Lachlan Turner has secured her third consecutive AMA Women’s Motocross Championship after a dramatic final round at Ironman Raceway, despite enduring one of her toughest weekends of the season.
The sixth and final round of the 2026 WMX championship formed part of the historic U.S. Army Ironman National Finals, with Turner and Australian Charli Cannon arriving at the final two motos separated by just 13 points.
Cannon produced her most dominant performance on U.S. soil, sweeping both motos to claim her second career WMX overall victory, but Turner’s resilience under pressure was enough to see her retain the championship by six points.
The championship had already produced a breakthrough summer, with the season-long rivalry between the Altus Motorsports bLUcRU Yamaha rider and Cannon coming down to the final gate drops on Friday and Saturday.
Turner made the first statement of the weekend by topping each qualifying session, setting a 2:18.740 lap to finish more than two seconds clear of Cannon, who recorded a 2:21.082.
Making her U.S. debut, FIM MXW points leader Daniela Guillen qualified third with a 2:21.157 lap.
Cannon launched Friday’s opening moto from the front, taking the holeshot ahead of Mayla Herrick and Turner.
With a clear track ahead, the Australian immediately pushed the pace and opened a small advantage over Herrick and Turner, who briefly battled for second before the Yamaha rider moved into position behind Cannon.
Turner began closing the gap to Cannon towards the end of the opening lap, while behind them Guillen applied pressure to Herrick after starting fourth and moved into the top three.
The two championship protagonists soon broke away from the field and settled into a head-to-head battle, mirroring each other’s lines and trading momentum throughout the circuit. Cannon, however, continued to fend off Turner’s advances.
As the leaders encountered lapped traffic, both riders were forced to search for alternative lines through the challenging Ironman circuit. It was in the woods section where Turner first came unstuck, losing her balance in a rut and veering off line.
She kept the Yamaha upright but lost ground to Cannon, who was able to strengthen her advantage.
Turner appeared to settle into second before making another costly mistake in the same section late in the moto. This time she went down, allowing several riders to pass as she recovered her motorcycle and eventually rejoined the race in sixth.
With the pressure gone, Cannon completed a wire-to-wire victory, taking her second moto win of the season by 24.4 seconds over Guillen. Herrick finished third, ahead of Brandy Richards, while Turner recovered to fifth.
Friday’s result reduced Turner’s championship advantage to 13 points heading into Saturday’s final moto, leaving both title contenders with plenty at stake.
Cannon and Turner lined up side-by-side, and it was Cannon who again launched to the holeshot. Turner immediately went on the attack and briefly took the lead, only to suffer another tip-over in the same woods section that had caused her problems the previous day.
As Cannon disappeared up the track, Turner remounted in 17th position.
Cannon looked to establish control at the front, but Herrick kept the Honda rider honest in second, while Hannah Hodges settled into third.
For Turner, the task was now simple: she needed to finish no worse than 10th to secure the championship. The Yamaha rider remained patient and began picking off competitors one by one, quickly working her way into the top 10 with more than half the moto remaining.
Inside the final five minutes, Cannon and Herrick had opened more than 10 seconds over the field, while Hodges became embroiled in a multi-rider battle for third.
Guillen eventually charged her way into the final podium position, with Mikayla Nielsen fourth and Turner continuing her determined recovery in fifth.
Cannon completed the moto sweep, taking the chequered flag 3.4 seconds ahead of Herrick, with Guillen third.
Turner wasn’t finished, however, charging through to fourth at the finish in a remarkable 13-position comeback that ultimately secured her third consecutive championship.
Cannon’s 1-1 result delivered her first overall 1-1 sweep in the United States and her second career WMX overall victory, although it wasn’t enough to overturn Turner’s championship advantage.
“It’s super cool to end the season like this,” Cannon said. “I didn’t come into the weekend really thinking about the championship; I just wanted to build and get back to the top step of the podium.”
The Honda rider executed exactly that plan, adding, “I executed all weekend, and I’m really proud of how I did. Two good starts, two moto wins, I couldn’t have asked for anything more this weekend.”
Herrick capped off a consistent weekend with a career-best runner-up overall finish after going 3-2.
“It’s been an amazing season,” Herrick said. “I’m bummed I couldn’t be in the points [battle], but I didn’t have pressure and could just be myself.”
The SLR Honda rider also reflected on the highs and lows of her season, including her moto victory at High Point, before adding, “We had the highest of highs at High Point [with a moto win] and ended the summer on the podium. I’m really thankful for the opportunity and excited for the future.”
