Whether you're a boy or girl, if you race, you share the same passion. You experience the same adrenaline rush when the gate drops, the same feeling of accomplishment after a good moto and the same yearning to get just one more lap in after a long day of practice. Sandra Rios of Mexico City, Mexico has got the feelin' and she's coming over to the States for a little taste of the Red, White and Blue! This 18 year old has been racing for the past few years and in coming to the U.S., she has scored a sweet training deal with the well-known Kevin Walker. Next year you'll be sure to see her at some of the biggest nationals and you can bet the crew here at Vurb will be documenting her improvement each step of the way. Read about the new girl in town and catch up on one to watch in 2010!

Thanks for taking the time to do this interview with Vurb! Are you in Mexico or the States right now?
No problem! And I am in Mexico right now.

Pretty jealous right now! So you've come to the states to race! How long have you been competing in Mexico?
(Laughs) I've raced in Mexico for the past two years and would come to the U.S. every once in a while to race.

What are some differences in motocross racing between the states and Mexico?
The biggest thing I think would have to be the tracks! I wish we had the tracks they have in the states here! But also its the organization itself. They aren't as organized and obviously we don't have the level or amount of riders that there are in the states.

You're staying with the very respectable Kevin Walker back east. How did that situation come about?
I have decided that I was gonna' move to the U.S. to race and train and try to make it in the WMA. So after talking to my parents about it, I started to look for someone that could help me train and coach me to help me make it. So we started to look for someone, but weren't very successful. However, at Loretta's, my dad mentioned our plan to Todd Hicks and he told me that Kevin had been looking for a way to start training people. So obviously my dad found an opportunity that could be good not only for me but for Kevin as well. So we met Kevin and Tracy and everything fell into place. It's been great from the beginning!

I bet training is killer!
Ohhh yeah. We've had days where we have riding 7-8 hours with just a couple water stops! But it has been soooo much fun. Kevin is awesome and I really enjoy working with him.

Being his first student I bet it's a really cool experience for you! When are you heading back this way?
Yeah it's been great! I'll be back in the U.S. next weekend. We are going to get everything ready to go to the Mini O's. Unfortunately I can't race but my brother is going to be racing so we are heading down to support him.

Yeah your accident at Birch Creek was pretty unfortunate! What's the status on it and what was specifically injured?
I broke my Humorous in two different places. So I flew out to California last week and had surgery on Thursday. They had to put a plate and screws in, they also fixed my shoulder from a previous injury.

Walker trades in his boots for a stop watch...at least for a little while.

So when can we expect to see you back in action?!
The Doc said I can start playing around with my bike in about 6 weeks! So it's not too bad! I should be perfect and ready to race for Lake Whitney.

Well we definitely look forward to seeing you at Whitney. Do you have any plans set in stone for 2010?
Not really just a lot of training work and getting faster for Loretta's!

Great! Well it looks like the ladies' here have some competition coming their way! Anyone you would like to thank, Sandra?
Yeah I'd like to thank Kevin, Tracy and my parents for supporting me an giving me this opportunity. As well as Barrs Competition, Fox, Underarmour and Oakley....Thanks for the support!

They definitely appreciate it! Thank you for your time and I hope you enjoy your time in Mexico and we'll see you soon!
Thank you!