From WMX
| The mile-high altitude of scenic Thunder Valley Motocross Park provided the setting for the second round of the 2026 Women’s Motocross Championship Powered by Synchrony (WMX), where athletes were put to the test with the dramatic elevation and a demanding racetrack at the Toyota Thunder Valley National Presented by American Petroleum Institute. For Altus Motorsports bLU cRU Yamaha’s Lachlan “Lala” Turner [#1] it was business as usual, as the reigning back-to-back champion continued her successful start in pursuit of the three-peat with a second straight 1-1 performance to open the season. |
| Timed Qualifying. The weekend started with an impressive initial statement from Quad Lock Honda’s Charli Cannon [#7], who set the pace in qualifying. The Australian laid down a blistering lap of 2:18.568, which placed her seven tenths clear of Turner (2:19.269) and set the tone for another potential showdown in the motos. Moto 1 [12 Minutes + 1 Lap]Friday’s opening moto began with the Australian duo of Partzilla Blaster Power PRMX Kawasaki’s Taylah McCutcheon [#10] and Cannon side-by-side exiting the first turn, with the holeshot edge going to McCutcheon. Behind them SLR Honda’s Mikayla Nielsen [#51] and Turner slotted into third and fourth, respectively.Cannon took advantage of the opportunity to put some traffic between her and Turner, as the Honda rider charged into the lead early. Not long after, both Nielsen and Turner were also able to make their way around McCutcheon. Turner then went on the attack and was able to work her way around Nielsen for second before getting alongside Cannon as the pair launched off the finish line jump to begin the second lap. Turner took advantage of the momentum of an outside line to seize control of the moto.Despite losing the lead, Cannon didn’t relent and made a counterattack to try and regain the position. She was able to get alongside Turner but ceded the position.A couple laps later Cannon’s pursuit of the lead ended with a crash on the track’s uphill roller section. While she was able to remount quickly, losing just a single position to Nielsen, it allowed Turner to build an insurmountable advantage.The lead trio appeared to be in line for another 1-2-3 finish from the top three riders in the championship, but Nielsen’s bike lost power as she took the white flag and would result in a DNF. That allowed Cannon to reclaim second, while McCutcheon moved up to third.Out front, Turner cruised to a dominant moto win by a margin 27.8 seconds over Cannon. McCutcheon grabbed her first moto podium result in third, while reigning back-to-back FIM World Champion Lotte van Drunen [#401] finished fourth in her very first WMX moto aboard a stock Yamaha for HGS Slade Racing. Jordan Jarvis Racing Yamaha’s Jordan Jarvis [#301] rounded out the top five.Following the moto, race officials reviewed a red cross flag infraction by Turner, which resulted in a 10-point penalty in the season standings but did not change the results of the moto. Moto 2 [12 Minutes + 1 Lap]Saturday’s second and deciding moto took place as the final race of the day for the Thunder Valley National, following a pair of motos for both the 450SMX and 250SMX classes. As a result, the WMX field was faced with a dramatically different racetrack than the first moto.The moto began with a massive launch out the gate for Turner, who easily secured the holeshot and the early lead. Cannon followed closely in second, while McCutcheon started third.The clear track allowed Turner to establish a considerable advantage early on, but that was erased when she lost traction with the rear tire and went down. She was able to remount quickly, but Cannon slipped by to take the lead just as Turner resumed aboard her Yamaha.It didn’t take long for Turner to make up for her miscue as she tracked down Cannon on the same lap and went on to mirror her pass for the lead from Friday, this time positioning herself on the inside of the finish line jump to reclaim the top spot. Cannon fought back and kept Turner within striking distance, ready to take advantage of any opportunity that presented itself.As the leaders sprinted away from the field, the battle for third heated up between McCutcheon and Nielsen, who fought her way forward from a seventh-place start. The Honda rider was patient and made the pass stick on the final lap.Back up front, Turner inched away from Cannon on the final lap to complete the sweep of the motos by a margin of 2.7 seconds, with Nielsen able to rebound from her Friday heartbreak in a distant third.OverallFor the second week in-a-row Turner completed a 1-1 effort, overcoming adversity along the way. It signified her seventh straight win dating back to last season.Cannon, who suffered a shoulder injury in the crash on Friday, fought through discomfort to secure a sixth consecutive runner-up finish following a 2-2 effort.In just her second WMX start, McCutcheon captured her first overall podium finish with 3-4 finishes, doing so while battling through tonsillitis.van Drunen’s anticipated debut in the U.S. resulted in a fifth-place finish (4-6).Turner and Cannon are separated by just four points in the championship standings, while McCutcheon has moved into third, 17 points out of the lead. |
 Lala Turner [#1] has gone back-to-back to open the 2026 WMX season, prevailing at Thunder Valley for her seventh win in-a-row. MX Sports Pro Racing, Inc. |
 Turner holds a four-point lead in the WMX standings after two rounds. MX Sports Pro Racing, Inc. |
