WMX's Mikayla Nielsen on overcoming adversity, proving doubters wrong
· Yahoo Sports
LAKEWOOD, Colorado: It doesn't matter whether one competes in the women's or men's division of Pro Motocross, the key to success is overcoming adversity, riding consistently, and finding elusive speed. Oh year, and a fierce mental attitude doesn't hurt.
No one knows that better than Mikayla Nielsen, who finished third in the Women's Pro Motocross series (WMX) last year.
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In the second round of 2026, Nielsen was riding second in Moto 1 at Thunder Valley Motocross Park before a fuel pump failed with two laps remaining. She was running second to the eventual winner Lachlan Turner at the time. Nielsen was able to limp her Honda across the finish line on the white flag lap, but the bike would not complete the final circuit.
"It's just been really bad luck," Nielsen told NBC Sports. "First moto last weekend, I almost didn't make it. We had to do a motor swap, so it's tough, but I mean, we're racing dirt bikes. I know I can be there and I want to prove to everyone that I can be a contender."
Nielsen finished second in that moto and was third in Hangtown's Moto 2.
Nielsen was on the overall podium in four rounds last year and she finished fourth one time. She lost the overall podium that weekend when she crashed while racing for second in the second moto.
Mikayla Nielsen was running second with two laps remaining at Thunder Valley when her fuel pump failed. Align Media
Mikayla Nielsen was running second with two laps remaining at Thunder Valley when her fuel pump failed. Align Media
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Nielsen's only poor overall result was at Thunder Valley when she collided with Jordan Jarvis in the only moto of that round. They were battling near the front of the pack, more adversity suffered near the beginning of the season.
When the fuel pump failed on Friday, Nielsen had one thing on her mind.
"I'm thinking of my points," she said, "That kind of cost me some."
But with the heart of a true athlete, Nielsen quickly put that behind her and focused forward, the only place for a dirt bike rider to look.
"But, I mean other from now on, I have nothing to lose," she added.
That could prove dangerous for Turner and Charli Cannon. Nielsen is one of the few ladies who have been able to ride with them consistently. She remains the only rider to defeat Turner in an overall WMX race after winning the 2025 season-opener at Fox Raceway in Pala, California.
As much as she desires to defeat the other women in the field, it may be more important for Nielsen to help the division gain respect.
"[Motocross is] a male dominated sport, so a lot of people, or a lot of guys are just rude. And so I feel like a lot of us try not to look at the comments and we just try to do our own race. But there are a couple people out there that believe we shouldn't be out there, but I'm like, we could probably beat you coming off the couch. You can't have an opinion over us."
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Nielsen's, and perhaps that of all the frontrunners in the WMX field, is the ability to concentrate on themselves while not forgetting about the competition.
"I feel like it's always Charli, Lala [Lachlan], which with respect, they put in their work. But I just don't ever want people to sleep on me," Nielsen said. "I can be there. I just need to get comfortable with that.
"And everyone has a story. I feel like everyone only focuses on us, but everyone has a story in getting here and it doesn't need to be all about one person or the top people. You asked what should everyone know about me? But it's like, what should everyone know about all of us?"