Rounds two and three of WMX happened over the last two weekends in Texas, where the women raced at both the Freestone Spring Championship and Spring a Ding Ding at Oakhill. Seventeen-year-old Lachlan “Lala” Turner dominated in Texas winning all four motos. She missed the first round of the series at the Ricky Carmichael Amateur Daytona Supercross (RCSX) because she was returning from a back injury. Because she missed the first round, she is 27 points back (by our unofficial calculations) behind series leader Sophia Phelps. Will she be able to mount a charge and make up those 27 points by the end of the series, to become a WMX champion like her hero Ashley Fiolek? We caught up with Lala to hear about her time in Texas, plans for the rest of the year, and more.
Racer X: You just got done with rounds two and three of WMX, where you swept all four motos. Can you tell me about it?
Lachlan Turner: Yeah, I was pretty surprised by myself too, I just came back from being off the bike for three months. I broke my back.
How did you break your back?
I was on a practice day, and I whipped, and my front end gave out and the bike landed straight flat on my back.
That’s really gnarly! How long were you actually back on the bike for before the Texas rounds?
Like two weeks.
So, is that why you didn’t race the first round in Daytona?
Yeah, I wasn’t released from the doctor to go out yet.
You weren’t released to race Daytona but a week later you were racing and winning in Texas?
Yeah!
Tell me a little bit about those motos, obviously you were surprised to come away with those wins, how was the competition?
Obviously, Kyleigh [Stallings] was pretty up there with me. I am usually not aggressive with girls, and she was aggressive to me, and I was like “All right, game on.” We had a battle, it was fun. I got a little sketchy sometimes. Moto two I fell on the start, did not think I was going to come back. I was way back there, and I just pushed.
Was that at Freestone? How did Oakhill go?
Oakhill was good, got some decent starts and made my way to the front and stayed steady.
How did your back feel and how was your endurance with being off of the bike for three months?
Yeah, the arm pump was there. I just pushed through; I know pain is just mental. I did crash in the 250 B moto, right before the first women’s moto. That hurt my back a lot. My dad was about to pack up and leave and I was like, “No, dad I want to do this.”
That’s incredible. Did you have to have surgery on your back, or did it heal on its own?
It's not fully healed yet, but I didn’t get surgery.
Do you plan on going to the rest of the rounds?
Yeah, we do plan on doing the rest of the rounds.
So, is that the goal then, to be WMX champion this year?
Yeah that’s the goal.
You just turned 17, I know the last two years you got second in the Girls class at Loretta’s and won a moto each year. Are you still eligible for the Girls class this year and if so, are you going to race it?
Yes.
What is that like switching back and forth from a supermini to a 250F?
Honestly the first two months after I got on the 250 it's hard, but I don’t know I just got used to it. I definitely can’t ride just the 250 say for two weeks straight and then go back to the 85. It’s different. But if I go back and forth, I don’t really see a difference that much.
How long have you been on a 250F?
I’d say right before Loretta’s, because we didn’t know if I was going to race the Women’s class, so we just found a bike real quick and then did the qualifier.
You are still pretty young to remember WMX in its heyday, but what does it mean to you that it is back?
I think it's really cool. When I first found out about WMX, I was not even racing yet, and I just had my idol, Ashley Fiolek. I think it's really cool that it's back.
Motocross is obviously a male dominated sport, but I think it's important to showcase for the next generation of female riders that girls can race too. What is your advice to young girls coming up or girls that are thinking about riding?
I’d say just get a bike and start riding!
Anybody you want to thank?
My parents, they are a big part of this. They got me to where I am right now.
Main image from 2023 Loretta Lynn's, photo by Align Media
