It’s a dream that only comes true with a lifetime of dedication, in many cases riding before you can even run, training before you can even read. But there are also the rare times when pure talent rises to the top with lightning speed. Two-time WMX Champion Lachlan Turner—aka “LaLa”—falls in the latter category. The 18-year-old has only been riding since she was 12 years old, yet in just six years, she has become a dominant multi-time national champion.
Photography by Align Media/WMX
It’s even more amazing to hear Turner confess that she reached such a level without ever having trained regularly. Only midseason this year did the Altus Motorsports bLU cRU Yamaha Amateur Team rider begin training full-time at ClubMX. Riding on sheer talent to bring home back-to-back championships is evidence enough that the teen has even more to give. According to her, she’s just getting started. With the 2025 WMX number-one plate already on her wall, loftier goals are squarely in her sights.
Turner’s meteoric rise in Women’s Motocross coincided with the long-awaited return of the WMX Championship itself, and the timing couldn’t have been better for either party. The new series has a sensational young star, and vice versa. The growth parallels between Turner and the WMX Series show reciprocal trends in what was no doubt a pivotal season in 2025—growing popularity, higher visibility and barely tapped potential. The future looks bright for both.
We caught up with LaLa following her championship-winning performance at Budds Creek, where she went 2-1-1 to clinch the title. Only after our interview did Turner realize that her hard crash in the first moto of the season final had actually broken her back. She salvaged second in the moto and came back to dominate the next two motos for a strong finish to her WMX season.
It’s never easy, but it looked like it was more of a fight this year than it was last year. Was defending the championship harder than earning it?
I definitely feel like last year was more of a fight. Because I never really trained, and I had a lot of injuries last year. I definitely think last year was harder.
It’s kind of crazy to hear that up until recently, you didn’t even ride much, let alone train. What has the difference been like now that you’re training properly?
I used to just go from the couch to racing on the weekends, so it’s pretty cool to actually be riding during the week. It’s definitely helping me a lot.
Tell me about ClubMX. How’s it been so far?
It’s pretty sick. It’s amazing. Everyone’s positive, and everyone tries to help you. It’s just good to be there, for me.
It sounds like you’ve found your place and your people.
Yes, I have. [laughs]
Talk about the difference between the first half of the series and the second half after the break. You said you “worked your butt off” during that time and went from falling pretty much every race to putting it all together. Would you say that consistency is what’s improved in your training?
Yeah, definitely. Last year, I was still on little bikes [Lachlan was still racing Supermini part-time in the 2024 season] when I was racing for the championship, so it was hard to manage trying to practice on one bike the whole year. Last year was a bit of a hiccup with all my crashes, and this year I finally started training. I’d never trained before, so I started training one month before the WMX opening round, and it’s helped a lot. More time on the bike helped me with my crashes. After the first three rounds, I put in the work, and it definitely paid off.
Did your time at ClubMX help your technique, or was that already there and you just polished out the mistakes?
My technique was already there; I just needed more bike time to help me iron out the crashes. I used to just ride on the weekends when I could. More bike time and riding with people that are faster and pushing me made me become faster.
How about bike setup and things like that? Is there anything more you’ve been able to learn?
We figured out I need a seat bump to help me so I don’t sit too far back in the corners. I’m so little, so I just slide back.
Talk about the WMX series and the growth they’ve had during the time you’ve been racing.
It’s actually good. This year, they were talking about not even having it on Saturday. Our races were on Fridays before the National. But then we had a weather problem at Thunder Valley and got rained out, so they had to squeeze us into the Saturday program. I mean, God works in mysterious ways because we got our races on Saturday after that.
That shift opened a lot of eyes and opportunities for Women’s Motocross. How has that bigger level of exposure made a difference for you as a racer?
Honestly, it’s made me want it more because on Saturday, it’s live with everyone watching, so I don’t want to do bad. It’s like, I need to do it because now people are watching! [laughs]
Let’s talk about your second half of the season. At Ironman in the second moto, you had to climb your way through the field. But it looked like you kept your cool and let the race come to you. Is that where your training comes into play as well?
Definitely. I have some sort of beast mode or whatever when I get mad. I was way back there at the start, and I passed for first on the first lap. Somehow, I caught and passed everyone in the back. But it was sick, especially when they got that pass on video.
You’ve had some pretty great battles with Australian Women’s Motocross Champion Charli Cannon. She came at you pretty hard this year. Talk about competing with her.
The first time I competed with her, I had a dislocated shoulder the week before, so it wasn’t my full potential when I raced her in Australia [at the FIM Oceania Women’s Motocross Cup, where Team USA finished second to Australia: Cannon swept all three motos]. I honestly thought she was going to come here and smoke me because I didn’t know where I was with my dislocated shoulder when I raced over there. It surprised me when I came out swinging.
When she arrived in the U.S. for WMX a few weeks later, she had her own injury—a broken finger that she was dealing with for the first three rounds.
Yeah. Toward the end of the season, it was cool being up there battling with her.
“I have some sort of beast mode or whatever when I get mad.”
The final round at Budds Creek was a big one, with three motos instead of two to make up for the weather-shortened round at Thunder Valley. You had a hard crash in the first race, but you didn’t let it derail you.
Yeah, in the first moto, I had a bad crash, and I landed on my chest, where I broke my back [in 2024]. That was a big get-off, but my people got me in check. My dad, on the line, told me, “Show ’em who the champion is.” So that stuck with me. I had to go out there and show them what I’m capable of, even when I was hurt.
I’ve seen you and some other top racers comment about how difficult it can be coming through the field with lappers. Is the depth of talent still a challenge in WMX?
There’s probably about the top eight that are up there, and from there it kind of drops off. It’s not that they’re hard to pass, but we don’t always have blue flags. Some races we have them, and some races we won’t. It’s all good. They’re trying their hardest out there, too. So, I give them that.
You talked earlier this season about wrapping up the WMX Championship and then moving on to bigger goals, namely SMX Futures. Is that now the plan?
Yeah, definitely. My plan for this year is to get into Supercross and start training for that. And then next year we’ll do the combines [SMX Futures]. That’d be so sick. And I’ll probably race all four of the Australian rounds of WMX, too.
What do you think is going to be the biggest difference or challenge in transitioning to Supercross?
Probably patience. I definitely think I’ll like it a lot more. I’ve been doing moto all my life, for five years since I’ve been riding. A change is going to be good.
“My plan for this year is to get into Supercross and start training for that. And then next year we’ll do the combines [SMX Futures]. That’d be so sick.”
This has been a goal for other women racers in the past: to race Supercross. What is it going to take?
Probably just believing in myself and knowing that I can do it. I’m just like anyone else trying to go for a dream. If you want to do it, just put your mind to it and make it happen.CN
Click here to read the Lachlan Turner Interview in the Cycle News Digital Edition Magazine.
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