Belated birthday present
Motorcycle racing ‘dinosaur’ Chris Evans sets pace in two features a day after turning 54
A rider with nearly 40 years’ experience racing motorcycles who is one frown away from “leaving the track forever” was all smiles Saturday night.
In fact, Chris Evans was downright beaming when he left Welland County Speedway for the trip home to Jordan Station.
The Canadian Motorcycle Hall of Famer had ample reasons for the ear-to-ear grin. After all, it isn’t every day that a self-admitted “dinosaur” in racing classes largely populated by riders decades younger takes two checkered flags in as many starts.
Evans, who turned 54 on Friday, emerged from the pack as the rider who couldn’t be beat when points were on the line in the 450 Expert and Open Expert features.
He outraced current points leader Dustin Brown of Muskoka and Matthew Sehl of Ancaster for his third victory of the season in Open Expert, and beat Sehl and Tyler Seguin of Welland for top honours in Open Expert.
That win was also No. 3 of the year for Evans, the owner, operator and only employee of Custom Seamless Eavestroughs in Jordan Station.
While it’s been 39 years — and counting — since Evans graduated from motocross and trials to flat-track racing, his need for speed is showing no signs of slowing down.
Even an injury that crushed two vertebrae in a racing accident that temporarily left him paralyzed from the neck down for a few weeks when he was 18 didn’t keep him off a bike for long.
Evans was ice racing “three to four months” later. Only lingering damage from the spinal cord injury was slower reflexes in his right hand.
He refuses to let fear hitch a ride when he’s riding one of six motorcycles.
“You don’t want to go out and hurt yourself on purpose, but if you have any fear, if it enters into your head, you’re never going to do any good,” he said. “If you’re worried about getting hurt, then you’re going the wrong thing.
“You got to go out there and have a smile on your puss and do the best you can. If you’re worrying about getting hurt, you’ve got to quit.”
This has been a comeback season for Evans who was forced spend much of last season on the sidelines recovering from a broken thumb, on each hand.
“‘Have you ever been injured?’ That’s the funniest thing I’ve ever heard,” Cynthia Evans interjected with a chuckle after her son was asked the question.
“We’ve spent more times in emergency rooms that anyone else I know.”
Racing is as enjoyable as ever for Evans, maybe more so now that the riders he competes against are mostly their low-20s.
“Now I’m at the age I’m at just trying to get myself to do what I know I’m supposed to do,” he said.
“I’ve got the knowledge to know what to do, but it’s just like anything when you get older, your reflexes get slower and the message from your head, trying to get it to travel down to your wrist, takes longer.
“Trying to keep up your body to what the head knows, that’s the trick.”
Evans considers himself a dinosaur in the young person’s sport but, at 54, he hasn’t started bracing himself for the inevitable ice age.
“I don’t always beat them, but I can,” he said. “If the bikes are working right and I can get good starts and I get everything right, I can still get there first.”
In his remarkable racing career the graduate of the former West Park Secondary School has won 24 Canadian national dirt track championships, more than 20 provincial titles as well as five national ice racing championships. Before his induction into the hall of fame in 2015 Evans had been a three-time recipient of the White Trophy, an award presented annually by the Canadian Motorcycle Association to the outstanding racer in the country.
He was one month from celebrating his 39th birthday when he won his first American Motorcycle Association (AMA) national race, becoming the oldest rider in AMA history to win a national race.
He competed on the U.S. circuit until 10 years ago.
“It was just time,” Evans said. “They were starting to make some rules that I didn’t like it.”
His considerable success racing and the prize money he pocketed over the years never had him thinking about quitting his day job.
“Are you kidding, there’s no money in racing,” Evans said with a laugh. “If you can come to the end of the year and the prize money offsets what you spent, you’re doing OK.
“I don’t do this for money, I do this for fun.”
And he intends to continue racing until it stops being fun.
“The day I come off this track without a smile on my face is the day I’m leaving the track forever.”
Josh Dolan of Welland also was a double winner Saturday when the speedway celebrated Nostaligia Night with a display of vintage bikes and a meet-and-greet with top racers from the pass.
He led Matt Ward of Ancaster and Dustin Lambert, also of Welland, to the checkered flag in 450 Intermediate, and Dolan set the pace for Lambert and Jimmy McCullough in the Open Intermediate feature.
Also 2-for-2 on the night were Rodrick Scott of Wainfleet and Chuck Graham of Embrun.
Scott outraced Logan Wilson of Rockwood and Hunter Bauer of Chippawa in Open Novice, and he finished ahead of Wilson and Scott Thompson of Port Colborne in 450 Novice.
Graham took the checkered flag in both Open ATV and Production ATV. Kris Boothby, Huntsville; and Ben Shoalts, Wainfleet; were top also-rans in each case.
Rick Gundy, Minett, Ont.; Sam Manyon, Akron, Ohio; and Paul Wallace, Trenton; finished 1-2-3 in the Veterans class, Taia Little, Welland; Justin Ball, Rochester, N.Y.; and Blake Silenzi, Welland; were the top three in the Youth 250 Novice feature.
Maguire Scott, Welland; Ball and Silenzi were the pace-setters in 85 cc, with Scott, Chris Pittaway, Selkirk, Ont., and Cole Guignard, Stevensville; the top finishers in the main event in the 65 cc racing class.
Manyon outraced Boyd Deadman, Woodstock; and Mark Fairfull, Guelph; in the Vintage Class, and Fairfull, Steve Kovacs, Windham Centre, Ont.; and Bob Howard were the top three in Lightweight Vintage.
Top three in 50 cc, chain drive: Liam Caskie, Brantford; Jayda Brauweiler and Seth Parsons.
Now I’m at the age I’m at just trying to get myself to do what I know I’m supposed to do.”
Canadian Motorcycle Hall of Fame inductee Chris Evans