Current Australian Women’s Motocross Championship points leader Charli Cannon made an impression at round six of the ProMX Championship at Coffs Harbour with a strong result in the male-dominated, MX2 class.
Cannon stated after her debut MX2 ride at the previous round in Maitland, that now that she had some experience in the class and learned about racing at the highest level, she would step it up at her next appearance and she certainly did that.
In arguably the most impressive performance of the year, Cannon finished the day in 14th position in MX2, battling with the biggest names in the class. The opening moto saw her charge into the first turn deep inside the top 10 and banging bars with anyone in her path. She was locked into battle with a handful of riders for a top 10 position, giving as much as she was getting.
As the race reached the halfway point things had settled and Cannon was in a very comfortable 13th place and with no real pressure from the pack behind she finished in the position in what many believe to be the highest position any female rider has finished in a professional motocross race in Australia.
Race two didn’t see Cannon get a great start and she was buried in the pack on the opening lap. As the race progressed, she was able to make some passes, get some clear track and continue to move forward. While not as exciting as race one, she was able to finish moto two in 15th place and her combined 13-15 scores gave her a sensational 14th over for the round.
“I’m really happy with that,” she beamed at the end of the day. “I have never ridden at this track before and with the wet conditions, I didn’t get a lot of laps in qualifying but once I got that start in race one, I had to go with the boys. It was so much fun battling with them, and they all race me hard which is good.
“I was hoping for a top 20 or somewhere around there but to finish 14th for the day is so good and both races were so much fun. Those first few laps of race one was so intense, like nothing I had experienced before. The pace was fast, and it pulled me along.
“Thank you to everyone on the Yamalube Yamaha Team for doing an amazing job and to all the MX2 riders who were so encouraging and happy for me. I won’t do the QMP round but will do the final Women’s round at Coolum where I hope all the girls turn up and support the round and make for a great series,” Cannon concluded
