Can Turner parlay Australian MXW win to WMX title?
Join the WMX Insider crew for the Mid-Season Special, where they unpack Lachlan Turner's MXW win in Australia, hear from Mayla Herrick on her win at Loretta Lynn's, dissect the standings, name some wildcards and more.
Video Transcript
Well, friends, summer break is over and the chase for the Women's Motocross Championship, powered by Synchrony, is upon us.
We've got three iconic rounds left, stacked competition with established names, and a handful of newcomers all wanting to take on the WMX challenge.
There is no room for mistakes during this final push because every lap can change the story.
Welcome to WMX Insider, our mid-season debrief.
I'm Katie Osborne.
Alongside me is my friend and SF- MX colleague, Haley Shanley.
And girl, praise be, WMX is back in action after a long stretch of eight weeks, and though some may have gotten a little R&R, Haley, most have been pushing hard, keeping their fitness strong and race skills alive and well.
And Katie, we would be crazy not to believe that the overall competition, the racing product, will be even better than it was in the first half.
And that first half defined in part by the rising stars and global WMX superstars making big impact.
For one, Maela Herrick making that highly anticipated pro debut at High Point.
She dominated that first moto.
Of course, injured in the second moto.
We'll talk more about that later in this show.
But the MXGP superstar of Lot Van Drunen coming over, making immediate impact, and of course, the Australians are always tough.
Tayla McCutcheon made her debut this season and proved her grit at Thunder Valley with a podium under the circumstances of both altitude and illness.
So this second half, we know it's gonna be good because it's hard to decide what the headline even is when all of that is in addition to the championship battle.
Right now, we've seen really close, intense racing between Lala Turner and Charli Cannon.
Others are in eyesight of a podium in the championship standings.
And Katie, with all of that said, this second half, is it shaping up to be Lala Turner's most difficult championship defense yet?
100%, Haley, yes, and more on the why a little later in the show.
We have some exciting news today.
We have Turner's win Down Under.
We're gonna have recap of summer racing, plus we're gonna hear from Sophie Phelps in the Pros' Perspective.
So let's get things started.
Before we break down what's happened this summer already, let's go ahead and take a look ahead as to see where we can see these women racing up next.
First, we have August 15th, Unadilla in New Berlin, taking them all the way out to the East Coast.
We're gonna stay there then for August 22nd in Buzz Creek, go to Mechanicsville, Maryland.
But here's some great news, guys.
Moto 2 will be live on NBC.
First time ever to be on network television.
I cannot wait to see those women racing out there.
Then we'll be moving August 29th to Ironman, back home again in Indiana to Crawfordsville.
You'll be on the broadcast there, Haley, for that Ironman race where we crown all three of those pro motocross champs.
How exciting do you think it'll be to be up there on that podium?
It's hard to put it into words, Katie, all of the emotions involved with championship Saturday.
Win or not win, it is a big day that everyone will remember as we go into the off-season.
But the one I think I'm looking forward to the most is the Super Motocross World Championship, Thunder Ridge Nature Arena, September 26th, that Monster Energy Super Motocross World Championship finale, because this is the biggest stage in off-road motorcycle racing.
For the first time, WMX powered by Synchrony is going to be part of it.
So after that points championship concludes at Ironman, like you mentioned, Katie, this one is a special invitational.
So this is where the world's leading ladies will look to put an exclamation point on their 2026 seasons, again, for the first time as part of playoffs.
All right, it's time for the 30 Board, another first for the WMX series.
WMX Moto 1, get this, guys, is to be streamed live Friday on the Super Motocross YouTube channel, and this is huge for the sport.
Not only are they getting those eyeballs on Saturday on Peacock, starting at Unadilla, WMX Moto 1 coverage along with the media ride will be streamed live on the Super Motocross YouTube channel beginning at 1:30 PM, with Moto 1 coverage from 2:00 to 2:30 PM.
Haley, when we were told this, you were just, like, wowed by this.
Yeah, because ultimately, broadcast coverage is part of the ecosystem that allows a sport to grow.
It creates value for everyone involved with the series, from racers to the brands that make the racing possible, and perhaps the biggest demand this satisfies is the demand of the fans.
They've been asking for this, so- Yeah, totally I couldn't be more excited.
Yeah, and you know, the fans have been waiting for this racing.
But in case you were able to catch some of the international things that were going on, these WMX stars have been busy with gate drops, most of them all around the globe.
And not only busy, but doing exceptionally well and bringing home championships back to the US.
You have people like Lala and Tayla and Charli.
More on that later.
