The Women’s Motocross Championship is back for its second leg of the Pro Motocross Championship. A shortened series, WMX runs the first three rounds and then the last three rounds with a big break in between. Many of the racers are traveling the circuit in their vans or RV’s, living the privateer lifestyle, which means they are always on the lookout for places to ride in between rounds.
Travis Pastrana lives not far from Budds Creek Motocross Park in Maryland and has always been a big supporter of WMX. He even trains Olivia Reynolds, a young phenom who is both fast and great at FMX [Olivia will be performing at the Nitro Circus show in Annapolis this weekend]. Last year the WMX series ended at Budds Creek and Travis invited a few girls out afterwards and put up a purse. They all enjoyed their time at Pastranaland so this year they decided to make it even bigger.
“I got a call from Monica [Shelby Rolen’s mother] and she said, ‘The girls had so much fun last year and a couple more girls have reached out because they need a spot to ride in between.’ You know, Loretta Lynn's had just finished. There were a couple girls that showed up just because they wanted to be here. The amateur championship was done, but a couple of the girls were actually going from Unadilla in New York to Budds Creek. We usually have a lot of the pros that were kind of the privateers come through. But this year with Olivia here and her contacts, she had reached out to a few people, and it was really awesome to have Loretta Lynn's champion for the girls with Hannah [Jamison]. Someone that, when Olivia was training for Loretta's, we watched a lot of videos of her. It was really awesome to see her come out and actually wanna do a backflip and wanna do other fun stuff.”
With backflips into the foam pit on the agenda, and the timing of the event (with two WMX races still on the schedule), it's no surprise that some of the racers turned down the opportunity. For instance, rookie Mayla Herrick was in attendance but was not allowed by her sponsors to compete. Herrick commented on the decision to not race, “It's definitely smarter because, I mean, who doesn't want $2,000?” Winning her first ever pro moto at High Point, Mayla has a lot on the line this weekend at Budds Creek, but she still enjoyed jumping into the foam pit, pit bike races and the trampoline.
In the end 10 racers showed up to compete for the $5,000 purse put up by Cycle Gear and KTM/Husqvarna. Track conditions were a little dusty, and the racers were a little worried about racing with everyone out there (self-preservation is strong with this group), so they did hot lap qualifiers and then bracket racing to determine the winner.
At 15 years old, Hannah Jamison put in a great ride to get third on her supermini but in the final race it came down to two old rivals Hannah Hodges and Jordan Jarvis. These two have been battling each other since they were both in the Girls (12-16) class at Loretta Lynn’s in 2015. Hodges had her starts down that day and in such a short sprint race Jarvis was unable to mount an attack.
After the race Olivia helped by demonstrating backflips into the foam pit and most of the girls had a go at it. Though some, like Jamison and Herrick put in great attempts, getting a full rotation, while some of the other more veteran riders did not have as much luck. After back flips, Travis gave rides in the Can-Am side by side and racing resumed on pit bikes.
Even with all of that fun, everyone was safe at the end of the day, and the riders had an experience they won’t soon forget. We were able to catch up with a few of the stars for some interviews afterwards. And you can watch the episode of the race at a later date on Channel 199, Travis's Youtube channel.
Mayla Herrick
Racer X: So, you turned pro at High Point. Amazing first moto, crashed out the second moto. How are you feeling since that?
Mayla Herrick: I felt good. I took two weeks off, like, completely off and didn't do anything. Just watched everybody ride. And then started Loretta's training, and I've been pretty good. Just having to get back up to speed and yeah, we're good.
It's good to see you back. Talk about Unadilla a little bit, it was your second race. Pulled another holeshot that first moto. How did it feel?
It felt good. The holeshot was good. I didn't really feel that good all weekend. So like, not health wise, but I just didn't feel good on the bike. Like, my bike was good. I just I don't know, I just kinda wasn't fully there and didn't ride my best.
How difficult are these tracks? Like, this is your first year pro. The tracks are really gnarly, especially on Saturday on pro day. How much different are these tracks compared to anything you've ridden before?
Like, amateur stuff, I feel like Loretta's gets more bumpy than Unadilla did. But the ruts and just how fast it was at Unadilla was wild. And I didn't really ride too much on at High Point on Saturday, so this was really, like, my first time really racing on Saturday. Speaker2: Which was pretty gnarly. It was it was crazy for sure.
