BARBARA ALVAREZ (Barbarita)

“My name is Bárbara Álvarez, and I am 12 years old, born in La Paz, Baja California South.

I can’t really remember my first two years of life, I guess that I was pretty much a baby then, but my parents have photographs and videos and tell me that literally, the sound of a racing engines was music to my ears. My dad is a crew chief for an off-road team, race preparator and race co-driver, so he would always take me to the events and contingencies.

I can start to remember when I was about three years old, that I would get really excited and emotional when I would see him in a race truck, and I remember that just watching him, even though sometimes he would take me in the truck with him through mechanical revision or something like that. I would start feeling something, something like a tingling over my whole body, and that tingling, that emotion is with me every time I get in a race car today. I would always boast to everyone that my daddy is a racer, and that, one day, I would be like him.

As the years have gone by and I keep following my dad in his races and at work, one day I said that, when I grow up, I will be like my dad! I like to draw cars and I liked to think that one day I would be able to drive one.

Now, thanks to my daddy and the support of his friends, I have my OWN race car, which makes my heart beat at a thousand miles an hour! I have already stacked up 4 years of experience in the off-road world which have gifted me the most beautiful feelings that I cannot explain as well as adrenaline! As the number of kids in the Championship grows, I am lucky to be surrounded by more and more boys and girls who share my same passion, and we learn to be competitors on the track and friends off the track.

In 2023 I was able to accomplish winning the Southern Baja Off Road Championship in UTV Kids, the class that I was racing in.

This 2024, has been somewhat of a struggle as we had some adaptation problems with the new car that we built, however following my dad/s “never give up” mentality, I managed to keep my place on several podiums and am hoping for a place on the Championship Podium once again. However, I have to say that one of my greatest personal achievements was to become more comfortable talking in front of cameras as I had the opportunity to be part of several tv and radio shows locally, promoting my sport and trying to get more young people involved, especially young girls in what has typically been a male dominated sport.

For the 2025 season, we are looking forward to continuing being in the mix for victory and are hoping to be able to climb to the higher 450cc class with the continued help and support from my family, friends and sponsors.

My parents, my family, my parents’ friends and mine are all witnesses to the fact that, since a baby, I have always felt something really special towards off road racing, and they are truly the best witnesses that this is something that I love, something that is in my blood!”

Pio and Ana have always made a huge effort to include Barbara in all the team’s racing efforts, as this is a sport and a job that swallows up a lot of family time, but certainly is a family affair. They have always encouraged Barbara to follow her passions and to look at other sports or activities, but Barbara was pretty headstrong about what she loved. As a team, we are very proud of Pio &Ana’s effort to make this dream come true, an effort which was made possible with the thanks to several of our friends and sponsors, in particular Tanom Racing, M3 Racing, Raceline Wheels, Quaker State, Vision X Lights, Rigo Videos, I Love Oil & Gas, and many more. It has been incredible how everyone in the local race community has reached out to help however they can, and now we look forward to the local promotors giving the kids the opportunity to race during the racing events as soon as possible!