Lachlan Turner Tightens Grip on Women’s Motocross Championship Points Lead with Dominant Victory at Budds Creek

Head-to-Head Showdown with Rival Charli Cannon Awaits at Season Finale

MECHANICSVILLE, MD – August 23, 2026 – (Motor Sports NewsWire) – 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.

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.
• 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).

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.

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.

WMX Overall Results (Moto Finishes // Points)

1. Lachlan Turner, Gardnerville, Nev., Yamaha (1-1 // 50)
2. Charli Cannon, Maroochy River, Qld., Australia, Honda (2-2 // 44)
3. Mikayla Nielsen, Riverside, Calif., Honda (3-3 // 40)
4. Taylah McCutcheon, Cornubia, Qld., Australia, Kawasaki (4-10 // 30)
5. Brandy Richards, Lake Havasu City, Ariz., KTM (6-9 / 29)
6. Kaylie Kyler, Savona, B.C., Canada, Yamaha (9-7 // 28)
7. Lilly-Ann Pettus, Hanceville, Ala., Triumph (8-8 // 28)
8. Piper Bell, Sault Sainte Marie, Mich., KTM (5-14 // 25)
9. Jamie Astudillo, Gilbertsville, Pa., GASGAS (7-13 // 24)
10. Tayla Jones, Yass, NSW, Australia (10-11 // 23)

WMX Championship Standings (Round 5 of 6)

1. Lachlan Turner, Gardnerville, Nev., Yamaha – 232
2. Charli Cannon, Maroochy River, Qld., Australia, Honda – 211
3. Taylah McCutcheon, Cornubia, Qld., Australia, Kawasaki – 161
4. Mikayla Nielsen, Riverside, Calif., Honda – 158
5. Jordan Jarvis, Leesburg, Fla., Yamaha – 158
6. Piper Bell, Sault Sainte Marie, Mich., KTM – 133
7. Lilly-Ann Pettus, Hanceville, Ala., Triumph – 124
8. Ava Silvestri, Tahoe City, Calif., Husqvarna – 91
9. Emma Milesevic, Lal Lal, Victoria, Australia, Yamaha – 83
10. Mayla Herrick, Thornton, Colo., Honda – 80

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].”

WMX Highlights // Budds Creek

Post-Race Press Conference // Budds Creek

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.

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

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