But just above the border, Haley, who are kind of cooking up there in Canada?
Jordan Jarvis and Jamie Astudillo.
Racing north of the border, Jarvis is having to pull the midnight shift.
For the first three rounds, she was racing on Saturdays here with WMX powered by Synchrony, immediately leaving the track after Moto 2 to get up to Canada, sometimes running on an hour of sleep to do so.
The grind's paying off.
She's leading the points, and Jamie Astudillo is right there in second, so right now it's really close in Canada.
Yeah, and you can't forget right over the pond, Lillian Pettis, with Triumph, went over to compete in the MXGP of Great Britain at Fox Hill.
Great, great finish overall for her, 15th.
You had Van Drunen, who also was competing at the MXGP of Flanders, and that was also a great outing, representing WMX all over the globe.
And of course, we mentioned Australia.
Top of the show we said it as well.
We had Charli Cannon over there finishing third in the MXW champs.
You had Taylor McCutcheon finishing second, and Lala Turner taking home the win in Australia.
And as Turner was saying, this was a dream come true for her, something that she has been wanting to have since she started on her bike, to not only, not only win a championship but do so in such a dominating fashion, taking it and sweeping the whole deal.
So that was a huge deal for her and, of course, for WMX as a whole because it really does show all of these riders are gonna come and compete here in these next three rounds.
But before we get to anything as it relates to our WMX, we have Loretta Lynn's, and this is something where many of these riders start their career, Haley.
Yeah, and the future is now.
A number of WMX competitors, a sample of the up-and-comers like you had mentioned, a mix of veterans, and a few Loretta Lynn's ranch regulars, who I'll call them, the ranch regulars, who I know firsthand from lining up with them, they may not be racing professionally with WMX, but they are exceptional riders, world-class athletes, and even professional coaches.
So in 2025, Katie, we've talked about this, history was made.
Yeah.
And you need to be watching more than just the women's class, 'cause it could happen again this year in any division for the ladies.
Loretta Lynn's, a great week of racing, and Jason Weigandt was there to take in the sights and sounds, and talk to the winner.
Yeah, thanks.
It was a great week at Loretta's, especially for the young stars, the future pros of WMX, who proved last year was not a fluke.
We're gonna start with Yumena Barning, on a 65, nearly won a title last year, came up just short, and was thus overshadowed a bit by Racyn Kyler, who did get a title against the boys in 2025.
And Barning was fired up this year.
She went one step further and won a moto, which is the first time a female has beaten the boys straight out for a moto win, and then was in position to win the championship in the third moto, leading it, but then she crashed and her chain came off, a heartbreaking ending for the young girl from California.
As for Kyler, she had momentum coming in on an 85 after winning her regional, but it didn't materialize at the race.
Lots of crashes, bad starts.
She ended the week with a top five moto finish.
You know she'll be back for more in 2027.
Next up comes the girls 11 to 16 class, and Hannah Jamieson dominates again.
She wins all of her motos, even crashed in one of them and came back to get it done.
She also dominated last year, and she's getting training and coaching from five-time WMX champion Jessica Patterson, so she is in good company.
Yes, big interview time.
We could practically call her a graduate into the WMX ranks, although she does have one pro race under her belt at High Point, but first order of business for Mayla Herrick is getting the national championship on the amateur side at Loretta Lynn's.
And look, speed, starts, not a problem, but typical Loretta's, you had to overcome some adversity.
That second moto, you saved it somehow.
I did.
I mean, I, the, pretty much did a whole moto without the bike shutting off or, I mean, even letting off the throttle, so.
Yeah, what happened?
The throttle was actually stuck on?
It wasn't the throttle.
It was something to do with the cable.
I'm not a mechanic, I don't really know, but the throttle was working just fine, it was just every time I hit the gas, though, it would get worse and worse.
So to slow down, I mean, to technically let off the gas, I had to pull the clutch into the bar.
Wow, okay.
So that's amazing you overcame that.
How did you keep your head about you dealing with that in moto two?
I was doing math, I mean, during the laps, 'cause Jordan was obviously winning the moto by however long, and I knew I just had to come out here and win, so I salvaged third, and that's what I did, came out in one.
And then talk about moto three.
You had to execute and you did.
What was the plan there?
My starts have been terrible this week, and which is crazy for me.
Normally, they're good.
So I put my head down on the last one and just locked in and knew, I knew what I needed to do, and I went out and did it.
All right.
Now look, you got a little unfinished business.
You went out and won that first moto at High Point in your debut.
Obviously, moto two didn't go your way.
