Image: Supplied.

A fourth-place result in her wildcard appearance at the final round of the WMX World Championship in Turkiye has Charli Cannon motivated to continue internationally, confident that she could could be further up front with more experience.

Already a three-time national champion, SCT Logistics Honda Racing regular Cannon paired up with the JM Honda MXGP team at Afyonkarahisar and was instantly competitive.

The 19-year-old Queenslander qualified in fifth and then was P5 in the opening encounter, before challenging for the podium in moto two. She took the chequered flag in fourth, which resulted in that same position overall, and she took a lot from the weekend.

“Finally finished a full round at the Turkey GP,” Cannon reflected. “Haven’t had the best experience here, injuring myself in 2022, then getting really sick last year, so was happy to have a good weekend feeling fit and healthy!

“I’m happy with my weekend and gave it my all. It was awesome to be back at the GPs racing at this high level as it exposed what I need to work on. I know with more experience I have what it takes to be up front and it was good to be pushed all the way to the finish flag, which is what I’m not used to.

“Found a few weaknesses in the first moto and tried to fix it up in the second moto. Moto two, I had fire in my belly to do better, had a great start and put myself in third for majority of the moto, but lost rhythm and intensity towards the end, finishing in for for fourth overall. Motivated to come back next year!”

Honda Racing Australia team director Yarrive Konsky said it was a convincing performance from Cannon on the world stage, proud of her to factor among the best women’s motocross racers in the world. The 2024 title was clinched by Dutch teenager Lotte van Drunen.

“She’s truly incredible, and we couldn’t be prouder,” Konsky commented. “Charli knows the risks, but she embraces the competition – that’s a champion’s mindset you can’t teach. Knowing you can lose but still going for it, that’s the mark of greatness. She’s an asset to Honda, our partners, and the sport.”