Lachlan Turner Kicks Off WMX Season with a Perfect Score at Hangtown
The 2026 Women’s Motocross Championship got off to a thrilling start at the Hangtown Motocross Classic, with Altus Motorsports BLU CRU Yamaha’s Lachlan Turner picking up right where she left off – winning. / Jun 9, 2026 /
In one of the most highly anticipated starts to the season for the Women's Motocross Championship, Altus Motorsports BLU CRU Yamaha's Lachlan Turner picked up right where she left off. The defending back-to-back champion launched her bid for a third consecutive title with a hard-fought overall victory at the Hangtown Motocross Classic in Rancho Cordova, California.
Looking at the timesheets and results, the weekend appears straightforward – fastest qualifier, a holeshot, and a pair of moto wins – but the results don't tell the full story.
After all, new seasons always bring a lot of unknowns. It’s a clean slate, and everyone has their sights set on that number-one plate that Turner has had on her YZ250F for two years running. And as the competition level and the WMX series are on the rise, there were a lot of eyes on the championship last weekend, which featured a new format for 2026 – Moto 1 on Friday and Moto 2 on Saturday between the first and second Pro Motocross motos. Adding to the challenge, Turner was racing with an all-new suspension package that she had never tested prior to the event.
“I came into this weekend without ever testing this updated spec on my suspension,” said Turner. “So I took a bit of a gamble. Most people wouldn't have. I trusted REP, and I went into the first two practices without ever running the suspension. We tried to get it as good as we could get it in that short of time.”
Despite those unknowns, Turner came out swinging, backing up her fastest-qualifier honors with a holeshot in the first moto and led the first lap. The race took a dramatic turn on Lap 2 when a tipover dropped her to fourth. Undeterred, she made her way back to second on Lap 3 and threw down some fast laps to close the gap to Charli Cannon, making for a thrilling fight to the finish.
“On the last lap, I caught up to Charli, and I took the pass,” Turner said. “I was thinking that this is either gonna go well, or I'm gonna crash, but I had to do it, and it worked – I got the moto win.”
Saturday presented an entirely different challenge, with completely different conditions for the WMX Moto 2. Turner was sixth after the start, but quickly made her way to third on that opening lap, and claimed the lead on Lap 2. Turner then tried to build a gap, but Cannon kept her honest. The pair traded the lead briefly, but Turner responded immediately to reclaim the top spot. Then on the final lap, it was another duel, with Turner keeping cool under pressure to claim another victory to secure the overall win.
“We got to ride on a track we never raced,” Turner said. “We only got 10 minutes of practice on the track, and it was a way different track. We went the wrong way in the suspension, so in the moto, I was just trying to survive, but I salvaged it with a first place. I can't thank my team enough for bringing the rig out there. That means a lot. And thank you to everybody in my corner.”
Turner leaves the opener with the points lead and momentum on her side as the championship heads to Thunder Valley MX Park in Lakewood, Colorado, for Round 2 on June 12-13.