The next obstacle in Evan’s journey came down to one thing — age.
As we quickly discovered, racing motorbikes in the UK under the age of 18 is far from straightforward. Although the original plan was to prepare for racing on the Kawasaki ZX6RR, ACU regulations meant Evan could only complete his licence assessment on a bike 400cc or smaller until he turned 17.
So, once again, out came the trusty KTM 390.
With the goal of securing his ACU licence before the new season, we headed to Mallory Park ready for another important milestone in the journey. The plan was simple: pass the test now, gain experience wherever possible, and be ready to move onto the ZX6RR once January arrived.
Of course, being the UK, the weather had other ideas.
Rain poured throughout the day, and with road tyres fitted to the KTM, conditions were far from ideal. There were more than a few tense moments, the kind where everyone watching holds their breath slightly longer than normal, but Evan kept composed throughout. Despite the slippery circuit and challenging conditions, he handled the day brilliantly and passed his ACU test without issue.
Another step forward. Another lesson learned.
At this stage, every challenge seemed to reinforce the same thing — progress in racing is rarely straightforward. Rules change plans, weather tests confidence, and every small milestone has to be earned.
But Evan continued ticking them off one by one.