Lachlan Turner moved another step closer to successfully defending her 2025 WMX crown with a commanding 1-1 performance at the penultimate round of the 2026 Women’s Motocross Championship at Budds Creek Raceway, August 21-22.
As the title fight continues, the spotlight is firmly fixed on Turner and her chief rival, Charli Cannon. Their season-long battle intensified at the Southern Maryland venue, where the championship contenders faced one of the most demanding circuits on the calendar. Backed by a talented field of challengers eager to shake up the standings, Turner and Cannon delivered another compelling chapter in their fight for the title.
Turner overcame a poor start that left her well outside the top 10 to claim an impressive come-from-behind victory in moto one that took place on Friday. True to form, the Altus Motorsports bLU cRU Yamaha rider charged forward, climbing to fifth by the end of lap one, then reaching third on lap two. On lap four, Turner passed Cannon (Quad Lock Honda) to take the lead. Once in front, the defending series champ controlled the race, steadily extending her advantage over the remaining four laps to claim her seventh moto victory of the 2026 season.
Cannon finished second, while Mikayla Nielsen (SLR Honda) took third. Partzilla Blaster Power PRMX Kawasaki’s Taylah McCutcheon, who led the race early after grabbing the holeshot, finished fourth. KTM rider Piper Bell completed the top five for her second top five of the season.
Mayla Herrick, who had earned her first career podium the week prior at Unadilla, suffered through a disappointing day. The SLR Honda rider crashed early while running third and later encountered mechanical issues that forced her retirement.
Moto two got underway on Saturday with Nielsen grabbing the holeshot while Turner and Cannon quickly fell in line. Drama struck immediately in the opening turn as McCutcheon and GNCC standout Brandy Richards (KTM) both went down, forcing them to recover from the back of the pack.
Up front, Turner and Cannon wasted little time moving past Nielsen during the opening lap and establishing themselves at the front of the field. Behind them, SLR Honda’s Mayla Herrick was running a strong fourth until a mistake at the step-up jump brought her momentum to a halt and allowed Dusty Rocks Yamaha’s Jordan Jarvis, who had battled bike issues in the first moto, to move into the position.
Herrick refused to give up, steadily reeling Jarvis back in and eventually making the pass with only a handful of corners remaining. However, the battle took another twist when Herrick tangled with a lapped rider, ending a hard-charging ride in disappointing fashion.
Up front, Turner was untouchable. Delivering one of her most commanding performances of the season, Turner crossed the finish line more than 14 seconds clear of the field, securing the moto-two victory by her largest winning margin of the year.
Turner heads into next week’s series finale at Ironman Raceway with a 16-point cushion over Cannon, with Nielsen sitting third, another 22 points back.CN
2026 AMA WMX Round 5 Results
OVERALL (Top 10)
- Lachlan Turner (Yam) 1-1
- Charli Cannon (Hon) 2-2
- Mikayla Nielsen (Hon) 3-3
- Taylah McCutcheon (Kaw) 4-10
- Brandy Richards (KTM) 6-9
- Kaylie Kayer (Yam) 9-7
- Lilly-Ann Pettus (Tri) 8-8
- Piper Bell (KTM) 5-14
- Jamie Astudillo (GG) 7-13
- Tayla Jones (Hon) 10-11
