Lachlan Turner Fends Off Charli Cannon to Win WMX Season Opener at Hangtown

The opening round of the 2026 Women’s Motocross Championship (WMX) arrived with unprecedented anticipation and fanfare at the Hangtown Motocross Classic.

Two tightly contested and highly entertaining motos saw the series’ leading contenders go head-to-head, with reigning back-to-back champion Lachlan “Lala” Turner ultimately prevailing with a 1-1 victory after withstanding a fierce challenge from her rivals.

Turner’s perfect opening round marks an ideal start to her pursuit of a third consecutive WMX title.

The opening 12 Minutes + 1 Lap moto of the weekend took place on Friday afternoon, with Turner leading the field to the holeshot ahead of Australian Charli Cannon and her compatriot Taylah McCutcheon, who was making her U.S. racing debut.

While Turner initially looked to sprint away at the front, she went down and dropped to fourth, allowing Cannon to take over the lead and open a gap over McCutcheon and Mikayla Nielsen, who moved into third.

Turner quickly regrouped and began charging back through the field, passing both Nielsen and McCutcheon on the same lap to move into second. From there, she steadily reduced Cannon’s lead, closing the gap as the two engaged in a race-long battle at the front.

The defining moment came on the final lap, with Turner executing an aggressive move that forced Cannon slightly off track as she fought to maintain position. Turner crossed the line first in a dramatic comeback win, originally by 5.6 seconds over Cannon, with Nielsen third and McCutcheon finishing fourth in her WMX debut. Jordan Jarvis completed the top five.

However, post-race review by officials deemed Cannon had accelerated before re-entering the track after going off course, resulting in a one-position penalty. Nielsen was promoted to second, with Cannon classified third.

The second moto, held Saturday alongside the Pro Motocross Championship, presented a more demanding racetrack. Piper Bell grabbed the holeshot but was quickly passed by Cannon, Nielsen, and Turner as the leaders established themselves at the front.

Cannon initially controlled the race and opened a gap, but Turner again worked her way forward, passing Nielsen for second, before the race took another turn when Cannon went down while leading.

As Cannon remounted and rejoined in third, Turner inherited the lead with Nielsen briefly holding second. Cannon wasted no time regrouping, moving back into second and quickly closing in on Turner to set up another intense battle for victory.

Despite keeping Turner under pressure in the closing stages, Cannon was unable to find a way through. Turner held firm to complete the moto sweep by just 0.781 seconds, with Nielsen a distant third.

With a 1-1 scorecard, Turner’s title defence could hardly have started better, securing maximum points and an early championship lead.

Cannon’s consistent 3-2 performance secured second overall, with Nielsen’s 2-3 results also giving her a share of the runner-up points haul, finishing third overall on countback.

Turner now holds an eight-point lead over both Cannon and Nielsen after the opening round of the season.

The 2026 Women’s Motocross Championship will continue next weekend with Round 2 from Colorado’s Thunder Valley Motocross Park.