We caught up with TLR’s Dustin Evans shortly after his two wins this past weekend at the 2011 Pro-Line Surf City Classic…  Check out our One on One with Dustin…

RCI: Dustin, Where do we begin? Your having your best R/C year to date in our opinion! Your thoughts?

DE: First of all, Thank you for the kind words Jeremy. This year has been absolutely amazing for me and definitely a dream come true. I have always wanted to win a major race, and to be able to have won a few major races this year is just unbelievable!

RCI: Did anything change for you after your Reedy Off-Road International Race of Champions win? Would you go as far to say that race put Dustin Evans on the map?

DE: I would say that winning the Reedy Race changed a few things for me and definitely gave me a lot of confidence going into the year. It was just so incredible to win won of the most prestigious events in the R/C industry, and the fact that it was my first win really made that a special weekend, and one that I will never forget!

RCI: Making the move to LA for the summer to prepare for the World’s brings with it 4 impressive wins EOS, HRH Shootout, your first National Championship and the 4th Annual Surf City Classic coinsidentally all in 2wd Mod Buggy? I would say that’s an awesome Summer! You agree?

DE: Ya my goal this year was to put in as much hard work as I possible could with racing and see were it would get me, and what better place to be than southern California, the mecca of the R/C industry. It was awesome to be able to run at so many different tracks, with racing all the time, and racing against a lot of the best racers on a weekly basis. Kevin Gahan, TLR team manager, and Mike Truhe really were the ones that gave me the opportunity to come to southern California for the summer, and they really had a big part in getting me to were I am now. Being at the track with these guys 4-5 days a week all summer, along with many other of my TLR teammates really paid off, and I don’t think this summer would have been so incredible without there help and support! It truly has been a dream summer!

RCI: Elaborate on your first National Championship! How important of a win was that for you? What was the feeling like? That win also gave TLR back to back National Titles with Truhe taking it last year! How important was that win for the team?

DE: The ROAR nationals was an unbelievable weekend for me, and winning a national title was definitely something that I have always wanted but I knew it was going to be very difficult! The feeling of winning that race was so incredible! It was actually the first time that my Dad and brother had come to one of the big races, and to have them present when I won my first National title was a very surreal moment, and something that I will never forget. This was also a huge win for TLR and the new 22 buggy, with this being the first year the car was raced at the nationals. Everyone at TLR has put a lot of effort, time, and testing into getting the car where it is and none of this would have been possible without all there efforts.

RCI: After the Reedy Race we called you the 4th Horseman on this website? You in our opinion have stepped up your game this point to be the constant X Factor to the Cav, Tebo and Maifield trifecta. How do you prepare for these guys every week?

DE: Cav, Tebo, and Maifield are incredible drivers and have been the gold standard in the R/C industry for many years now. To have people like you include my name with those three is a true honor! I have been working hard this year practicing more than ever and going to a lot of races, which I think has really helped me be prepared for these races. On top of that I have a really good support system around me with everyone at TLR/Orion/Spektrum that believe in me and have really helped me get to where I am.

RCI: Eventually, Do you want to work for Horizon Hobby and prepare for a career in the R/C Industry? Or, are you just happy being a racer?

DE: Working for Horizon Hobby is definitely something that I want to do and see in my future. I am really enjoying being a racer right now but I know that isn’t going to last forever. I really think the ideal situation for me would be working for Horizon and racing at the same time, similar to what Adam Drake does.

RCI: The new 22T just came out… How glad are you to have another weapon at the track?

DE: Yea it is definitely awesome to have another new car, well truck, that is based off of the 22. We only had about 3 days of testing with the truck before we brought it to the nationals and the truck is already showing great speed!

RCI: Now that you have been officially running Team Orion electronics for several months! How much has that adjustment helped?

RCI: To the new rc racers the young kids what would be your advice to them?

DE: First thing is to have fun and enjoy racing, because that is why we all got into this hobby/sport in the first place. Than if this is something you really want to do and become a top professional racer, you will have to work hard, stay focused, stay true to yourself, and anything is possible!  

RCI: Finally Dustin, What goals in rc racing to you have left to accomplish for the rest of the year? Are you ready for a vaction yet?

DE: My goal for the rest of the year is to keep enjoying what I am doing, soak up every minute of this opportunity that I was given, and do the best I can at the remaining races this year. I don’t really think I need a vacation yet, I definitely enjoy what I am doing!

RCI: We thank you for your time Dustin…

DE: Thanks for everything Jeremy and I would also like to thank all my sponsors: TLR, Losi, Orion, Spektrum, Horizonhobby, Upgrade-RC, OC_RC Raceway,Shortcoursehobbies.com, Spy optic, Bradley Fine Line designs, Pacificcoasthobbies.com, and Liverc.com. 

Photo Source: www.jconcepts.net and www.rcinsider.com