While he didn’t follow the typical amateur blueprint, Lux Turner has climbed steadily through the ranks over the past two years of Monster Energy SMX World Championship competition, culminating in a strong start to his guest appearance in Australian supercross in SX2. In Profiled, MotoOnline explores Turner’s path, recent form, and what it might mean for the future.

If you’re scanning the resumes of most 250SX or Pro Motocross prospects, Loretta Lynn’s amateur national championships are usually part of the resume – Team Green pedigrees, class titles, and the occasional Nicky Hayden AMA Horizon Award are also common currency.

Turner’s CV reads differently, and that’s part of what makes his rise even more notable. The 20-year-old doesn’t arrive with a stack of Loretta’s titles, but he has made up ground quickly in his own right.

“In 2020, I went to the C class at Lorettas – I’m not sure if Australians know, but that’s the beginner class,” Turner recounted to MotoOnline. “I’m not saying you suck, but you know what I mean, though. It was rough, and I didn’t even win. I think I won a moto, but it was due to someone else cutting the track.

Image: Foremost Media.

“Then the following year, I went to Loretta’s in the B class and got like 20th, which was terrible. The year after is when I started training, like working out, stuff like that. And ended up getting around eighth, I think, which was a massive gain.”

The unlikely story continues, with Turner revealing that construction and excavation work were partially facilitating the dream, as he used the Californian scene in his late teenage years to pursue a career in professional racing.

“I was working construction for a little bit,” he continued. “And then that moved into excavating – like heavy equipment – which was way better because it wasn’t that hard on my body, so what I would do is I would work two weeks at a time. I’d then take all that money and go down to California to pay for everything, and then after two weeks, I’d go back up and work for two weeks, and I just kept doing this.

“And finally, I started doing well enough where my parents were like, ‘Okay, this is working. We’re going to start helping.’ My parents aren’t well off – money is tight, so that’s why I was doing everything I could to go down there.”

Image: Foremost Media.

The gamble paid dividends. Turner joined AEO Powersports KTM for the 2024 and 2025 seasons in the 250 class, and in 2025, he registered a top-10 finish in the 250SX West standings and produced a strong showing at the SuperMotocross World Championship finale in Las Vegas, earning eighth overall in the 250SMX class.

Those results then opened the door for an international stint, as Turner was drafted into the Monster Energy Yamalube Yamaha SX2 program for the 2025 Boost Mobile AUSX Supercross Championship and instantly turned heads with a double victory on debut at Redcliffe’s Kayo Stadium.

It’s anticipated that Turner’s US career – which has involved Austrian machinery for the last few years – will turn to Yamaha equipment fulltime for 2026, as he has recently been linked to the BarX team for next year. Given the switch, the Australian adventure presents a great opportunity for him to familiarize himself with the YZ 250F under racing conditions.

“When I first came to my team that I signed with in the US [for 2026], my first pitch was, ‘Listen, I’ve been on an Austrian brand bike for three years, four years,” he explained. “I think this is a smart decision to go over there, get time on the bike and the experience of racing.’

Image: Octopi Media.

“There’s no negative – the only negative I see is me not having an off-season, but I had an off-season last year and I hated it. I got back on the bike, and I could barely even do three laps on a supercross track without arm-pump. After my round one and two results, they’re pumped.

“Like, they probably want to send their riders over next year because you stay in race shape – I’m staying in race shape. So, when I go into testing in a few weeks with them, I’m ready to go. I know what I want with the bike or what to try – I already know the bike and I’m ready to go.”

Turner’s AUSX campaign represents another developmental step. Racing against the country’s best – and other international imports – has allowed him to measure his progress and continue to progress in his young pro career.

His double Redcliffe triumph came against a healthy SX2 field that included riders such as Shane McElrath (Quad Lock Honda), Alex Larwood (NFAL Honda), and Ryder Kingsford (Monster Energy Yamalube Yamaha), underlining the level of competition he bested on the weekend.

Is it a surprise for Turner? Only partly. He came to Australia to win, and the early returns have reinforced that target: “Honestly, I came here to win, and I wanted to win. I didn’t think I would have won back-to-back like that, especially with the time on the bike, though. The top five, anyone could win. It was definitely about putting yourself in the right positions.

“For me to win the first night, after getting taken out in the second moto, and somehow still winning, is wild. It’s crazy racing – but to deliver both wins to my team here was special as I know it meant a lot to them.”