughout the United
States. Through its various
racing properties,
partnerships and affiliates,
MX Sports Pro Racing, Inc.,
organizes events for
thousands of racing athletes
each year and attracts
millions of motorsports
spectators.
Visit
MXSportsProRacing.com
for more information.
About the American
Motorcyclist Association
Founded in 1924, the AMA is
a not-for-profit
member-based association
whose mission is to promote
the motorcycle lifestyle and
protect the future of
motorcycling. As the world's
largest motorcycling rights
and event sanctioning
organization, the AMA
advocates for riders'
interests at all levels of
government and sanctions
thousands of competition and
recreational events every
year. The AMA also provides
money-saving discounts on
products and services for
itshttp://www.racewmx.com
members. Through the AMA
Motorcycle Hall of Fame in
Pickerington, Ohio, the AMA
honors the heroes and
heritage of motorcycling.
For more information, visit www.americanmotorcyclist.com.
Not a member? Join the AMA
today: www.americanmotorcyclist.com/membership/join.
About the Monster
Energy SMX World
Championship
The Monster Energy SMX World
ChampionshipTM is
the premier off-road
motorcycle racing series in
the world that combines the
technical precision of
stadium racing with the
all-out speed and endurance
of outdoor racing. Created
in 2022, the Monster Energy
SMX World Championship
Series combines the Monster
Energy AMA Supercross
Championship and AMA Pro
Motocross Championship into
a 28-round regular season
that culminates in a
season-ending SMX World
Championship Playoffs.
Visit SuperMotocross.com for
more information.
About
Synchrony
Synchrony (NYSE: SYF)
is a leading consumer
financing company at the
heart of American commerce
and opportunity and was just
named the No. 1 Best Company
to Work For in the United
States by Great Place to
Work and Fortune Media. From
health to home, auto to
retail, our Synchrony
products have been serving
the needs of people and
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years. We provide
responsible access to credit
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Additionally, through our
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For more information, visit www.synchrony.com.
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