CANNON SET TO FIRE AT WMXGP IN TURKEY

Since we last checked in with Charli Cannon, just after the announcement that she’d joined Rhys Budd and Alex Larwood on the Yamalube Yamaha Racing Team for 2022 earlier this year, the 16-year-old has continued to live up to the hype. She’s been unbeaten in the MXW class at the 2022 ProMX Championship (which she plans to wrap up this weekend in Coolum, Qld), and her rare blend of talent and temperament has culminated in an incredible opportunity to race overseas. Yep, Yamaha Motor Australia recently announced that “Australia’s fastest female motocross rider, Charli Cannon, is set to contest the final round of the 2022 FIM Motocross World Championship in the WMX division at Afyon, Turkey, in early September.”

Here’s the full transcript of YMA’s PR…

With the assistance of the JK Racing Yamaha Team, Cannon will fly to Turkey in early September with her father and Yamalube Yamaha Team mechanic, Nash Ihle, and be a guest on the UK based team for the final round.

The now 17-year-old Cannon has proven to be a revelation in the Women’s ProMX Championship, taking all four moto wins on her YZ250F. The Queenslander has been a step above her rivals in terms of speed and fitness. The opportunity to contest the final round of the MXGP World Championship is a fitting reward for Cannon and one she is looking forward to.

“I am beyond thankful to get this chance to race the final round in Turkey and to be a guest on the JK Racing Yamaha team,” Cannon begins. “This year has been so exciting for me, and to race MXGP is another highlight that I won’t forget. Thank you to everyone involved in making this happen, from Yamaha and the Yamalube Yamaha Team to JK Racing as well as Motorcycling Australia, who have given female riders a national platform.”

Based on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast, Cannon’s only previous international experience comes in the form of a trip to New Zealand when she was a Junior, so to experience a world championship round will certainly be an eye opener for her.

“I have followed the Women’s GPs and looked up to riders like Courtney Duncan, so to get the chance to ride with Courtney and the other girls on the world stage will be exciting in itself. I have watched some of the racing from Turkey in years gone by and can see it’s a hardpack track that looks like a lot of fun to ride and gets quite rutty. I really don’t have any expectations of how I will finish but will just do my best, represent Yamaha and the JK Racing Team as best I can and enjoy racing at the highest level.”

But before Cannon jets off, there is some business to attend to at the final round of the ProMX Championship at Coolum on August 20. Despite her domination on the track, she leads the championship by only 12 points over Emma Milesevic and with two motos to go, Cannon will need to stay focused to lock down her fifth national championship and first as a Senior women’s racer.

Her form at Round 6 at Coffs Harbour was nothing less than stunning as she finished inside the top 15 in both MX2 motos, and was running as high as eighth in the opening leg!

“I have really enjoyed doing the ProMX rounds and it’s so good to see the girls coming out and doing these national events. We have had good numbers at the first two rounds and I hope we can get even more for the final round as Coolum is a great track and the atmosphere at the final round is amazing,” Cannon went on to say.

Riccardo Boschi from the JK Racing Yamaha team is equally excited about having Cannon join the team for the final round and likes what he sees from the up-and-coming star racer: “Like a lot of the teams in Europe, we follow Australian motocross closely as there is always great talent coming from the land Down Under. Charli is one rider we’ve been watching, and her results certainly are impressive so we were extremely happy to assist her for the Turkey round and allow her to showcase her talent and ability at an international level. We can see that she is a hard-working and dedicated young rider and at only 17, has the world at her feet. We are looking forward to meeting Charli and her family in person at Turkey and know she will do her best,” Riccardo said.

The final round of the FIM Motocross World Championship is set for September 3 and 4 with the WMX class having one race on Saturday and the final race on Sunday.