Guillen’s first appearance in the United States ended with a breakthrough podium after finishing 2-3.
“I’m really happy. This is amazing,” Guillen said. “I’m so happy in my first race [in the U.S.] to get on the podium. I want to do more races. Thank you so much to the team for helping me get here. I’m so happy.”
While Cannon claimed the biggest result of the weekend, it was Turner who walked away with the championship.
Ironically, Turner’s title-clinching performance came on a weekend when she failed to finish on the overall podium for the first time in her career, ending the round fourth overall with a 5-4 scorecard.
The Yamaha rider’s championship resilience was summed up by the emotion of securing a third straight title.
“There’s definitely a big weight lifted off my shoulders. It’s been an emotional two days,” Turner said. “This just means so much. Back-to-back-to-back championships feels amazing. I can’t thank everyone enough for backing me and making this possible.”
Turner and Cannon ultimately finished the championship separated by just six points, with Turner finishing on 267 points to Cannon’s 261.
The final championship podium also came down to a tiebreaker. Nielsen finished sixth overall at the final round with a 7-5 scorecard, tying her with Jordan Jarvis, who finished seventh after going 6-6, on 190 championship points.
The tiebreaker went in Nielsen’s favour, giving the Honda rider third in the championship for the second consecutive season.
Australian Taylah McCutcheon finished fifth in the final championship standings on 187 points.
While the 2026 championship season has concluded, the WMX will compete one more time with its postseason debut at the Monster Energy SMX World Championship Final. The showcase SMX WMX Invitational will take place on Saturday, September 26, at Thunder Ridge Nature Arena in Ridgedale, Missouri.
| WMX Class Overall – Round 5 – Ironman | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pos | Rider | Hometown | Bike | Motos |
| 1st | Charli Cannon | Maroochy River, Australia | Honda | 1 – 1 |
| 2nd | Mayla Herrick | Thornton, CO | Honda | 3 – 2 |
| 3rd | Daniela Guillen | Spain | GasGas | 2 – 3 |
| 4th | Lachlan Turner | Gardnerville, NV | Yamaha | 5 – 4 |
| 5th | Brandy Richards | Lake Havasu City, AZ | KTM | 4 – 7 |
| 6th | Mikayla Nielsen | Riverside, CA | Honda | 7 – 5 |
| 7th | Jordan Jarvis | Clayton, NC | Yamaha | 6 – 6 |
| 8th | Taylah McCutcheon | Australia | Kawasaki | 9 – 9 |
| 9th | Hannah Hodges | Deland, FL | Triumph | 11 – 8 |
| 10th | Jamie Astudillo | Gilbertsville, PA | GasGas | 8 – 11 |
| 11th | Tayla Jones | Yass, Australia | Honda | 12 – 12 |
| 12th | Nanami Honda | Osaka, Japan | Yamaha | 10 – 14 |
| 13th | Lilly-Ann Pettus | Hanceville, AL | Triumph | 16 – 10 |
| 14th | Ava Silvestri | Redwood City, CA | Husqvarna | 15 – 13 |
| 15th | Isla Phillips | Saint George, UT | Husqvarna | 14 – 16 |
| 16th | Jaylie Gallacher | Redmond, OR | Yamaha | 17 – 17 |
| 17th | Kaylie Kayer | Savona, BC | Yamaha | 13 – 37 |
| 18th | Shelby Rolen | Knoxville, TN | Kawasaki | 22 – 15 |
| 19th | Sidney Wagner | Warsaw, IN | Triumph | 19 – 18 |
| 20th | Brandy McLarty | Echo Bay, Ontario, Canada | Husqvarna | 18 – 22 |
| 21st | Carrie Killebrew | Wittmann, AZ | Triumph | 23 – 19 |
| 22nd | Hailey Johnson | Motley, MN | Yamaha | 21 – 20 |
| 23rd | Hannah Cole | Cooks Brook | Honda | 20 – 21 |
| 24th | Piper Bell | Sault Sainte Marie, MI | KTM | 26 – 23 |
| 25th | Taylor Herald | Yucaipa, CA | Triumph | 24 – 24 |
