Mercedes Gonzalez (born 11 July 1963) is a

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Can ...

former professional

motocross Motocross is a form of off-road motorcycle racing held on enclosed off-road circuits. The sport evolved from motorcycle trials competitions held in the United Kingdom. History Motocross first evolved in Britain from motorcycle trials competiti ...

racer. Gonzalez was one of the most accomplished female racers in the history of AMA motocross. She was a five time Women's Motocross Champion at Loretta Lynn’s Amateur Motocross National Championships and a nine time Women's Motocross national champion. Her nine national championships are the most by a female competitor in American motocross history.

Professional racing career

Born in

Madrid, Spain Madrid ( , ) is the capital and most populous city of Spain. The city has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and a metropolitan area population of approximately 6.7 million. It is the second-largest city in the European Union (EU), and ...

, Gonzalez moved to the United States at a young age and began riding

motorcycle A motorcycle (motorbike, bike, or trike (if three-wheeled)) is a two or three-wheeled motor vehicle steered by a handlebar. Motorcycle design varies greatly to suit a range of different purposes: long-distance travel, commuting, cruising ...

s at the age of 7. Due to the lack of female competitors, Gonzalez often competed against male racers such as future national champions Jeremy McGrath and

Mike LaRocco Michael Wayne “Mike” LaRocco (born February 12, 1971) is an American former professional motocross and supercross racer. He competed in the AMA Motocross Championships from 1988 to 2006. During his nineteen-year professional motocross career, ...

before they became professional racers. Her experiences competing against male racers helped her dominate the women's division of motocross racing. After dominating women's motocross, Gonzalez made the decision to switch to stadium off-road racing competing in the superlight cars class of the Mickey Thompson off-road series with future NASCAR racer

Jimmie Johnson Jimmie Kenneth Johnson (born September 17, 1975) is an American professional auto racing driver. A seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion, he competes part-time in the series driving for Petty GMS Motorsports. Johnson's seven Cup championships, ...

as her teammate. She won a race at Denver's

Mile High Stadium Mile High Stadium (originally Bears Stadium until 1968) was an outdoor multi-purpose stadium located in Denver, Colorado from 1948 to 2001. The stadium was built in 1948 to accommodate the Denver Bears baseball team, which was a member of the ...

to become the first woman to win a Mickey Thompson off-road event. Gonzalez then started a career in downhill mountain bike racing where, against much younger competitors, she finished second overall to Leigh Donovan at the

1995 UCI Mountain Bike World Championships The 1995 UCI Mountain Bike World Championships were held in Kirchzarten, Germany from 18 to 19 September 1995. These were the sixth annual UCI world championships in mountain biking and the first to be held in Germany. Alison Sydor of Canada suc ...

and, followed with a 6th place finish in the

1996 UCI Mountain Bike World Championships The 1996 UCI Mountain Bike World Championships was the 7th edition of the UCI Mountain Bike World Championships. The events included were cross-country and downhill. The 1996 UCI Mountain Bike World Championships were the first to be held in A ...

before retiring at the age of 36.

Later career

After her racing career, Gonzalez was hired by

Honda is a Japanese public multinational conglomerate manufacturer of automobiles, motorcycles, and power equipment, headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. Honda has been the world's largest motorcycle manufacturer since 1959, reaching a producti ...

to work at the Honda Rider Education Center in Colton, California where she organizes staff schedules and rider education programs.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gonzalez, Mercedes Living people 1963 births Sportspeople from Madrid Sportspeople from Los Angeles Spanish motocross riders Female motorcycle racers AMA Motocross Championship National Champions Off-road racing drivers Spanish female cyclists Downhill mountain bikers Spanish mountain bikers Spanish emigrants to the United States