MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (May 28, 2025) – The 2025 Women’s Motocross Championship (WMX), an AMA National Championship, is underway and what is arguably the most talented field of women to ever assemble on a starting gate have thus far exceeded expectations with a memorable opening round from Fox Raceway at Pala in Southern California. A hotly contested pair of motos showcased the parity that is expected over the course of the six-round season, from which SLR Honda’s Mikayla Nielsen emerged victorious with her first career win at her home race. The 18-year-old from Riverside, California, will now lead the WMX field into the second round of the summer this Friday, May 30, in possession of the red plate.

A mere 485 miles away from Fox Raceway sits Northern California’s Prairie City SVRA, a state vehicular recreation park that has been home to American motocross’ oldest event, the Hangtown Motocross Classic, since 1974. Despite being in the same state, Hangtown will provide a dramatically different challenge for the WMX athletes, with drier, rougher track conditions and dramatically higher temperatures. With a legacy that spans well over five decades, the Hangtown Motocross Classic is infamous for testing the limits of racers, setting the stage for an intriguing second weekend of WMX competition. 

Nielsen’s path to victory at the opening round was a testament to her ability to capitalize on a pair of strong starts by making quick passes in the opening laps. In Moto 1 she started third but was able to get by Monster Energy Kawasaki Team Green’s Kyleigh Stallings to take control of second. Shen then gave chase to the leader and Altus Motorsports BLU CRU Yamaha rider Lachlan Turner, the reigning WMX Champion. Nielsen showed a quicker pace over the second half of the moto and closed in on Turner late but ultimately ran out of time. In Moto 2, Nielsen pulled another top three jump off the gate and passed both Stallings and ROTE Racing Yamaha’s Jordan Jarvis to seize control of the lead, while Turner was forced to fight her way forward from fifth. With the clear track, Nielsen logged consistent laps and fended off persistent pressure from both Jarvis and Turner, who ultimately waged a tense battle for second, to wrap up the overall victory with the moto win. 

Nielsen’s 2-1 effort bested Turner’s 1-3 performance, while Jarvis, the most experienced and decorated racer in the field, rounded out the overall podium in third (4-2). Nielsen’s points lead is a mere two points over Turner heading into Hangtown, while Jarvis sits just seven points out of the lead. 

While the podium finishers from Round 1 will look to continue building the momentum from their initial success, they aren’t the only ones to keep an eye on at Hangtown. Reigning back-to-back Australian WMX Champion and Quad Lock Honda rider Charli Cannon gutted out an impressive fourth-place finish (3-4) mere days removed from surgery on a dislocated finger and should be quicker with another week to heal. Stallings endured through a bit of misfortune in both motos to still grab a top five result (5-5) but is poised to return to championship-contending form. Not to be outdone, a pair of perennial contenders in Pasion MX KTM’s Jamie Astudillo and Rocky Mountain ATV/MC Kawasaki’s Sophia Phelps should find their way into the mix up front as well.

All the action for Round 2 of the WMX Championship will commence this Friday, May 30, from the Hangtown Motocross Classic with practice, qualifying, and a pair of motos to determine a winner. Moto 1 gets underway at 12 p.m. local time, followed by Moto 2 at 2 p.m. local time. The WMX will also be featured on Saturday alongside the stars of the Pro Motocross Championship with a parade lap during opening ceremonies as well as an autograph session at the podium during the intermission between motos.