How Erik Evans scored a GT4 drive for IMSA's Motul Petit Le Mans

Erik Evans has a lot going on. This approaching weekend, the globetrotting driver from Atlanta, Georgia will return to racing in the 2026 GT4 European Series when it visits the sand dunes of the Zandvoort circuit in the Netherlands. Shortly thereafter, Evans will return to his hometown, where he will climb into the No. 61 Ford Mustang GT4 for the Fox Factory 120 during the Motul Petit Le Mans weekend at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta. A fortnight later, the 23 year-old will jet over to the Portimao circuit in Portugal for the finale of the GT4 European Series.

Evans, a Ford Racing Development Team member, made motor racing history in 2023 when he became the first American to win the overall British GT4 Championship. Powering to multiple wins and podium finishes along the way in the European GT4 Series, Evans will partner with Jenson Altzman when he makes his debut at Road Atlanta for the prestigious Motul Petit Le Mans. A talented young driver who is keen to keep developing his talent and racecraft in the GT4 classification, Evans checked in before setting off on his grand GT4 journey.

“I’m back home in Atlanta and we’re traveling around promoting the upcoming Motul Petit LeMans,” explained Evans shortly before heading back to Europe. “I was just at a QuikTrip location with some of the Monster Energy marketing folks giving out free cans. I have a marketing car that’s wrapped just like my race car will be with a QuikTrip and Coca-Cola logo. Monster Energy is part of the deal too, so my face is on a Monster Energy billboard at every QuikTrip in the state of Georgia. All week, I’ve been out with either Coca-Cola or Monster Energy.

“I’ve always had quite a few circles around the Motul Petit Le Mans,” Evans continued. “It’s my home race. It’s at Road Atlanta, and I’ve just always wanted to do it. I’m super excited to get the opportunity to do it. Finally, I come home and make my U.S. GT debut. I’ve never done a GT race in the U.S. and I get to do it in my hometown. I’ve never gotten to race in my hometown ever in any form of motorsport. I am super excited about it, man. I am so pumped.”

So just how did Evans begin pulling the pieces together in an effort to line up and compete at the Motul Peiti Le Mans?

“I really, really wanted to do the race, so I called up everyone I could and everyone I knew in the Atlanta area that might want to be involved in something like this,” he explained. “We got together with Coca-Cola United, the bottling company, and they saw an opportunity to do a three way sponsorship deal between Monster Energy, Coca-Cola and QuikTrip, so that’s how all of this got put together. I’ve been working on it since the beginning of the year, really.

"So many people who helped me on my journey are going to be there to see me race in person. I’m very thankful to Ford and the Ford Racing Driver Development Team for helping me pull this together, as well. They helped me in terms of getting the team together with McCumbee McAleer Racing. They also helped me in getting one heck of a co-driver in [fellow Ford Racing Development driver] Jenson Altzman. Jenson almost won the Michelin Pilot Challenge last year. I’m very excited, and we’re going to be a very competitive duo. And of course I’m making my IMSA debut, as well.”

Evans will compete in the same spec Ford Mustang GT4 both in Europe and at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta.

“The GT4 car is the same car across the entire world,” explained Evans, “so it will be the exact same car. It’ll have Michelin tires on it instead of Pirelli tires. That’s the only difference.”

Erik Evans will now look to the Netherlands and next weekend’s GT4 European Championship round set for the 4.259km, 14-turn Zandvoort circuit.

“I feel like I’ve been operating at my highest level that I have," offered Evans of his next GT4 event. "It’s super exciting and stuff, but I just seem to have no luck. It has just been zero luck as the year goes on. We don’t really have any results to speak of, but in every race, we have consistently been a top five team and fighting for the win and stuff. We’ve just had incredibly bad luck or something unlucky happening in qualifying and we’re starting from the back of the grid.”

There have certainly been highlights for Evans along the way in the 2026 GT4 European Championship.

“We were battling for the lead at Paul Ricard. That is an awesome memory. And at the last race at Misano, I started in 37th place and I drove all the way to ninth within 26 minutes in my stint. That was probably the highlight of the year so far. Everything has been good.

"Like I said, I think I’m competing at my highest personal level. I think every time I’ve been on track, I’ve either been the first or second fastest car on the track and I’ve been fighting at the front. It’s been really nice. I’m very pleased with how the year has gone in terms of my personal performance. I think if I can just maintain this level that I’ve been competing at, I think that would be a win. We just need to figure out what works on the luck front.

"The team is operating at such a high level. The car is super-fast. I’m competing at a high level. It’s been all good. And in two and a half weeks, I’ll be racing at home, which is an absolute dream come true. I think it’s a stepping stone to get my name in the paddock and hopefully we can move up to GT3 and then compete in the big races. I’m very confident in not only Ford, but also the team and my co-driver. I think we’re going to give these guys that have been running in America all year a pretty good run for their money.”