ANAHEIM, California: The Women’s Pro Motocross Championship (WMX) announced a presenting sponsor and its 2026 schedule during the the AIMExpo Powersports trade show. The series will expand to seven rounds and include a stop during the SuperMotocross World Championship playoffs.
For 2026, the series will be known as the Women’s Motocross Championship presented by Synchrony, representing an expansion of both the series and the sponsor’s position in the sport. Synchrony is a leading consumer financing company.
As it did in 2025, WMX will include six rounds in conjunction with the Pro Motocross Nationals. There will be three rounds at the start of the season with the final three rounds held in conjunction with the final three Motocross events. The venues include Hangtown in Rancho Cordova, California, Thunder Valley in Lakewood, Colorado, and High Point in Mount Morris, Pennsylvania before taking a break during the middle of the summer. The series will resume at Unadilla in New Berlin, New York, Budds Creek in Mechanicsville, Maryland, and Ironman in Crawfordsville, Indiana.
For 2026, the series will be included in the SuperMotocross World Championship’s finale. The SMX League will announce the locations of the three-round playoffs later this week as part of the Monster Energy Supercross series kickoff at Angel Stadium in Anaheim, California.
“The WMX was a bright spot for the sport last season and will break new barriers entering the 2026 campaign,” said Carrie Coombs-Russell, CEO, MX Sports Pro Racing in a news release. “This is a landmark moment for the WMX and all female enthusiasts within the motocross community. We have long been committed to providing a platform for the fastest women’s racers to compete and now have a true global stage to showcase their talents with vital partnership support. Women’s athletics as a whole is finally receiving the attention it deserves, and we’re thrilled that excitement and embrace has expanded to include our corner of the sporting world.”
Mikayla Nielson, who finished third in last year’s championship, agrees.
“There’s a lot of movement with women in sports in general, so the fact that has trickled down to motorsports [is good],” said Nielson. “For a while, we didn’t know where to go and now that the WMX is picking up with the SMX series, I couldn’t be happier. It adds for more fuel to the fire to keep going. There are so many women out there messaging me and wanting to race.”
In 2026, each WMX round will be comprised of two motos. Moto 1 be run on Friday with Moto 2 held each Saturday in support of the Pro Motocross Championship. The WMX’s inclusion on Saturday will allow the series to be part of Peacock’s broadcast coverage.
Last year, the series turned what might have been a disappointing weekend into an opportunity that transformed the sport. In Round 3 at Thunder Valley, the final race before the summer break, a decision was made to forego racing on Friday to protect the integrity of the track. The WMX schedule was compacted into one moto and run on Saturday, with Peacock streaming the event live following the final Pro Motocross moto. Viewership was so positive that the decision was made to continue running one moto during Saturday’s main events for the remainder of the season.
“Watching that video, I just got chills,” Nielsen said. “This [2025 WMX] season was probably one of the greatest experiences I’ve had in racing and the fact that it can get better now that we have partnered up with Synchrony, leaves me speechless.”
The inclusion of the WMX into the SMX Playoffs is another rung in the series growth.
“As the SMX World Championship continues to grow, WMX will play an integral role in that expansion,” said Dave Prater, Vice President of Supercross for Feld Motor Sports in a news release. “Synchrony joining as a presenting partner in support of women’s motocross is a powerful endorsement of the value these athletes bring to the sport.”
Synchrony Outdoors, a division of the Synchrony financial company, sponsored the 2025 edition of the Babes in the Dirt Off-Road Adventure Series in partnership with KTM North America, and the extension into the pro series was a natural fit.
“Synchrony is one of the leading lenders in the powersports space,” said Susan Medrano, SVP and GM, Synchrony Outdoors during the AIMExpo Powersports trade show. “So getting the opportunity to partner with a women’s group, which many of you know, women are the number one growing segment within powersports. It is also a personal passion of mine to be able to lift women up, so that’s why we’re here.”
The 2025 WMX Championship was won by Lachlan Turner. New Zealand’s Charli Cannon finished second.
2026 WMX Schedule
June 5-6: Hangtown Classic, Rancho Cordova, California
June 12-13: Thunder Valley National, Lakewood, Colorado
June 19-20: High Point National, Mount Morris, Pennsylvania
August 14-15: Unadilla National, New Berlin, New York
August 21-22: Budds Creek National, Mechanicsville, Maryland
August 28-29: Ironman National, Crawfordsville, Indiana
September 25-26, SMX Finale, Location to be announced