| 26th | Kylie Alvarez | Stockton, CA | Yamaha | 25 – 25 |
| 27th | Lana O’Brien | Valparaiso, IN | Yamaha | 29 – 26 |
| 28th | Lexi Weihe | Maple Valley, WA | Husqvarna | 30 – 27 |
| 29th | Hailey Vassallo | Woodford, VA | Husqvarna | 27 – 28 |
| 30th | Jada Murphy | Iowa City | Yamaha | 33 – 29 |
| 31st | Rusti Tucker | Rainier, OR | Kawasaki | 28 – 30 |
| 32nd | Skylar Draycott | Magnolia | KTM | 32 – 31 |
| 33rd | Ariana Scovel Tavares | Apache Junction, AZ | GasGas | 31 – 32 |
| 34th | Lauren Plate | York, PA | Yamaha | 38 – 33 |
| 35th | Michelle Anaya | San Antonio, TX | Honda | 35 – 34 |
| 36th | Gizele Spoor | El Dorado Hills, CA | Honda | 34 – 35 |
| 37th | Sophie Johnson | Rosemount, MN | Kawasaki | 36 – 36 |
| 38th | Addi Clouse | New Palestine, IN | Honda | 37 – 38 |
| WMX 2026 Final Class Championship Standings | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pos | Rider | Hometown | Points | Gap |
| 1st | Lachlan Turner | Gardnerville, NV | 267 Points | +0 |
| 2nd | Charli Cannon | Maroochy River, Australia | 261 Points | -6 |
| 3rd | Mikayla Nielsen | Riverside, CA | 190 Points | -77 |
| 4th | Jordan Jarvis | Clayton, NC | 190 Points | -77 |
| 5th | Taylah McCutcheon | Australia | 187 Points | -80 |
| 6th | Lilly-Ann Pettus | Hanceville, AL | 142 Points | -125 |
| 7th | Piper Bell | Sault Sainte Marie, MI | 133 Points | -134 |
| 8th | Mayla Herrick | Thornton, CO | 122 Points | -145 |
| 9th | Ava Silvestri | Redwood City, CA | 107 Points | -160 |
| 10th | Brandy Richards | Lake Havasu City, AZ | 88 Points | -179 |
| 11th | Emma Milesevic | Australia | 83 Points | -184 |
| 12th | Jamie Astudillo | Gilbertsville, PA | 77 Points | -190 |
| 13th | Lotte Van Drunen | The Netherlands | 74 Points | -193 |
| 14th | Nanami Honda | Osaka, Japan | 67 Points | -200 |
| 15th | Hannah Hodges | Deland, FL | 66 Points | -201 |
| 16th | Tayla Jones | Yass, Australia | 62 Points | -205 |
| 17th | Hailey Johnson | Motley, MN | 58 Points | -209 |
| 18th | Jaylie Gallacher | Redmond, OR | 55 Points | -212 |
| 19th | Isla Phillips | Saint George, UT | 49 Points | -218 |
| 20th | Kylie Alvarez | Stockton, CA | 49 Points | -218 |
| 21st | Taylor Herald | Yucaipa, CA | 46 Points | -221 |
| 22nd | Hailey Vassallo | Woodford, VA | 46 Points | -221 |
| 23rd | Daniela Guillen | Spain | 42 Points | -225 |
| 24th | Carrie Killebrew | Wittmann, AZ | 40 Points | -227 |
| 25th | Kaylie Kayer | Savona, BC | 37 Points | -230 |
| 26th | Shelby Rolen | Knoxville, TN | 36 Points | -231 |
| 27th | Adrianne Spiker | McHenry, MD | 34 Points | -233 |
| 28th | Brittany Marcotte | Trabuco Cyn, CA | 32 Points | -235 |
| 29th | Destiny Burgess | West Valley, UT | 29 Points | -238 |
| 30th | Sidney Wagner | Warsaw, IN | 27 Points | -240 |
| 31st | Destiny Slingerland | Cowley, AB | 24 Points | -243 |
| 32nd | Haileigh Williams | Oakley, CA | 22 Points | -245 |
| 33rd | Laina Randolph | La Plata, MD | 19 Points | -248 |
| 34th | Lauren Woods | Mission Viejo, CA | 17 Points | -250 |
| 35th | Lana O’Brien | Valparaiso, IN | 9 Points | -258 |
| 36th | Jackie Ives | Visalia, CA | 8 Points | -259 |
| 37th | Jenna Jansen | Watkins, CO | 7 Points | -260 |
| 38th | Skylar Draycott | Magnolia | 6 Points | -261 |
| 39th | Lexi Weihe | Maple Valley, WA | 4 Points | -263 |
| 40th | Brandy McLarty | Echo Bay, Ontario, Canada | 4 Points | -263 |
| 41st | Hannah Cole | Cooks Brook | 4 Points | -263 |
| 42nd | Ariana Scovel Tavares | Apache Junction, AZ | 4 Points | -263 |
| 43rd | Lauren Volentir | Denver, CO | 2 Points | -265 |