So do you feel a little redemption?
Have you been circling Unadilla on the calendar for three months now?
Honestly, I've been looking more forward to this- Okay because this is obviously, like, I guess you gotta qualify and all that, but I'm in the best shape right now, so Unadilla should be a breeze.
No, but Unadilla, I'm ready and I'll be there.
Okay.
Was there any scare after High Point?
It looked bad from our perspective.
Or did you miss that much time with that, or were you okay pretty much?
I got a pretty gnarly concussion, so I took two weeks off and then eased my way into it.
So I'm a little behind coming in here, but I took the time that I needed and it paid off.
All right, Mayla Herrick, gonna be back on the pro scene.
Let's see if she can replicate what she did at High Point.
Got the confidence of the number one at Loretta's.
Yeah, thank you, Weej.
She is always in the motocross mix.
Now, as it relates to the points for the WMX season, Lachlan Turner leads the points by just nine with three rounds to go.
She is looking for that three-peat, looking for her second championship in this season.
That's amazing.
Turner out there in front.
Charli Cannon in second.
What are you seeing in Charli, Haley?
Well, I see that she's really frustrated with getting second.
Now, she did get that win the last time we saw her at High Point, so that first win h- with WMX Powered by Synchrony, that's out of the way.
But otherwise, I know she is so fired up.
But look, she's also coming back from a broken shoulder blade, so she is maybe up against some circumstances here.
But I know that she has a lot of fight in her, Charli Cannon.
Yeah, it's Jordan Jarvis in third there, who also feels like she has a lot of fight left to give.
And then we have, Mikayla Nielsen, one we haven't yet talked about today, but there's been a lot of changes for her.
While others have been out competing here this summer, she's actually been very head down in Florida.
She moved there at the beginning of the summer from California, a big change of pace and environment, without family and friends.
But what she has said is is it allows her to be so much more focused on her racing.
One of the big key components to the change was the fact that the tracks, obviously hard pack in California, she's getting a lot more experience on many different variations of tracks in Florida, but she also guarantees that every single day there will be someone to race and ride with, whereas in California it wasn't that way.
She will be much more prepared and confident rider coming into these last three, and she also says she has far more to give out on the bike.
In fifth there is Tayla McCutcheon.
Haley, you mentioned her earlier in the show.
She's been dynamic in WMX.
She really has.
And you take a look at these point standings and just how close this mix through third through sixth around that point is.
A number of women within eyesight of top three in the championship come season's end.
So Tayla McCutcheon, she has a taste of the podium, and now she got second.
She earned second in her home country in the Australian Championship, and next to that trophy on the mantle, she would love to put a WMX Powered by Synchrony trophy, a top three in the championship, and I certainly believe she has the ability and the team behind her to make that happen.
Now, we know that the competition is steep from what we've just seen in the points, but we do have some wild cards in this mix, those who are joining us from all over the world here in these last three rounds.
And she did join us earlier this season.
We'll be seeing more of her in the second half of the season, and that is Jamie Austidio, who has been contending for a championship up in Canada.
We know that whenever she's racing here with WMX Powered by Synchrony, she shows up to compete for podiums and wins.
So I'm looking forward to seeing Jamie back in action here with us in the second half One, one that I, none of us have seen in person yet out here, but if you've been across the pond, you may have seen her, it's Daniella Guion.
She's coming to race Ironman with the Wildcat team, which is gonna be incredible.
She's sitting second in MXGP, only trailing by two points.
That'll be so fun to, to kind of get a glimpse into what the competition for her is like.
And Hailey, maybe one of the biggest wild cards we're gonna see this season is Mayla Harrick.
The 17-year-old, that was a Friday at High Point.
Her first gate drop, she came out with a first, and it was such a celebration for her birthday, for her win.
It was incredible.
She had red velvet cake.
It was all, all the jam, if you will.
She lined up for that second moto, and unfortunately crashed there at the very beginning.
Bad day, right?
It was a perfect picture of the rollercoaster that these women go through every single event weekend.
It's incredible, Hailey.
Even, even so, she asked, Mikaela Nielsen for her autograph, and she's lining up at the gate next to her.
I thought it was so sweet and so wonderful, and such a great addition to the WMX series.
Yeah, this, she continues to be the story I am most excited for in the second half, because with that injury and that time away over this summer break, the question is, how soon will she be back to speed following her concussion at High Point?
I think she'll bounce back pretty quickly.
By the time this episode airs, we will have a better understanding as she is racing at Loretta's this week.
So we will find out a lot more this week, where she's at speed-wise as we go into this next round of WMX.
