EPCC
Architecture major, Ricky Jurado has a need for speed. The 20-year-old
professional motocross and supercross motorcycle racer began riding
before he was even a teenager.
EPCC
student Ricky Jurado started riding motorcycles at the age of eight
and began riding professionally at 18.
"It
all started when I was about nine. My uncle [Mario Dominguez] would
take me to ride on his bike, but I really didn't have a heart for
it. Then I begged my dad to get me a bike. At first I just wanted
to ride with my uncle and my cousins, but then my dad got a bike for
himself and we would go riding, just the two of us," said Jurado.
He became interested in racing when his father took him to a racing
track in Montana, which has since closed down. "When it was open,
I would ask my dad if we could go and see the races. One day my dad
asked me if I would like to compete," said Jurado. "My dad
got me a racing bike because the one I had was just a dirt bike,"
said Jurado.
Jurado was born in El Paso, but now lives in Horizon City, Texas.
He started competing when he was 12 years old. He has raced all across
the U.S. in places like San Francisco, Calif., Indianapolis, Ind.,
and Houston, Texas.
His favorite movie is Men of Honor. "I like Men of Honor because
of the way the character is treated. Doing what I do, I can kind of
relate. There are very few Hispanics in motocross right now. There's
only one black racer. He's an awesome racer, but it's mostly white
racers. They like us as long as we don't beat them, but as soon as
we start winning they hate us," said Jurado.
When he was asked where he sees himself in 10 years Jurado answered,
"I'm hoping to have a degree in architecture. I don't see myself
doing this."
Jurado is currently competing in a supercross, in-doors race in Atlanta.
Jurado is taking the spring semester off to focus on the supercross
racing season.
"This is a very demanding sport because it is an endurance race.
It's a longer track than any of the other tracks meant to test the
endurance of the racer and of the motorcycle equipment," said
Jurado.
