MITCH MEANS BUSINESS
It was the last weekend of September 2016 and Mitch Evans was in emotional turmoil. He pushed his YZ250F onto the start line of the famed Maggiora circuit in Italy and his heart was pulsating through his chest. He was in awe, in shock, lost in the moment and well out of his depth. But he knew that’s where he wanted to be.
Just a week earlier, Evans had been selected to ride for Australia in the Motocross of Nations. A series of injuries and issues with our more established riders led to Evans, the MXD champion of the time, getting the call-up for his country. Within three days, he was on a plane and destined for the biggest motocross event in the universe.
Evans and those that selected him were roasted online. Sure, Evans wasn’t the first choice, but he was the first one available with any racing credentials and with an MXD and SXD championship under his belt. And the Wednesday following the opening round of the Australian Supercross Championship, Evans jetted out to Europe to fly the Australian flag.
Sitting on the start line, he was alongside riders he had only read or heard about. Herlings, Cairoli, Febvre, De Salle, Paulin, Coldenhoff, Webb and Anderson were all there, as were a bunch more names that he couldn’t pronounce but that belonged to riders who had world experience and could twist a throttle. The moment overwhelmed him as he struggled in the races, but the weekend gave him clarity. Racing
