Charli Cannon absolutely blasted through Moto 1 of the Ironman Nationals, snagging a huge win and chopping eight critical points right off Lachlan Turner’s championship lead. This killer performance means Turner couldn’t lock up her third WMX title yet, pushing the season finale’s drama to the absolute brink with one race left.
Cannon Turned Up the Aggression When It Mattered Most
Cannon wasn’t just fast, she was *dominant*. She rocketed from the gate to grab the holeshot over Turner, setting a blistering pace that felt different from the jump. Turner tried to hang tough, closing the gap to a mere half-second in those wild opening three laps, as both riders pulled away from the pack. But then, as the race hit the midway point, something shifted. Cannon has always talked about needing to work on her aggression, and boy, did she unleash it. She stretched her lead to a full 1.5 seconds at the midpoint, leaving Turner scrambling. After the race, Cannon told NBC Sports, “I wasn’t surprised because that’s what I’m capable of in practice, but it felt good to do it in race conditions. I have to repeat it tomorrow.” That’s a rider ready to finish the job!
Turner’s Rough Ride Opens the Door For Everyone Else
Turner was totally forced to react to Cannon’s incredible speed, and it almost went sideways on Lap 5 when she nearly crashed. She somehow saved it, staying in second, but while trying to make up a massive gap that had ballooned to over 15 seconds, disaster struck on the very next lap. Turner went down, dropping all the way back to sixth. She clawed her way back to fifth, but it was a distant finish. This opened up the podium for some serious shake-ups. Daniella Guillen, a Spanish rider making her WMX debut with Wildcat Racing, snagged an impressive second place. She quickly adjusted to the competition, passing Mayla Herrick for third on the opening lap and then sliding into second after Turner’s crash. Herrick still managed her third podium and fifth top-five in seven motos since her amazing debut Moto win on her 17th birthday at High Point. Even Brady Richards got in on the action, scoring her first top-five of 2026 and her best result this season, finishing fourth. She was sixth last weekend at Budds Creek, so this is a real step up.
With all this action, the battle for third in the championship points is tighter than ever too, with just three points separating three riders heading into this Ironman National. Taylah, who entered third, got a rough start and had to fight her way up to ninth. Jordan Jarvis finished best among that group in sixth, only after Turner passed her on the final lap, with Mikayla Nielsen right behind in seventh. The stakes could not be higher going into the final race. Charli Cannon has shown what she’s made of; now she just needs to repeat it tomorrow, and this championship could be hers. You absolutely cannot miss what happens next!
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
Leave a Reply