After how well he performed in Kamloops on Sept. 1, you may as well start calling him Evan Almighty.
Except such a moniker might indicate a bit of ego, of which Evan Pinto, 12, doesn’t show much.
In fact the young motobike racer didn’t even want to race competitively this year, and only did after being nudged by his dad, Mario.
The youngest racer currently in the Junior B division of the BC Motocross Association’s North series, he placed first in each of four moto races to earn him the first place overall spot at the Second Annual Pro Amateur Championship in Kamloops.
Evan and his family had to challenge the rules regarding age to race in the 250cc category.
Rules stipulate you have to be at least 12 years old however Evan began the year at 11. He had outgrown the smaller bike sizes so special permission had to be given to let him race at this level.
Mario said that Evan was the youngest kid on a 250cc during the whole weekend.
Even on his first race of the season, Evan finished an event in Kelowna in second place.
He said most people don’t even know how young he is.
His father added most consider him to be about 15-years-old, except of course for his close friends.
Evan will move up to the Junior A division next year, and will make an impact by being the youngest in that division as well. The youngest racer in Junior A right now is 14.
In terms of general standings in the BC Motocross Association North, Evan is in second place in Junior B, just trailing a fellow Kitimatian who is in first, Brandt Rice.
Evan also races in a free-for-all category, Junior MX-3, where age restrictions don’t apply. Evan is in fifth place in that division.
Evan said he wasn’t slowed down after a major injury at the start of the 2011 season. In Kelowna at only half a lap into his first race, he went into a double jump too hard and crashed. He broke his ankle, and dislocated an elbow and shoulder. He required a nerve transplant as a result.
There was a near catastrophe in Kamloops as well. Evan was following Connor Scott, a good friend of his from Prince George, when Evan was off in predicting his opponent’s behaviour.
Scott ended up riding around a jump instead of taking it, but Evan went for it. Before he knew it he was in the air looking down at Scott.
“While he was on the ground Evan was on top of him,” said Mario, who played back the event from video taken on a helmet camera.
Thankfully they avoided collision, even though Scott had thought Evan was on the other side from where he ended up landing.
Evan has no plans to slow down with his racing, but hasn’t quite committed to possibly pursuing professional racing, an opportunity which opens up when he turns 16.
But Evan, who has been riding since he was four on a 50cc bike, and racing for two years, it’s all about setting goals.
Next year he has his eyes on winning a Junior A championship trophy.