Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/1545293
Turner Wins Hangtown WMX Opener L achlan "LaLa" Turner made a commanding statement at the 2026 WMX season opener, winning both motos during the AMA Pro Motocross weekend at Hangtown on June 5-6. Altus Mo- torsports bLU cRU Yamaha rider Turner's dominant 1-1 perfor- mance secured the overall victory and set an early benchmark in the WMX Championship, powered by Synchrony. Turner's precision and consistency outpaced a strong 3-2 effort by Quad Lock Honda Racing's Charli Cannon and a solid 2-3 showing by SLR Honda Racing's Mikayla Nielsen. Turner delivered a master- class in resilience during Friday's opening moto, storming back through the field to seize victory with a dramatic last-lap pass on Cannon. After grabbing the early lead, Turner's charge was briefly derailed by an early-race crash that dropped her to fourth, behind Cannon, Nielsen and JPM Kawa- saki's Taylah McCutcheon. Unfazed, Turner quickly re- grouped, carving past McCutch- eon and Nielsen to reclaim sec- ond, even as Cannon stretched her lead out front. Turner then closed the gap, reeling in the leader and setting up a thrilling final-lap pass, forcing her way past Cannon with authority to seize a hard-earned win. Nielsen, McCutcheon and Yamaha's Jordan Jarvis completed the top five on track. Cannon was later docked a position for an earlier off-track excursion, dropping her to third behind Turner and Nielsen in the first-moto results. The second moto delivered another exciting race. Cannon wasted no time asserting con- trol, slicing past Piper Bell (KTM) and Nielsen at the start to claim the early lead and quickly open a commanding five-second gap, while Turner fell back to fourth. By lap two, however, Turner had surged into second and be- gan methodically closing on the leader. The momentum shifted dramatically when Cannon stalled late in the lap, handing Turner the advantage and reshaping the battle at the front. Cannon latched onto Turner's rear wheel and applied relent- less pressure over the remain- ing laps, probing for an opening with several bold pass attempts. Turner responded with precision, ultimately fending off every chal- lenge to secure the moto victory by a razor-thin margin at the checkered flag. Behind them, Nielsen rode consistently to claim third, while Jarvis and McCutcheon complet- ed the top five. Turner's 1-1 was a solid foun- dation for another title run. Shan Moore OVERALL (Top 10) 1. Lachlan Turner (Yam) 1-1 2. Carli Cannon (Hon) 3-2 3. Mikayla Nielsen (Hon) 2-3 4. Jordan Jarvis (Yam) 5-4 5. Taylah McCutcheon (Kaw) 4-5 6. Lilly-Ann Pettus (Tri) 6-6 7. Emma Milesevic (Yam) 7-7 8. Piper Bell (KTM) 8-9 9. Destiny Slingerland (Yam) 14-8 10. Haileigh Williams (Hus) 11-11 WIND IN THE P52 The first round of the Women's Pro Motocross Championship took place at Hangtown, and Lachlan Turner won two exciting motos for the overall. PHOTO: OCTOPI MEDIA