Save A Horse, Ride A Dirt Bike

What little girl doesn’t beg her daddy for a horse?

Sara Price got hers alright – in horsepower.

Thinking a motorcycle would actually be safer than a horse, Price’s dad bought her a bike so she could race with him and her older brother. This way, he could watch her.

Now, everybody can watch her as Price competes in the X Games, held through Sunday at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. Price, 18, from Canyon Lake, will compete in the Moto X Super X, where she placed third last year.

A 17-time national champion as an amateur, she took the AMA/Women’s MX Rookie of the Year honors in 2009, finishing fourth in the overall rankings. Price admitted that the transition to professional racing is difficult but rewarding.

“It’s super exciting and I’m really training hard,” Price said. “This year, it seems like I’ve been crashing a lot – I just got over a concussion. I think it’s because I’ve been going a lot faster. In my genes, I’ve always been a 'go get em’, faster, faster.'

“Once I stop crashing, I’ll be good.”

Like many girls who get involved in racing, Price started the sport as a way to bond with her father and brother.

“I rode horses as a kid and once I threw my leg over it, that was it,” Price said. “My dad thought motorcycles would be safer than horses though. I don’t know what he was thinking.”

As a family, they started spending their Tuesday nights at the Perris racetrack. Price won her first national title at 11 and turned pro at 16.

Price said she loves how the sport is growing, but she is also quite aware that her fame gives her a chance to give back. Her charity involvement includes being a spokesperson for Operation Komfort Kidz, which raises awareness for childhood diseases. She also visits the children’s hospital at Loma Linda at least once every few months.

“Our sport is growing so much and I have a lot of little girls that email me like crazy,” Price said. “All the social media is really helping to spread women’s motocross and its popularity.”