Daniela Guillen will take on one of the most special challenges of her 2026 season on August 29: her debut in the American WMX Championship, part of the 2026 AMA Pro Motocross Championship & Women’s Motocross Championship, at Ironman Raceway in Crawfordsville, Indiana.
Her participation will come after the penultimate round of the FIM Women’s Motocross World Championship (WMX), which the Spanish rider will contest this weekend, August 22-23, in Arnhem, the Netherlands. She will then compete in the final round of the American championship.
Guillen will take on this new experience while continuing to fight for the World Championship title. Following the British Grand Prix, Kiara Fontanesi leads the standings with 141 points, followed by Daniela Guillén on 139 and Courtney Duncan on 100.
A new championship, a new experience
Guillen’s debut will see her face the competitive structure of the American WMX Championship for the first time, as well as a different format to the World Championship.
In 2026, the women’s AMA Pro Motocross category runs its two motos over two days: the first on Friday and the second on Saturday, with each race lasting 12 minutes plus one lap. The overall result from each round is determined by the combined points scored in both motos.
“We’re coming off a very intense season in the World Championship and competing one week later in another championship, against the best American riders, means stepping a little outside our comfort zone and adapting quickly to a different format and style of racing,” Daniela Guillen explains.
The Spanish rider will compete on a GASGAS MC 250 with the Wildcat Race Team, which will host her during her stay in the United States and with whom she will make her competitive debut.
The choice of GASGAS maintains her continuity with the manufacturer she has raced with since 2023. Her participation will be possible thanks to the support of KTM and the Royal Spanish Motorcycle Federation (RFME).
Wildcat Race Team owner Lorenzo Locurcio highlighted the importance of welcoming the Spanish rider to the team:
“As a team, at Wildcat Race Team we are incredibly proud to welcome Daniela Guillen to our structure for the final round of the American championship. For us, it represents a great opportunity to work alongside a rider of extraordinary talent and international potential.”
Locurcio added:
“We are committed to providing her with a competitive bike and all the necessary structure so that she can demonstrate her true potential and compete at the highest level. We are very excited about this project and are counting down the days until we see her on track in the Wildcat Race Team colours.”
For Guillen, it will also be her first experience racing with an American team:
“It will be my debut with Wildcat Team, so I’m really looking forward to working with the team and making the most of this opportunity. My main objective is to have a good race, learn as much as possible and show my level.”
Ironman, a circuit she already knows
Daniela will travel to the United States on August 25, accompanied by Paco Rico, Spain’s national motocross team manager under the RFME structure.
Although it will be her competitive debut at Ironman Raceway, Guillen already had the opportunity to visit the circuit during her trip to the United States with the Spanish national team for the 2025 Motocross of Nations.
That first contact allowed her to walk the track, see the facilities and become familiar with the environment where she will now have to compete.
“It might sound like a small thing, but having already been there, at the track, and knowing the circuit, even if I only walked around it, is a plus to adapt a little faster to the track,” Paco Rico explains.
The national team manager also highlighted the importance of this experience for the rider:
“Going to the United States to compete is fulfilling one of Daniela’s dreams and, on the other hand, seeing what the championship there is like so that we can better assess the possibility of racing there.”
Guillen believes that her previous visit could help reduce her adaptation time:
“Although I didn’t compete at the MXoN, I had the opportunity to see the circuit, see what the terrain is like and familiarise myself a little with the facilities and everything surrounding a race in the United States.”
The Spanish rider remembers Ironman as a demanding and complete circuit:
“I remember Ironman as a very complete and demanding circuit, with fast sections, changes in terrain and some pretty big jumps. My first impression was very good, I really liked the track and also the atmosphere there.”
Almost nine years after her first American experience
Daniela’s return to the United States is directly connected to one of the first international chapters of her career.
In November 2017, aged just 11, Guillén contested her first races on American soil at Gatorback Cycle Park in Alachua, Florida, competing in both women’s and men’s MX and SX categories.
During that experience, racing against local riders, she secured pole position and victory in both categories.
“For me, it means a lot to return to the United States, especially after so many years. In 2017 I had an incredible experience, taking pole and winning both categories I competed in, and since then I’ve always wanted to come back.”
Almost nine years later, the context is completely different. Guillén returns to the United States after several seasons competing at the highest international level and as one of the leading riders in the WMX World Championship.
“Now I’m returning at a very different point in my career, with much more experience and after several years competing at the highest level in the World Championship. I think everything I’ve learned during this time will help me a lot in taking on this challenge.”
A reunion with Charli Cannon
Among the riders Daniela will meet at Ironman will be Charli Cannon, who sits second in the American championship and is a familiar rival from their battles in the WMX World Championship.
“It’s always nice to meet riders we already know from the World Championship again, and in this case Charli, who is having a great season in the United States. We know she’s a very fast and competitive rider, so it will be interesting to face her again, but this time in a different championship and setting.”
For Guillen, racing against the American specialists also represents an opportunity to broaden her experience:
“For me, competing against the American riders is a very good opportunity to keep learning and to step outside my comfort zone.”
She added:
“Facing different rivals and competing in a new championship forces you to learn and adapt constantly, and that always helps you grow.”
An international challenge during a World Championship season
The United States trip is part of a season in which the main objective remains the WMX World Championship. Arnhem will be the penultimate round of the World Championship this weekend, before Guillen heads to the United States to take on a completely different challenge.
“Competing at Ironman in the WMX is a very special opportunity for me. I want to enjoy it, learn as much as possible and, above all, show the level I have now.”
The Mequitec GASGAS Racing Team rider will therefore take on a new international challenge with a new team structure, a GASGAS MC 250 and a circuit she already knows, but where she has never raced.
“I’m returning to the United States very excited, but also with the mentality of fighting to be up front and making the most of this opportunity.”
Almost nine years after taking her first poles and victories in the United States, Daniela Guillen will return to the country where she began racing internationally at just 11 years old — this time as one of the protagonists in the fight for the Women’s Motocross World Championship.
Ironman Raceway will provide the setting for a return that connects two very different moments in her career: the 11-year-old who surprised everyone during her first American experience in 2017, and the rider who arrives in the United States in 2026 established among the leading figures in women’s motocross.
