Evan Evans (racer)

Evan Walker Evans (born February 11, 1965) is an American professional off-road racer. He raced in the Championship Off-Road Racing (CORR) series in the 1990s when he was the Pro 2 champion in CORR despite racing using hand controls since he is a paraplegic. He continues to race occasional races as of the end of the 2012 season. Evan Evans is the son of off-road racing "The Legend" Walker Evans.

"It doesn't matter if you're in a wheelchair or have healthy legs," Evans added "If you have the will to do something, you can get it done. I race the same as anyone else does; I just don't use my feet. And, I never give up."

On July 13, 1989, a motorcycle accident significantly changed Evans' life. He was thrown from a bike when he hit a ditch from a construction project near his home. He was paralyzed from the chest down. "When the doctors told me my spinal cord had been severed, it was my worst nightmare come true," says Evans. "But I decided then and there, I was not going to give up." He saw no reason why not being able to walk should stop him from doing what he loved.

Having rehabilitated, Evans entered some desert races to develop his hand controls and hone his driving skills. He also competed in the Mickey Thompson Stadium Series, a now defunct indoor stadium short-course off-road racing series. In 1996, Evans built a Chevrolet C1500 truck, which he successfully campaigned in the popular Midwestern SODA (Short Course Off-Road Racing Association) Series.

Evans claimed seven class victories and one second-place finish, and won the 1996 Class 13 Championship title. The season put his name in the record books as the winningest truck class driver in SODA history. His domination of the series earned Evans the special recognition of becoming the first paraplegic racer to capture a professional off-road racing title.

Evans' first-season success in the SODA Series netted him the honors of being elected to the 1996 AARWBA Auto Racing All-America Team in the "At Large" category; and he also received the 1996 SODA "Driver of the Year" award. After winning five of the eight races in 1997, Evans finished the SODA season in second place in the Class 13 point standings.

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