What about just the atmosphere on Saturday with the fans and all of that? How is how is that?
All the horns and everything and people cheering as you're going by, it's so crazy. And then, like, they're on TV, so it's like you see all the cameras and everything around you. It's wild.
What about for next year? Are you staying on Honda? Do you know your plans?
I'm probably staying on Honda. I don't know. That's the plan. I mean, that's what I would like, but I guess it's too early. Money talks. I don't know.
Good answer. Okay, and finally, you weren't allowed to race today, but you did do a backflip into the foam pit.
Yeah. I did. Landed on the bars pretty hard, but I did it.
So, in your mind, you thought backflips are safer than racing?
Definitely not. I didn't really wanna do the backflip, but I was getting kind of left out, and they were doing it. But, yeah, probably wasn't very smart, but I did it. And I couldn't pass it up.
Hannah Hodges
Okay. So, Hannah Hodges, we have not seen you race WMX, since, I think, it was the first round in 2024 when it first came back. You came out, won Daytona Supercross. Was that right after your wedding?
Hannah Hodges: I literally flew home, got my van loaded up, and went to Daytona the following day.
From your wedding?
From my honeymoon.
So, I think I might have a little idea why we didn't see you from then until now. I mean, obviously, you're older than a lot of the girls, but you also had a baby last year.
Yeah, that definitely played a role in it. We own a construction company, so that takes a lot of my time. But luckily, I'm able to do a lot of that from a computer. So, on the way up to Unadilla, had the Starlink going and was working on the drive. But, yeah, a baby definitely will put a little change in things. So, he was born January 2025, so that's where I went for a little bit.
So, you pretty much got pregnant not too long after you won that race in Daytona?
I think it was right after the regional. I think I actually did the regional that year for Loretta's and then got pregnant with Eli and took a little bit of time off. And I actually raced Daytona again four weeks after I had him.
Four weeks?
Yeah. I didn't even have my appointment yet to get released.
How much racing did you do last year after having your son?
Not much. I didn't do Loretta's last year, so I did Daytona four weeks after. Day in the dirt the following weekend, and then I did Mini O’s, just supercross.
Have you found that balance between, the work life balance of is one thing, but then to be working and a mom and trying to ride.
Yeah. That's definitely been challenging. I pretty much just have to make sure that all his stuff's, like, prepped the night before, you know, because, obviously, he needs food, snacks. So much stuff. You gotta pack a lot and plan a lot for them. So as long as I have his stuff preplanned for the day and he loves being at the track. He has no problem going to the track with us. He runs around, plays, watches, and, yeah, work. I just if I have to stay up late and work. It just you make that fit where it fits. Put the baby to bed and then definitely a lot of late nights working out at 10:00 at night and catching up on work emails at 10:00 at night, but it's doable. Just a challenge.
So how do you feel like the competition just in the last two years from when you raced in 2024, that one round. I don't think Lala was there that weekend and but from then to now?
I definitely think the sport is growing as a whole. Women's motocross has stepped up tremendously, I think, since they have a better platform for them to race on and showcase. There's you know, a lot of fast girls coming up, and there's a lot of fast girls that are racing right now. And I think that because they're starting to get some good exposure, we're even getting people that are traveling here to race. So, I think that it's good.
Yeah. And so, what are your plans for the future? Coming back?
We'll see. I definitely need to ride better the next two rounds to get the approval from my husband.
Man, husbands are as bad as dads, aren't they?
I think. At training, they called him the moto dad every day because he's over there freaking he's like, “I'll sell this van. I'll sell the bike.” I'm like, “Okay.” [Laughs]
Jordan Jarvis
Okay, Jordan Jarvis. We're out here at Pastranaland. Saw you, can we call that a backflip attempt?
Jordan Jarvis: No. No. I definitely need another one. I did not like the ramp. That's what was bugging me. But now that I hit the ramp itself, I think the next one would be better, but we'll save that for next time. Hopefully, you know, not two races left after next time we come here.
It was definitely a bummer the way the schedule worked out this year. Last year, Budds Creek, you did this race right after. That was the season ender, and you kinda had a little more freedom to not be so worried about getting hurt here.
Yeah. But I had busted myself up at Budd's last year, so I came into this being a little busted up, I partially dislocated one of my shoulders. So, I was not trying any backflips. No, I was playing it fairly safe last year.
