Reigning Champion Lachlan Turner Fends Off Challenge to Open 2026 Women’s Motocross Championship with Hangtown Win

Charli Cannon and Mikayla Nielsen Round Out Overall Podium

RANCHO CORDOVA, CA – June 8, 2026 – (Motor Sports NewsWire) – The opening round of the 2026 Women’s Motocross Championship Powered by Synchrony (WMX) commenced with unprecedented anticipation and fanfare at the Coker Pump Hangtown Motocross Classic. A pair of tightly contested and highly entertaining motos saw the series’ top riders wage battle, from which Altus Motorsports bLU cRU Yamaha’s Lachlan “Lala” Turner, the reigning back-to-back champion, prevailed with a 1-1 victory after she withstood a fierce challenge from her rivals.

Lachlan “Lala” Turner began her quest for a third straight WMX title with a 1-1 effort at Hangtown.
MX Sports Pro Racing, Inc.

The first 12 Minutes + 1 Lap moto of the weekend took place on Friday afternoon and began with Turner leading the field to the holeshot ahead of Quad Lock Honda’s Charli Cannon and Partzilla Blaster Power PRMX Kawasaki’s Taylah McCutcheon, who made her U.S. debut. As Turner looked to sprint away with the lead she went down and gave up the lead but was able to quickly remount in fourth place. That allowed Cannon to move out front and put some distance over McCutchen and SLR Honda’s Mikayla Nielsen, who moved into third.

Turner was able to quickly recompose herself and began a march back to the front. She got by both Nielsen and McCutchen on the same lap to climb from fourth to second and then looked to make inroads on a multi-second deficit to Cannon. With each passing lap, Turner closed in on Cannon and soon the two were bar-to-bar after Cannon went off track and re-entered just as Turner looked to take the lead, but Cannon held on. The closing laps featured an all-out battle between the two, with Turner able to pull off an incredible last lap pass that forced Cannon to take evasive action.

An impressive come-from-behind effort gave Turner the moto win by a margin of 5.6 seconds over Cannon, with Nielsen third. McCutcheon finished fourth in her first WMX moto, while Jordan Jarvis Racing Yamaha’s Jordan Javis finished fifth.

At the conclusion of the moto, race officials reviewed Cannon’s off-track excursion and deemed she accelerated before re-entering, a violation of the rulebook. As a result, she was assessed a one-position penalty. Nielsen was credited with second while Cannon was relegated to third.

Turner tracked down Charli Cannon (7) in the first moto for a thrilling victory.
MX Sports Pro Racing, Inc.

The second and deciding moto took place on Saturday alongside the Pro Motocross Championship. The field was faced with a much different, more demanding racetrack and off the start it was Built Hard Racing KTM’s Piper Bell who grabbed the holeshot, only to be passed by Cannon, Nielsen, and Turner. The clear track allowed Cannon to put some distance on her rivals.

Turner was aggressive early and made her way around Nielsen for second. She then looked to erase the deficit to Cannon, only to find that the Honda rider had gone down. The Australian was in the process of picking up and remounting her motorcycle when Turner and Nielsen came through and resumed in third place. A determined Cannon went back on the attack and quickly got by Nielsen to move into second. She then tracked down Turner to set up another showdown for the win. While she kept Turner close, Cannon was unable to make a pass attempt.

Turner withstood Cannon’s pressure to put the finishing touch on a sweep of the motos by a mere 0.781 tenths over her Honda counterpart. Nielsen finished a distant third.

It was Turner versus Cannon again in Moto 2, from which Turner withstood late pressure for the win.
MX Sports Pro Racing, Inc.

With a 1-1 effort, Turner’s pursuit of the championship three-peat got off to an ideal start. Cannon impressed in a 3-2 effort to secure the runner-up spot, which came via a tiebreaker over Nielsen’s 2-3 finishes that placed her third overall.

Turner has established an eight-point lead over Cannon and Nielsen after the opening round.

Turner holds an eight-point lead in the championship standings following her sweep of the motos.
MX Sports Pro Racing, Inc.

Cannon gave Turner all she could handle en route to a runner-up effort (3-2).
MX Sports Pro Racing, Inc.

Mikayla Nielsen enjoyed a consistent start to the season with a third-place finish (2-3).
MX Sports Pro Racing, Inc.

Overall Results (Moto Finish // Points)

1. Lachlan Turner, Gardnerville, Nev., Yamaha (1-1 // 50)
2. Charli Cannon, Maroochy River, Qld., Australia, Honda (3-2 // 42)
3. Mikayla Nielsen, Riverside, Calif., Honda (2-3 // 42)
4. Jordan Jarvis, Leesburg, Fla., Yamaha (5-4 // 35)
5. Taylah McCutcheon, Cornubia, Qld., Australia, Kawasaki (4-5 // 35)
6. Lilly-Ann Pettus, Hanceville, Ala., Triumphi (6-6 // 32)
7. Emma Milesevic, Lal Lal, Victoria, Australia, Yamaha (7-7 // 30)
8. Piper Bell, Sault Sainte Marie, Mich., KTM (8-9 // 27)
9. Destiny Slingerland, Cowley, Alberta, Canada, Yamaha (14-8 // 22)
10. Haileigh Williams, Grass Valley, Calif., Husqvarna (11-11 // 22)

Championship Standings (Round 1 of 6)

1. Lachlan Turner, Gardnerville, Nev., Yamaha – 50
2. Charli Cannon, Maroochy River, Qld., Australia, Honda – 42
3. Mikayla Nielsen, Riverside, Calif., Honda – 42
4. Jordan Jarvis, Leesburg, Fla., Yamaha – 35
5. Taylah McCutcheon, Cornubia, Qld., Australia, Kawasaki – 35
6. Lilly-Ann Pettus, Hanceville, Ala., Triumphi – 32
7. Emma Milesevic, Lal Lal, Victoria, Australia, Yamaha – 30
8. Piper Bell, Sault Sainte Marie, Mich., KTM – 27
9. Destiny Slingerland, Cowley, Alberta, Canada, Yamaha – 22
10. Haileigh Williams, Grass Valley, Calif., Husqvarna – 22

For the second straight year Cannon (left), Turner (center), and Nielsen (right)
made up the overall podium at Hangtown.
MX Sports Pro Racing, Inc.

The 2026 Women’s Motocross Championship Powered by Synchrony will continue next weekend with Round 2 from Colorado’s Thunder Valley Motocross Park. The WMX will be a part of the Toyota Thunder Valley National Presented by American Petroleum Institute with two days of racing. Moto 1 will take place on Friday, June 12, with Moto 2 alongside the Pro Motocross Championship on Saturday, June 13. Live coverage of the second moto can be seen on Peacock as part of the network’s comprehensive coverage of Thunder Valley that begins at 12 p.m. PT / 3 p.m. ET.

WMX Highlights: Hangtown Motocross Classic

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Media Contacts: 
Kayla Bolton / MX Sports
[email protected]
(304) 284-0101

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

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 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 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 #2 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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