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| June 03, 2010 News |
| eKartingNews.com Driver of the Month - Jonathan Evans - May 2010 |
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 | At the third round of the WKA NRRS, Jonathan Evans won Briggs Animal 335 and Briggs Animal 360 - the two largest classes of the weekend
(Photo: Joe Brittin) |
In a continued effort to highlight the many outstanding performances by drivers around the country, eKartingNews.com is proud to introduce the ‘Driver of the Month’ program. Each month, the staff at EKN will determine the one driver who stood out above the rest and give the viewers a chance to know exactly what they accomplished and who they are.
Over the past few seasons, the largest class in the World Karting Association Road Racing Series has been the Sprint Briggs Animal group. Aside from being the largest group in the paddock, they also produce some close racing. In 2009, the driver who came out on top in the Briggs Animal 335 and Briggs Animal 360 championships was Jonathan Evans. The eKartingNews.com Road Racer of the Year nominee is well on his way to defending those titles in 2010, thanks in part to his performance at the latest round of the series, which has helped Evans earn the Driver of the Month honor for May.
The third round of the Dunlop Tire Road Racing Series was hosted by the Southern Kart Club at Roebling Road Raceway in Bloomingdale, Georgia. The fast 2-mile road course saw 14 drivers do battle in the first race of the weekend, including the Briggs Animal 335 division. Evans led the field across after the first lap, only to lose the spot to his Daytona rival Mike Stroik. Across the line for the remainder of race, Stroik showed the way until the final lap when Evans made his move. Getting to the line first, Evans took his second class victory of the season by just 0.031-seconds at the line.
On Sunday, 23 drivers stood on the grid for the Briggs Animal 360 start with a number of contenders set to do battle. Starting from the back by virtue of signing up late, Evans was 11th after the first circuit and was moving fast. By lap four he found himself in the familiar second spot, this time running behind Andrew Ryan. Similar to Saturday’s race, Evans waited until the final lap to make his move. Coming to the line, Evans took the checkered flag by a slim 0.050-second for his first win in the class on the year.
Evans has also made the jump to shifterkarts, running in the Stock Honda category. On Saturday, Evans battled with current point leader Brian Davies for the 30-minute race, only to lose out on the victory by 0.197-seconds. The next day, right after his 30-minute race in the Briggs kart, he jumped into the Stock Honda ride. The fight for the win this day became three with the addition of friend and veteran shifterkart driver Josh Lane. In the end, Lane took the victory with Evans once again in the second slot by just 0.106-seconds and Davies in third.
After missing the second round of the WKA series, Evans is set to continue his winning ways as he heads to the WKA Dunlop Tire Road Race Series Grand Nationals on June 11-13 at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. Evans is also looking to break into the sprint tracks with the possibility of competing at the SKUSA Pro Tour SummerNationals with his Stock Moto ride.
 | Jonathan Evans - EKN Driver of the Month - May 2010
(Photo: worldkarting.com) |
May 2010 EKN Driver of the Month - Jonathan Evans
Bio
Date of Birth: 7/15/88
Hometown: Warrenville, Illinois
Parents: Nancy and Dave
Siblings: Scott and Steven
Height/Weight: 6’ / 165lbs
Education: Currently at Northern Illinois University studying in Manufacturing Management
Job: Construction
Racing Resume
Chassis: PT4/Energy
Engine/Engine Builder: Briggs Animal by my Dad and Stock Honda by Brian Fisher
Sponsors: RB Evans Co. and Syar Motorsport
Series You Compete In: Championship Enduro Series and WKA Dunlop Tire Road Race Series
Years Karting: 13
How did you get started in karting? My dad got my brother started when I was born and it got passed on to me when I was old enough to race
What has been the high point in your racing career? Winning at Daytona this year
What are your goals in racing? I’m like most karters, I would love to move on to open wheel cars or stock cars
In a few words, how would you describe your driving style? Clean and Smooth
Funniest moment at the race track? NA
Likes
Favorite Track: Shenandoah Circuit at Summit Point
Favorite form of professional motorsports: Formula 1
Favorite karting driver: NA
Favorite professional driver: Kyle Busch
Favorite website: eKartingNews.com is always the first thing that I look at
Favorite movie: The Hangover
Favorite actor/actress: NA
Favorite music/group: Don’t really have a favorite, I can tolerate anything as long as it’s not opera or something like that
Favorite vacation/activity spot: The racetrack or Florida
Favorite food: NA
The Real Deal
What do you do when not at the track? Work takes up a lot of my time, but I hang out with friends when I am home, workout and play sports
What are your goals outside of karting? Finish school
What type of street car do you drive? Nissan Maxima
What type of street car would you like to drive? A Porsche Carrera GT would be nice
What are your pet peeves or things that irritate you? I’m pretty laid back so not many things get to me, but not putting tools away at the track even though I do it sometimes
What do you think could be done to improve the sport of karting? Less classes
What are your favorite aspects about the sport of karting? The level of competition and the friends that I rarely get to see
May Driver of the Month - Honorable Mention:
- Kiel Spaulding: WSK North American Series by CKI @ Phoenix - Double wins in Leopard Junior
- Nick Neri: WKA Manufacturer’s Cup Series MKP Nationals - Two wins (Komet Jr. Lite, Yamaha Jr. Heavy)
- Shawn Sharkey: WKA Manufacturer’s Cup Series MKP Nationals - Three podiums (Komet Jr. Heavy, Yamaha Jr. Lite, Komet Jr. Lite) |
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