Brandon Clarke
Let’s be honest—this isn’t the kind of story that should still need to be told. Not in 2025. Not when women are dominating in nearly every outdoor sport and driving the culture forward from mountain towns to motocross tracks. Not when we’ve seen, year after year, that the women in this sport don’t just belong—they excel, they inspire, and they make the whole thing better.
And yet… here we are.
The WMX is finally getting a proper revival in the States with six rounds alongside the Pro Motocross Championship. That’s a win. That’s progress. But it also begs the question—why did it take this long? Why did we let it fall off in the first place?
I’ve seen this movie before. Back in the early 2010s, I worked in the bike and ski industry. Every woman’s category—mountain biking, skiing, snowboarding—was exploding. We saw 50 to 60 percent year-over-year growth in some regions. Brands were in scramble mode trying to create product lines and ad campaigns that actually reflected the reality: women weren’t a niche demo. They were the growth.
So how is it that moto—arguably the gnarliest, most passionate, most community-driven sport of them all—somehow missed the memo?
To understand why the return of WMX matters so much, you’ve got to understand who we almost lost.
Jamie Astudillo was never a long shot. She was built for this.
Jamie grew up in a household of racers. Her dad raced. Her older brothers raced. Her brother Jason even made a full run at the Pro Motocross Championship. Jamie started on a quad, but by three years old, the sound of a two-stroke and the smell of race gas had her locked in. It was never a question of if she’d race—it was just a matter of how far she could go.
By 12, she was already deep into Loretta’s prep, begging to be homeschooled so she could train full time. And at that time, the WMX was still strong. Ashley Fiolek and Jessica Patterson were battling for championships on national tracks. They were role models, yes—but more importantly, they were proof that you could make a career out of this. Jamie didn’t just want to race—she wanted to earn a factory ride. She wanted this to be her life.
Then came the gut punch.
Just as Jamie reached the age to chase a WMX title, the series collapsed. Pulled from the national stage. Moved to run alongside amateur events. The factory rigs? Gone. The media? Gone. The pathway? Blocked. Women who’d once been front and center were pushed to the sidelines, and just like that, an entire generation of girls saw their dream shrink into something smaller.
But Jamie didn’t quit. She adapted. She hustled.
Road Racing, Off-Road, and the Never-Ending Pivot
With no real path left in motocross, Jamie turned to road racing—a place where the physicality of motocross didn’t carry quite the same disadvantage against men. And again, she didn’t just compete—she made history. In 2018, she became the first female to ever podium in the MotoAmerica series.
She thought that was her new path. But when the team she raced for folded, so did the momentum. And with road racing as a whole struggling, the opportunities dried up fast.
So what did she do? She came back to the dirt.
She jumped into GNCC and off-road, two disciplines where female participation was thriving. In her words: “Women are tired of sitting on the sidelines watching.” Whether they got into riding because of a boyfriend, a sibling, or a son, more women are throwing a leg over than ever before. And when you give them a reason to race, they do it with fire. Jamie racked up top 5s, top 10s—she was back to being competitive, back to living the life.
But the motocross ember never fully went out.
Reigniting the Flame in Europe
Before the road racing door slammed shut, Jamie and Jordan Jarvis had this wild idea: race the Women’s Motocross of European Nations. It’s usually a Euro-only event, but Jordan’s dad reached out to the FIM and asked if Team USA could enter. The answer? “Why not?”
So they self-funded the entire trip. Flights. Gear. Entries. No support from the AMA, no corporate backing. Just two women refusing to be told they didn’t belong.
And once Jamie got over there, something clicked. The level of riding. The professionalism. The respect. It lit a fire.
She signed with a European team and raced two full years in the WMX GP series. She’d found her people. Found her proving ground. But after a couple seasons, she took a break—got a 9-to-5 job, wore slacks instead of gear pants, sat at a desk instead of a starting gate.
She lasted a year.
Now? She’s back again. In March, she represented the U.S. at the FIM Oceania Women’s Motocross Cup, finishing second as part of a Christina Denney-led squad that lost to Australia by just two points. That’s not just impressive—it’s meaningful. It proves that when women are given real support and structure, they rise to the occasion.
WMX 2025: A New Chapter, or the Last Chance?
Jamie’s already looking ahead to the 2025 WMX series. And for good reason.
Six rounds. Three East Coast. Three West Coast. The first being March 23 at Fox Raceway. All paired with Pro Motocross weekends. Races on Friday, but at the same venues, with the same infrastructure already in place. That’s a big step—not just logistically, but symbolically.
OEMs are already there. Trucks are parked. Staff is on-site. So why can’t we start seeing factory-backed women lining up with support, parts, and resources? If it costs you one extra tent and a couple more plane tickets, and in return you inspire the next generation, grow the sport, and reach an entire new customer base… that’s not a cost. That’s an investment.
Women Are the Industry’s Missed Opportunity
We talk a lot about growing the sport. But growth isn’t enough if it’s not inclusive. Growth isn’t enough if it only benefits the same few people. Women don’t just deserve a spot—they expand the whole damn table.
More riders. More gear sold. More bikes off the showroom floor. More moms, sisters, girlfriends, and daughters involved. More families spending weekends at the track. That’s what a healthy sport looks like. That’s what a future looks like.
Right now, Jamie and the women racing WMX don’t get the spotlight they deserve. But they are the spark. The ones building something so the next wave of 12-year-old girls won’t have to ask if there’s a place for them in Pro Motocross—they’ll know there is.
The industry might’ve slept on WMX for too long. But make no mistake: the women never stopped grinding. And now, they’re not just making a comeback—they’re demanding their place at the table.
It’s about time we pulled up a few more chairs.
Main image: MX Sports
