Meet the Phenomenal Winner ~ Evan Evans ~
Extraordinary Race Driver

by Brandi Bard & Shirley Butler


In the early 1980's these writers were fortunate enough to attend racing events at the Riverside, California Raceway. We enjoyed with many other friends the roar of the motors, the smell of fuel, oil, the screeching of tires as cars slid around the dirt track at breakneck speeds, threatening life and limb at every turn. In the pits, where the drivers and the crews all get together before and after each race, it is a different world. This is an intense and dangerous area demanding split-second decisions affecting not only the outcome of the race but sometimes the careers of the driver and the crew as well! You can imagine in this atmosphere how emotions and tempers could be volatile and politeness at an all time low!!! This is the case for the most part, not because these dynamic individuals don't like and respect each other. It's just that when split seconds count in such a big way, sometimes civility gets pushed into the background temporarily!



In such a dangerous environment, you would expect to find only those drivers whose physical skills and coordination were at peak levels, not someone with a traumatic disability. Evan Evans, a 31-year-old off-road racer, is now paralyzed from the chest down after his motorcycle went into a ditch recently dug by a construction crew. Evans has been retained by Chevrolet as spokesperson for the General Motors Mobility Program for Persons with Disabilities, and Evan Evans Racing has been added to the Chevy Thunder Off-Road motorsports team.



Evan is the son of off-road racing legend Walker Evans, and naturally developed an interest in the sport at an early age. He began racing motorcycles, then moved to go-carts, and finally to off-road racing as a mechanic and co-driver. Utilizing an old Datsun pick up in 1978 was an invaluable aid to Evans' career development. "That truck was too ancient and slow to win anything," he said with a smile, "but it taught me a lot. I learned how to be patient, how to take care of my equipment and how to get to the finish line."



He finally received a job offer from his father, who had withheld any assistance until he was certain his son both an aptitude for racing and the desire to be successful. "My dad has a footprint the size of Godzilla," said Evan. "I knew I had to prove myself." In no time at all he was winning, taking four races in a row. Sadly, five days after his win at the Fireworks 250 in Barstow, California, he was paralyzed.



The accident that so dramatically altered Evans' life occurred when he was riding his motorcycle near his home in Riverside, California. "When the doctors told me my spinal cord had been severed, it was my worst nightmare come true," said Evans, "but I decided then and there I was not going to give up." During a nine-hour surgical procedure to realign and fuse the spinal column, the doctors inserted three long steel bars to both strengthen and protect Evans' back.



"After my accident I still wanted to race - even without the use of my legs - by using hand controls; but before I could go racing, I had to be able to drive myself to the track. That's what the GM Mobility Program is all about. It helps people locate adaptive equipment and installers to get you on the road again." Evans' personal vehicle is a full-size Chevrolet C/K extended cab three-door pickup with hand controls and a Bruno PUL-1700 Cab-Sider Wheelchair Lift. This lift was specifically developed with the 3-door extended cab vehicle in mind. The third door provides wide-open, passenger-side entry to the rear compartment, where he stores his wheelchair for easy access. An automatic hand control is used to lift the wheelchair into the storage compartment behind the seat. "With my Chevy truck I have the freedom to go anywhere and to do just about anything. People with disabilities can even go off-roading now with a setup like mine."



For the 1996-97 season, Evans has built a Chevrolet C1500 truck, specially equipped with hand controls, to compete in Class 13 of the popular Midwestern SODA Off-Road Series. "My dad and I talked about this, and decided it would be a good learning curve for me."



Evans continues to play an active role in maintaining and preparing his race and support vehicles. "I don't want anything special from anybody," he explained. "I just want to prove who I am and what I can do. I'll race the same as anyone, I just won't use my feet." The only concession Evans makes to his physical condition is the use of the handicap symbol in his racing team logo. "It doesn't matter if you're in a wheelchair or have healthy legs." Evans added, "Thanks to my arms and my crew, I can still race and be just as competitive as ever. I don't enjoy people telling me I can't do things. That's when I try my hardest to prove them wrong. If you have the will to do something, you can get it done. And my plans are to get this Chevy truck to the finish line - ahead of everyone else!"



"Chevrolet is very excited about its association with Evans because he is an inspiration to everyone," said Sue Seaglund, assistant manager, Chevrolet Raceshop. "He'll do what he does best as a driver on a Chevrolet team in the SODA Series, and as an inspirational spokesperson for the GM Mobility Program at various auto shows, ability expos and other functions across the country."



"I'm really happy to represent Chevrolet in both my racing efforts and the GM Mobility Program. When other people with disabilities see me racing, I hope that they will be encouraged by the fact that I can still do something that I love."



Evan's credo is "Never give up." He certainly never has!