Impending Arrival of World Champion Lotte van Drunen Injects More Excitement into Must-See WMX Round from Thunder Valley

Impending Arrival of World Champion Lotte van Drunen Injects More Excitement into Must-See WMX Round from Thunder Valley

Second Stop of 2026 Season Poised to be Most Competitive Race Yet

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (June 10, 2026) – After a thrilling opening round, the 2026 Women’s Motocross Championship Powered by Synchrony (WMX) received an added jolt of excitement with this week’s breaking news that reigning back-to-back FIM Women’s Motocross World Champion Lotte van Drunen will make the overseas journey to compete against stars of the WMX. The 18-year-old Dutch phenom will join the fray starting this weekend, at the second round from Thunder Valley Motocross Park in Lakewood, Colorado, as part of the Toyota Thunder Valley National Presented by American Petroleum Institute.

“We are thrilled to welcome Lotte van Drunen to the U.S. to compete in the Women’s Motocross Championship Powered by Synchrony. The opportunity to add a two-time World Champion into the mix serves as yet another milestone for this series and is a testament to the talent of our athletes,” said Christina Denney, WMX Director. “This is confirmation that the world is watching WMX and it’s incredibly rewarding to know we’re building a championship that the most elite racers from across the globe want to be a part of.”

Leading the field into action in the mile-high altitude of Thunder Valley is Altus Motorsports bLU cRU Yamaha’s Lachlan Turner, who began her quest for a third straight WMX crown with a hard-fought 1-1 performance at the opening round this past weekend from Hangtown in Northern California. While Turner ultimately walked away with a sweep of the motos, it didn’t come easy as Quad Lock Honda’s Charli Cannon went bar-to-bar with Turner in each moto and nearly came away with a 1-1 sweep of her own if not for some self-inflicted misfortune. The 20-year-old Australian has yet to enjoy the thrill of victory since coming to the U.S., but if she continues to race at the level she showed at the opening round and avoids miscues, that winless distinction seems destined to end. While Turner and Cannon reached a level of their own at Hangtown, it was hard to not take notice of strong starts to the season for SLR Honda’s Mikayla Nielsen, 20, multi-time champion Jordan Jarvis, 25, and Partzilla Blaster Power PRMX Kawasaki’s Taylah McCutcheon, 21, who made her U.S. debut coming over from Australia.

The addition of van Drunen to the WMX field is poised to bring even more attention and fanfare to the growing series, with a pair of back-to-back champions from opposite sides of the world set to line up together for the first time. As a result, the anticipation of a Turner versus van Drunen showdown has grabbed the attention of the motocross world and adds even more international diversity to the WMX Championship, which will welcome six different athletes from four countries outside the United States at Thunder Valley.

Sitting more than 6,000 feet above sea level and nestled into the side of a mountain, Thunder Valley Motocross Park is unlike any other venue in American motocross. With an uphill start accompanied by multiple elevation changes, several air-inducing jumps, and an array of technical, rut-lined corners, the track layout provides a dynamic mix of obstacles that flow smoothly but become increasingly difficult as the day progresses.
 
On-track action for the WMX at Thunder Valley will span two days, with qualifying and the weekend’s first 12 Minutes + 1 Lap moto scheduled for Friday, June 12. The women will return to the track on Saturday, June 13, for a midday warm-up before contesting the second and final moto following the conclusion of the men’s 450SMX and 250SMX classes. For fans watching from home, the second moto can be seen live, exclusively on Peacock, with comprehensive coverage of every moto at the Thunder Valley National kicking off at 12 p.m. PT / 3 p.m. ET.