Well, let's get the pros perspective on Mayla Harrick.
Sophie Phelps, welcome.
We are so happy to have you on the broadcast here this summer.
It's been fun watching you, with your WMX reporting and your rider interviews and the pressers.
Thanks for joining us here today.
Diving in a little bit more about Mayla and the rollercoaster that she has been on.
Obviously coming out of the gate swinging with that moto win, moto two crashing out.
What's her mindset now knowing that she has these three races?
Does she have something to prove?
Is she feeling like it's about redemption?
What do you think is going on in her mind?
You know, I had the opportunity to talk to Mayla at Loretta Lynn's, and Mayla has a very good mindset going into this.
Understanding that this is her rookie season, she's not setting any outrageous goals for these last three rounds.
In fact, talking about her experience at High Point, she said that she had so much fun in that first moto.
And then the second moto, although people would expect her to be extremely upset to miss that second moto because of an injury, she actually was all right.
She said that it still felt like a little bit of a dream to go race out there with all of her favorite riders, which I can totally understand.
She's moving up into this new category, and racing with really fast girls that she's looked up to for a while.
So going into these last three rounds, she's excited.
She's ready to try out racing, four or basically even five weekends a r- in a row when you count Loretta Lynn's, as being a, an entire week, and she's, doesn't seem too nervous to me.
I think she's gonna be set up very well.
When you watch Mayla ride, what stands out technically?
Ooh, that's a great question.
I would say that one of the greatest things that Mayla does is she's very smooth, and that's an extremely vague answer from me, so I'll be a little bit more specific.
But her body on the bike is in excellent form at pretty much all times, and it doesn't look like she's chasing the bike too much.
She is one with the bike, and she's finding smooth lines so that she does look smooth, and she's absorbing whatever the bike is feeding her, because her position is so good.
So because of that and her great line choice and great body positioning, she's able to overcome a lot of the things on the track, and she's not expending too much energy.
In fact, after her moto at High Point, she remarked that it was kind of a short moto and not that hard on her.
So it's that sort of body positioning and style that's going to save her a lot of energy and create a great rider.
Right on.
Well, thank you, Sophie.
That's really excellent info, and, good perspective for Mayla Harrick as we watch her here in the last three rounds.
Again, thanks for your time, and we will be seeing Sophie on our moto one broadcast from Unadilla.
Remember, that's gonna be on the Super Motocross YouTube channel.
We can't wait to have you.
Thanks for having me.
Yeah, we know it's gonna be exciting, Hailey, so the big question is, is how to watch this, right?
We have Unadilla, Budds Creek, and Ironman left.
Fridays, 2:00 PM Eastern, moto one is gonna be streamed live on the Super Motocross YouTube channel.
That's such an incredible grab for the series altogether.
Then Saturdays at 3:11 PM Eastern, moto two will be live on Peacock, and that NBC coverage of moto two at Budds Creek, whoo, a big deal for this sport.
We are continuing to grow and to shift, and it just means awesome.
Hailey, final thoughts from you.
Anything that you're most looking forward to here heading into Unadilla?
So many things, Katie.
I think to sum it all up, the story of this championship is still being written.
In fact, it's just getting started.
Turner holds the point, points advantage.
Charli Cannon and Lala Turner have some momentum here.
A talented group of challengers ready to make their move, and with three points rounds left, plus the special invitational in Ridgedale, Missouri, as the capstone of our season, every gate drop carries a lot of weight, and the world is watching.
Yeah, we can't wait to see it all kick off at Unadilla.
Thanks, Hailey, for your time.
WMX, we're coming for you.
This is it, Women's Motocross powered by Synchrony.
On the line, the superstars of the women's side of the sport.
Revs are up, gates down.
WMX powered by Synchrony underway.
Shows her wheel.
Uphill we go, side by side for the lead.
Look at this battle.
Little contact, maybe.
This is awesome.
This is what we wanted to see.
And the crowd likes it, too.
Oh, and the leader's down!
Everybody's coming over.
They're stepping their game up, making each series better.
It's just some great racing, so this is what you get.
You get Turner, the champ here in America.
You got Cannon, the best in Australia.
Van Drunen, the best in Europe.
Mayla Harrick, pro debut, had to wait until she turned 17.
And Nielson, her experience racing off-road races.
Everyone needs to show respect for us.
Like, what we're doing is crazy.
Oh, no!
I thought she was going over the bars.
Cannon takes the lead.
Almost makes contact.
It's not over until it's over.
And the surprises continue in WMX.
