Cannon Breaks Through for First American Victory, Craig Continues to Build

The AMA Motocross Championship is unforgiving. The tracks are rough, the racing is relentless, and every position must be earned. It is a championship that rewards resilience as much as speed, and this weekend both riders on the Quad Lock Honda team demonstrated plenty of both.

Round 4 of the AMA Pro Motocross Championship also marked Round 3 of the Women’s Motocross Championship, and for Charli Cannon, it became a weekend she will never forget.

The Australian arrived at the weekend carrying more than just the expectation of results. Living away from home, family and friends for the first time in her career, while managing injuries and the pressures that come with chasing a championship, finally caught up with her during qualifying and Moto 1.

“It’s tough, that’s the truth,” explained Cannon. “I am away from my family, my brothers and the friends I have grown up with. Cairo is great for training, but it can feel isolated and it has been a lot to process at times. I didn’t feel like myself in qualifying or the first moto. I wasn’t connecting with the track and I took too long to settle into the race.”

Cannon battled through Moto 1 to finish fifth, her lowest finish of the season and a result that left her frustrated.

What happened next, however, said everything about the character of the young Australian.

Returning on day two refreshed and refocused, Cannon looked like a different rider. In Moto 2 she launched to an early lead before a first-turn incident forced a complete race restart. Losing a six-second advantage would have rattled many riders, but Cannon reset mentally, produced another strong start and positioned herself at the front of the field.

When the opportunity came, she seized it.

After taking over the lead, Cannon controlled the race and charged to her first overall victory in America.

“It’s awesome to get my first overall win, but I know there is still a lot of work to do,” said Cannon. “On paper, the results look good with second, second and first overall, but I know I have left opportunities on the table. I have made too many mistakes through the first three rounds and I need to be better. The positive is that we know the speed is there, the bike is great and the team has been amazing. We will keep working.”

Team Trainer, Bryan Johnson was quick to praise Cannon’s determination while also acknowledging the growth that still lies ahead.

“Winning is hard, especially when you’re doing it on the other side of the world. Charli has sacrificed a lot to be here and this weekend showed tremendous resilience. At the same time, we all know there is another level in her. That’s exciting. She’s still learning, still adapting and still improving.”

For Christian Craig, the weekend was another example of the progress being made despite results not fully reflecting the speed he showed on track.

Craig was impressive throughout practice and qualifying and looked capable of producing his strongest overall result of the season before a mechanical issue forced him out of Moto 1.

In Moto 2, the experienced American regrouped and fought his way to ninth place, once again demonstrating the speed and determination that continues to move the program forward.

“We need to be better,” said Craig. “The mechanical issue was frustrating, but that’s racing sometimes. I feel like we’re in a reasonable place, but there are areas we can improve as a team and individually. I’m committed to racing the next two rounds before shifting focus to World Supercross preparation. I want to improve my positions, continue building momentum and then use the break to clean up a few things.”

While the weekend produced mixed emotions, the team leaves encouraged by the trajectory of both riders.

Cannon continues to establish herself as a genuine championship contender in the WMX Championship, while Craig’s performances continue to show promise as the team builds towards the second half of the season and the upcoming World Supercross Championship.

The team now turns its attention to one of the most iconic events on the calendar, RedBud, over the Fourth of July weekend.