So, WMX is finally getting the publicity it deserves with TV, it has to just be a matter of time before the support comes? I mean free bikes are nice, but they don’t put food on the table.
Exactly. How are we supposed to survive? It's awesome that know, we're thankful for the support, but like, you need a little bit more. Like, if this is gonna be a living for us, if you expect us to make this a living, then we need to actually make a living. It's putting food on the table. It's keeping the bills on, and it's also the risk of making this a full-time career. You know, we kill our bodies to do this. You know this better than most. We kill our bodies to do this, and we don't get hardly anything. Like, normally I mean, this year, it's been better for sure. But it's still I mean, diesel, most people are going in vans or toy haulers, motorhomes, and stuff like that. Most of them all take diesel. It's five, six dollars a gallon. You know? It costs hundreds of dollars to get there, and then you have all the food you need once you get there, and then you have the entry fees. And, you know, even if you go one-one, you're really not making out great on the day. And, obviously, only one person is getting one-ones or, you know, winning in general. But one person gets to win, and then everybody else is kinda stuck with scrapes. It's tough. We're definitely making progress for I mean, you're seeing it more and more every race, every week. I mean, we're going to be on NBC Sports live this weekend for our Saturday moto. So that's huge. It's getting better at each race. We're getting more publicity, and we're getting hopefully more help. I would love to see both motos back on pro day, but I don't think we're quite there yet. I think we need someone to step up and throw a lot of money towards MX Sports to get us there.
It's hard when the schedule is already so tight. I don't have a problem with the two day, but I think let's get you guys some freaking longer motos.
Definitely some longer motos. I think we're getting a little bit of a longer moto next year. But I would like to see, they say they don't have enough time for us during the day, but put us at the end of the day like they do at Thunder Valley. Like, run us moto one in between the races and then moto two at the end of the day, I think, would be really sick. And then that way, you're not really, you know, pushing on time anymore that way. And that's how they used to do it.
I was gonna say, there was a there was a long period of time that we were at the end of the day. Plus I always wore it like a badge of honor, riding on the absolute worst track of the day, plus it separated the good riders from the ones who can only go fast on a smooth track.
No, I agree. I'm right there with you. Give me the last part of the day. You know, I always ride better, when I was doing the pro nationals, my fastest laps were normally the last couple laps in the motors. So, give me the longer, late motos. Give me one that's super hot. That's where I shine.
Now I will say I have been wrong before because I was always like, “All its gonna take is for one girl to start qualifying for nationals, and she's gonna get that factory ride because no matter what place she gets, she's still gonna get just as much attention as the guys out there in the top five.” Nope. And I was completely wrong. Like, you proved me wrong on that.
I mean, I guess I got some notoriety out of it, but it really didn't do much of anything for me other than, like, kind of a pat on the shoulder. And then everyone kinda forgot about it, like, two, three years later, now you hear all about, I guess, racing the men's side is everyone's waiting for Lala to do it. It's like kinda already did it. But, no, it is what it is. Hopefully, things will change and you know? Because once we get someone who's willing to help and willing to put the effort in stuff like that, they're gonna see such a growth in the top women. Because we see it's possible. We see that it's a possibility and that something can actually come out of it. Right now, we're seeing some women get, like, out of the top, I don't know, five or six girls. I think I'm the only one without a factory ride or some sort or satellite ride or something like that, which in my opinion sucks. But, you know, I've always dealt with things the hard way. I've always had the, unfortunately, not the great end of the stick, so it seems like that's not really changing right now. But, hopefully, it will. But if not, I'm still gonna keep going.
Talk about your rivalry with Hannah Hodges, you guys have raced each other for a long time, and battled again today.
It's not so much anymore. She kinda got out of it. I don't know if she really got out of it per se, but when I went into racing pro motocross and stuff like that. So, we kinda did different things on different paths and stuff like that. We don't really have a rivalry. I mean, she's still a pain in the ass to pass because she's, you know, she's obviously a very good rider, but my gosh. She makes it difficult to get around. She's a great rider, but she is tough to pass. She always has been. Notoriously, she's a very difficult person to get around. I mean, I like to think I am too sometimes, but, you know, we'll see. But, no, we're cool. I mean, we talked a bit today. She did beat me today, but, you know, I guess it's fine. We should've had another lap, man. One lap? No. It was cool. It was cool to see her. It's cool to see her come to the last couple rounds too.
Images by Cody Darr
