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.