Slaw
Following the most successful and most watched season in the history of the Women’s Motocross Championship Powered by Synchrony, the fastest females in the sport will make their postseason debut this weekend during the 2026 Monster Energy SMX World Championship Final from Thunder Ridge Nature Arena. The inaugural WMX Invitational Powered by Synchrony will pit 13 of the top WMX racers against one another in a showcase race on the hybrid racetrack built at arguably the most unique venue the sport has ever visited.
“A memorable season filled with milestones will now culminate with the WMX’s postseason debut. This is an incredible opportunity for our athletes and for the sport as a whole to watch the best in women’s motocross compete on SMX’s biggest stage,” said Christina Denney, WMX Director. “We’ve invited 13 of the best racers in the world to Ridgedale, led by a WMX Champion, MXGP Champion, Australian MXW Champion, and Canadian WMX Champion. The hybrid track will provide the most unique challenge WMX racers have ever faced, which should result in a thrilling battle for victory that will captivate those in attendance and watching from home.”
Headlining the lineup of athletes for the WMX Invitational is reigning back-to-back-to-back WMX Champion Lachlan “Lala” Turner. The Altus Motorsports bLUcRU Yamaha rider has enjoyed a banner year that saw her capture a third straight WMX crown, the Australian ProMX MXW Championship, and make her FIM Women’s Motocross World Championship debut. Now, she has an opportunity to bookend the season with a win in the first WMX race held during the SMX World Championship.
Turner will be flanked by her WMX rival in Australian Charli Cannon, who boasts a multitude of Australian titles of her own and has finished runner-up in the WMX for back-to-back seasons. The Quad Lock Honda rider enjoyed a breakout season this summer with her first victories on U.S. soil and has an opportunity to put a memorable finishing touch on her best campaign yet.
Additional champions include Lotte Van Drunen of the Netherlands, a two-time FIM WMX Champion in MXGP who contested a pair of WMX rounds this summer and American Jamie Astudillo, who captured her first Canadian WMX National Championship just last month. Van Drunen will join the Gizmo Racing Yamaha effort for the Invitational, while Astudillo will compete with the Canadian-based Priority MX GASGAS squad.
Not to be outdone, SLR Honda’s Mikayla Nielsen, who finished third in the WMX Championship for the second straight season, will undoubtedly factor into the fight at the Invitational, while Dusty Rocks Yamaha’s Jordan Jarvis is the most experienced rider in the field and one of the most decorated. Additionally, SLR Honda’s Mayla Herrick, is the most promising young talent in the sport, just over a month removed from earning the Women’s AMA National Championship at the Monster Energy AMA Amateur National Motocross Championship from Loretta Lynn’s Ranch.
All told, the WMX Invitational field will feature athletes from four different countries – USA, Australia, Canada, and the Netherlands. The Invitational will consist of a single 10 Minute + 1 Lap Main Event on Saturday, taking place in between the first and second motos of the 250SMX and 450SMX classes.
WMX Invitational Powered by Synchrony Lineup:
#7 Charli Cannon / Maroochy River, QLD, Australia / Honda
#10 Taylah McCutcheon / Cornubia, QLD, Australia / Kawasaki
#23 Mayla Herrick / Thornton, Colorado / Honda
#51 Mikayla Nielsen / Riverside, California / Honda
#76 Lilly-Ann Pettus / Hanceville, Alabama / Triumph
#99 Lachlan Turner / Gardnerville, Nevada / Yamaha
#167 Piper Bell / Sault Saint Marie, Michigan / KTM
#172 Hannah Hodges / Pierson, Florida / Triumph
#301 Jordan Jarvis / Clayton, North Carolina / Yamaha
#401 Lotte van Drunen / Gorinchem, Netherlands / Yamaha
#469 Jamie Astudillo / Gilbertsville, Pennsylvania / GASGAS
#713 Tayla Jones / Yass, NSW, Australia / Honda
#912 Kaylie Kayer / Savona, BC, Canada / Yamaha
The WMX Invitational Powered by Synchrony will be part of comprehensive live broadcast coverage of the Monster Energy SMX World Championship Final exclusively on Peacock, beginning at 1 p.m. ET with Race Day Live, followed by a Pre-Race Show at 6:30 p.m. ET and Gate Drop at 7 p.m. ET.
