Even though the Women’s Motocross Championship (WMX) technically returned in 2024 with an eight-round series ran at amateur nationals, the series really made an impression in 2025. Moving from amateur nationals to run the same weekend as the AMA Pro Motocross schedule, the six-round series was originally supposed to run only on Fridays.
The first two rounds everything went as planned. The industry welcomed the WMX back with open arms and they got to race on Friday in between press day activities. Round one at Fox Raceway, returning champion Lachlan Turner came out swinging winning the first moto, but then just like many of the riders, the heat got to her a little in moto two. California native Mikayla Nielsen was able to go 2-1 for the overall.
This really fired Turner up and she rebounded at round two to sweep both motos at Hangtown then won round three at Thunder Valley. The series then took a mid-summer break so some of the racers headed down to Tennessee for the Monster Energy AMA Amateur National Motocross Championship at Loretta Lynn’s Ranch. There Turner swept all three motos in dominant fashion. The following weekend for the return of the second half of WMX, Turner again won both motos at Ironman.
In fact, it was not until Unadilla that someone was finally able to challenge Turner again. Four-time Australian MXW Champion, Charli Cannon joined the series this year one week after having finger surgery. So, it makes sense it would take some time for her finger to heal up for her to have the grip strength to hold on to the bike on the tough national tracks. Charli put on a charge in moto one to run Turner down, and made multiple pass attempts, finally making it stick on the last lap. It was the battle that fans had been waiting for ever since Charli announced she would be racing in the states this year. Unfortunately for Charli she got a bad start in moto two and then went down finishing 1-2 for second while Lachlan went 2-1 for first.
At Budds Creek WMX ran a three-moto format to make up for the moto that got rained out at Thunder Valley (more on that in a moment). Moto one was the first time we really saw a mistake out of Turner all year when she came up short on a jump and got tossed to the ground. Banged up, she remounted and still managed second in the moto behind Cannon. It's worth mentioning the growth we have seen out of the young 18-year-old Turner. In 2024, yes, she won the Championship, but she did so despite being on the ground, a lot. In fact, some could argue she lost out on a championship at Loretta’s last year, where she was very fast, but mistakes allowed Kyleigh Stallings to capitalize for the win. The maturity we have seen in her riding has not gone unnoticed.
“La La has had an incredible year," said Ed Torrance the Altus Motorsports BLU CRU Yamaha Team Manager. "There’s not much more I can say about her except that she’s awesome. She is so fast, knows what she wants, and just goes after it. She trains hard, rides hard, and gets the job done. Her mom and dad are excellent people to be around. It was an incredible experience being around her at Loretta’s when she won there, and her winning the WMX Championship is just more icing on the cake. It’s been a pretty good month for the Altus Motorsports BLU CRU Yamaha team.”
In the second and third motos at Budds Creek, Turner was able to reclaim her position up front and wrap up her title on Saturday in front of the fans and on live TV on Peacock. See the real breakthrough for WMX this summer was when Friday riding at Thunder Valley got rained out. Riders came from all over, so instead of cancelling, MX Sports decided the girls could ride at the end of the day on Saturday. Instead of the regular post-race show on Peacock, they aired the race live and fans voiced their appreciation. The track was the roughest it was all day, but the girls put on a great show. It helped that Mikayla Nielsen and Kyleigh Stallings battled all moto for third, only to crash into each other on the last lap (allowing an injured Jordan Jarvis to sneak by for third). Cannon also gave Turner a brief battle for the lead, despite riding injured. The Thunder Valley performance was enough to get some serious buzz going for the series.
The speeds these racers are going, plus the incredible racing has really grabbed the attention of fans everywhere. So, MX Sports gave the WMX another shot at Ironman to run their second moto on Saturday, and again at Budds Creek, and it's safe to say it was a success. It’s hard to put a finger on what it is, but the series just feels different than it did back in 2013 (the last time WMX raced on Saturday at the nationals). I am sure there are a lot of different theories as to why, but it could be the comradery of the racers all working together for the greater good of the sport. As Mikayla Nielsen pointed out, the women might just go celebrate a successful season by getting their nails done together (something you would never hear from Haiden Deegan or Jett Lawrence, fingernails aside, they are not hanging out together).
![Mikayla Nielsen]()
Mikayla Nielsen ![Jordan Jarvis]()
Jordan Jarvis ![Kyleigh Stallings]()
Kyleigh Stallings Sarah Whitmore
The first year back at the pro nationals for WMX exceeded all expectations. The series saw racers from Australia, France, Germany and Japan, making it the international series it used to be. And live TV coverage was just the icing on the cake as WMX Coordinator Christina Denney mentioned it was always the goal, but they never dreamed they would have it their first year back.
Christina also said, “The 2025 WMX season exceeded expectations, with each round serving as a valuable learning experience. I am deeply appreciative of the behind-the-scenes support that contributed to the success of this year’s championship. Thank you to MX Sports Pro Racing and the AMA for their continued support in elevating women’s motocross. With the foundation we’ve built, I look forward to advancing the growth of the WMX Championship as we prepare for the 2026 season.”
