Australian Champion Charli Cannon Breaks Through for First U.S. Victory at High Point as Championship Reaches Midseason Break

AMA Champion Turner & FIM Champion van Drunen Round Out Podium

MT. MORRIS, PA – June 22, 2026 – (Motor Sports NewsWire) – The 2026 Women’s Motocross Championship Powered by Synchrony (WMX) reached its pivotal halfway point with an anticipated return to the lush landscape of the “Country Club of Motocross” at High Point Raceway. The UFO Plast High Point National served as the summer’s first race on the East Coast and with it came the most unpredictable action of the season as new faces emerged and a new winner stood atop the podium. After six straight runner-up efforts, multi-time Australian National Champion and Quad Lock Honda rider Charli Cannon [#7] broke through for her first win in the U.S. and led a podium composed of fellow champions.

Qualifying

• With one WMX race under her belt, reigning FIM World Champion Lotte van Drunen [#401] came out swinging in her second stateside race, as the Dutch rider paced both Qualifying sessions on Friday. The HGS Slade Racing rider posted her fastest lap during the second session with a time of 2:09.263, which placed her nearly a second ahead of the 2:10.126 posted by reigning WMX Champion, Altus Motorsports bLU cRU Yamaha’s Lachlan “Lala” Turner [#1].

Moto 1 [12 Minutes + 1 Lap]

• While all eyes were on a potential champions showdown between van Drunen and Turner for Friday’s opening moto, it was SLR Honda’s Mayla Herrick [#23] who shocked everyone by grabbing the holeshot and sprinting clear of the field in her first ever professional gate drop, on her 17th birthday.
• Partzilla Blaster Power PRMX Kawasaki’s Taylah McCutcheon [#10] slotted into second initially, but lost traction approaching the track’s first jump and bottlenecked the field. That allowed van Drunen to move into second and fellow SLR Honda rider Mikayla Nielsen [#51] into third. Turner found herself outside the top five in eighth, while Cannon started even further back in 15th.
• With the lead in hand, Herrick showed an impressive level of comfort controlling the pace of the moto. van Drunen was able to move within reach of the lead but was unable to gain significant ground on Herrick. Meanwhile, Turner fought her way forward and moved up to fifth. She continued to push the pace got around both McCutcheon and Nielsen on the same lap to take control of third.
• Herrick showed the poise of a veteran out front, even as she navigated lapped riders. She maintained a lead of about two seconds over van Drunen for the entirety of the moto and carried on to complete a memorable and historic wire-to-wire moto win by 1.8 seconds over the world champ, who also claimed her first moto podium. Turner, battling illness, was unable to close in and settled for third. It marked the first time this season she failed to win a moto. Nielsen was fourth, while Cannon made a valiant charge up to fifth.

Moto 2 [12 Minutes + 1 Lap]

• Saturday’s second moto was initially marred by a crash in the first turn that included Herrick and several other riders. Unfortunately, Herrick was unable to continue, and the race was ultimately red flagged, which necessitated a restart. It proved to be a fortunate turn of events for van Drunen, who experienced an issue with her start device during the initial gate drop and later discovered oil was leaking from her Yamaha. The red flag period allowed those issues to be resolved and enabled van Drunen to line up.
• The restart saw Turner grab the holeshot over Cannon. McCutcheon slotted in between them briefly, but Cannon soon reclaimed the position. The clear track allowed Turner to open up a three second lead on the opening lap.
• As the leaders pulled away, Nielsen was able to make the pass around McCutcheon for third. Behind them, van Drunen overcame a start outside the top 10 to put herself into a fight inside the top five.
• Out front, Turner continued to build on her lead over Cannon and was nearly 10 seconds clear of the field when she crashed shortly before time expired on the race clock. She crossed rutted upon landing off a jump and knocked the wind out of herself. As Turner picked up her bike Cannon rode past, with Turner reentering several seconds later in second.
• Despite her best efforts, Turner was unable to overcome the deficit on the final lap and Cannon carried on to her third WMX moto win by 5.1 seconds. Nielsen followed in third, just ahead of van Drunen.

Overall

• Cannon (5-1) and Turner (3-2) ended up tied for the overall with 42 points apiece, but Cannon’s moto win gave her the second moto tiebreaker and her maiden WMX victory.
• Turner’s runner-up finish signified just the third time in 15 career starts that she failed to win a moto.
• van Drunen finished on the overall podium in just her second WMX start and will return to defend her MXW title in the FIM Motocross World Championship.
• A history-making overall podium was composed of a four-time Australian National Champion in Cannon, a two-time AMA National Champion in Turner, and a two-time FIM World Champion in van Drunen.
• Despite the end of her seven-race win streak, Turner did not lose a single point to Cannon in the championship standings. The rivals remain separated by nine points with three rounds remaining.
• Jordan Jarvis Yamaha’s Jordan Jarvis [#301] sits third in the standings, 30 points back, but also sits just one point ahead of Nielsen, in fourth, and three points ahead of McCutcheon, in fifth.

