Polaris Highlights Latina UTV Champ in ‘Tough Doesn’t Quit’

They say racing improves the breed. Idea being, racing is hard, and overcoming odds makes you tougher and better. By that metric, Fernanda Montiel is a couple seconds ahead of everyone before she even hits the gas.

As the first Hispanic woman racer to win a Baja championship, Montiel shrugs off paddock comments to prove she not only belongs, she excels. Aside from the chatter lady racers usually endure, she’s earned a different target on her back, of sorts. In 2024, she became the first Latina to be deemed Record Champion at Baja. And unlike many competitors, she’s racing on her home turf.

As the title implies, Montiel wears two faces. Off the dirt, she’s a 25-year-old woman who enjoys family and being, well, 25 years old. But behind the wheel of her Polaris RZR, a “race-face” intensity takes over. She learned about life in the paddock at an early age. A gearhead since the age of three, she grew up in her father’s garage. Putting together race hardware is a family thing. Her family is her pit crew and her brother is her co-pilot.

As such, she earned a spotlight in the Polaris promotional series, Tough Doesn’t Quit. International Female Rider Day was on May 3, but we couldn’t let this story slip through the cracks. Have a watch and enjoy.

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