Mercedes Gonzalez (born 11 July 1963) is a Spanish former professional motocross racer. Gonzalez was one of the most accomplished female racers in the history of

AMA Ama or AMA may refer to: Ama Languages * Ama language (New Guinea) * Ama language (Sudan) People * Ama (Ama Kōhei), former ring name for sumo wrestler Harumafuji Kōhei * Mary Ama, a New Zealand artist * Shola Ama, a British singer * Ām ...

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, 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 Jeremy McGrath (born November 19, 1971) is one of the most popular American Motocross/Supercross champions in the history of the sport, racking up seven Supercross championships. He was most active in the 1990s earning the title the "King of S ...

and Mike LaRocco 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 Leigh Donovan (born December 11, 1971, in Orange, California) is an American former professional downhill mountain bike racer and current cycling ambassador and women's mountain bike clinic instructor. Cycling career Donovan was a champion mo ...

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 Aus ...

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 product ...

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