Mayla Herrick [#23] turned heads with an impressive wire-to-wire victory in the first professional moto of her career on her 17th birthday.
MX Sports Pro Racing, Inc.

Lachlan Turner [#1] got the holeshot and ran away in the second moto, but a late crash handed the victory to Charli Cannon [#7].
MX Sports Pro Racing, Inc.

WMX Overall Results (Moto Finishes // Points)

1. Charli Cannon, Maroochy River, Qld., Australia, Honda (5-1 // 42)
2. Lachlan Turner, Gardnerville, Nev., Yamaha (3-2 // 42)
3. Lotte van Drunen, Gorinchem, The Netherlands, Yamaha (2-4 // 40)
4. Mikayla Nielsen, Riverside, Calif., Honda (4-3 // 38)
5. Jordan Jarvis, Leesburg, Fla., Yamaha (6-5 // 33)
6. Taylah McCutcheon, Cornubia, Qld., Australia, Kawasaki (7-6 // 31)
7. Jamie Astudillo, Gilbertsville, Pa., GASGAS (9-7 // 28)
8. Emma Milesevic, Lal Lal, Victoria, Australia, Yamaha (11-8 // 25)
9. Mayla Herrick, Thornton, Colo., Honda (1-29 // 25)
10. Piper Bell, Sault Sainte Marie, Mich., KTM (10-10 // 24)

WMX Championship Standings (Round 3 of 6)

1. Lachlan Turner, Gardnerville, Nev., Yamaha – 132
2. Charli Cannon, Maroochy River, Qld., Australia, Honda – 123
3. Jordan Jarvis, Leesburg, Fla., Yamaha – 102
4. Mikayla Nielsen, Riverside, Calif., Honda – 101
5. Taylah McCutcheon, Cornubia, Qld., Australia, Kawasaki – 99
6. Emma Milesevic, Lal Lal, Victoria, Australia, Yamaha – 83
7. Piper Bell, Sault Sainte Marie, Mich., KTM – 77
8. Lotte van Drunen, Gorinchem, The Netherlands, Yamaha – 74
9. Lilly-Ann Pettus, Hanceville, Ala., Triumph – 74
10. Ava Silvestri, Tahoe City, Calif., Husqvarna – 59

1st Place – Charli Cannon | #7 Quad Lock Honda (5-1)

“That was wild. With the red flag I knew I had to stay calm and execute a start. Me and Lala checked out and I capitalized on her mistake. After yesterday [finishing fifth] I was disappointed, but I knew it’s never over until it’s over. It feels amazing to end the weekend like this.”

2nd Place – Lachlan Turner | #1 Altus Motorsports bLU cRU Yamaha (3-2)

“I knocked the wind out of myself [with the crash] and threw [the win] away, but I’m sick and still rode really well. I was caught up in the first start crash [before the red flag] but had another chance and made it count.”

3rd Place – Lotte van Drunen | #401 HGS Slade Yamaha (2-4)

“Yesterday was pretty good, but today I had some bad luck. I had to start without my holeshot device which made it so much harder, but I did my best. I’m happy to be here on the podium and hopefully I can come back [to race WMX].”

WMX Highlights // High Point

Post-Race Press Conference // High Point

The 2026 Women’s Motocross Championship Powered by Synchrony will observe its midseason break before returning for a three-round stretch run in August that will ultimately decide the 2026 championship. The fourth round of the season will be part of the ELF Lubricants Unadilla National, with two days of racing from Central New York’s legendary Unadilla MX. Moto 1 will take place on Friday, August 14, with Moto 2 alongside the Pro Motocross Championship on Saturday, August 15. Live coverage of the second moto will be showcased on Peacock as part of the network’s live comprehensive coverage of Unadilla that begins at 10 a.m. PT / 1 p.m. ET.

Brandon Short / MX Sports Pro Racing
[email protected]
(304) 284-0101

Sean Brennen / Feld Motor Sports
[email protected]
(703) 448-3664

About the 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 the Hangtown Motocross Classic in June and concludes at the Ironman National in August. It includes stops at premier facilities across America, with events in California, Colorado, Pennsylvania, New York, Maryland and Indiana. 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 RaceWMX.com.

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 its members. Through the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame in Pickerington, Ohio, the AMA honors the heroes and heritage of motorcycling.
For more information, visit AmericanMotorcyclist.com.
Not a member? Join the AMA today: AmericanMotorcyclist.com/membership/join.

About the Monster Energy SMX World Championship           

The Monster Energy SMX World Championship^TM 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. From health to home, auto to retail, our Synchrony products have been serving the needs of people and businesses for nearly 100 years. We provide responsible access to credit and banking products to support healthier financial lives for tens of millions of people, enabling them to access the things that matter to them. Additionally, through our innovative products and experiences, we support the growth and operations of some of the country’s most respected brands, as well as more than 400,000 small and midsize businesses and health and wellness providers that Americans rely on. Synchrony is proud to be ranked as the country’s #1 Best Company to Work For® by Fortune magazine and Great Place to Work®.
For more information, visit www.synchrony.com.

Source: SMX League

####