This article first appeared in the May, 2014 edition of SportsCar Magazine. SCCA members can read the current and past editions of SportCar digitally here after logging into their account; To become an SCCA member and get SportsCar mailed to your home address monthly in addition to the digital editions, click here.
Reece Everard is already making his mark on the SCCA
When then 20-year-old Reece Everard took the silver medal in Formula Enterprises at the 2013 National Championship Runoffs with a dramatic last-lap pass of Brandon Kennedy – this after climbing up from the back of the 10-car field – it was the successful culmination of his rookie year in the class.
Less dramatic but just as rewarding, it also marked hard-earned success for Reece’s self-taught crew chief and mechanic, his father, Steve, whose job brought him first to Wisconsin and then to Detroit from Basingstoke, England, when Reece was 5.
“When I lived in England,” says Steve, who then as now is a manager with giant automotive conglomerate ITW, “I would typically go to the British Grand Prix, so I clearly enjoyed racing. My wife and I also drove Brands Hatch in karts on one of those experience days. But I would not have even thought it possible to be doing what we do today.”
What has ended up with Steve taking care of a thoroughbred high-performance racecar, including hastily rebuilding a seriously hurt frontend after Reece got into the marbles and went flying off the track during qualifying at the Runoffs (which put him at the back of the grid), started out as a Boy Scouts project.
“When Reece was about 10,” says Steve, “he asked me to help build a wooden go-kart with 2x4s for a Boy Scouts project, which we did.” Reece remembers steering by pushing on the ends of a 2x4 cross member, exactly the way one directs a sled.
“Growing up, I was always interested in how things worked,” says Reece, “which turned into a passion for cars. I'd been watching races on TV with my dad ever since I was a kid.” When one of Reece’s friends bought a go-kart, Reece began lobbying. Dad looked into buying a non-running go-kart to bring it back to life.
“We restored it to mess about with, not realizing it was too fast for our subdivision street,” says Steve. “We decided we should take it to a track at East Lansing. One session out on track was the decider. The look on Reece's face was priceless. We were told that the kart we bought was not up to race spec, so we came home, listed it for sale and bought a race spec kart. We headed back to the track and had a blast.”
Steve was now hooked and so was Reece, who began karting in earnest. “I eventually started racing regional and national events, but my dad had always told me we had to stop karting at 16,” says Steve. “What he didn’t tell me was that we were then going on to the SCCA. We entered in the Formula First class because of its great support structure, low budget, and close racing. We learned a lot about racecars and felt the pain of poor prep. I feel much more comfortable now for that experience. Learning to drive in this class helped me transition easily to the more powerful, winged Formula Enterprises class.”
Jim Schings of SR Racing, a longtime stalwart in Formula First, recalls Reece’s entry into the class, where he was Rookie of the Year right off the bat. “We all recognized that he was going to be fast from watching his first practice session,” says Schings. “His only problem was they purchased a car that needed some work. So, while his driving learning curve wasn't steep, the car preparation curve was. In any case, when his car and engine stayed together he was in the pointy end of every race. He was always a good kid and never used his car as an excuse.”
“People are often amazed at the way Reece takes whatever he does in his stride,” says Steve. “He is very calm on the grid and before a race. He is very grounded.”
Reece is now studying mechanical engineering at Oakland Community College and plans to continue on to Oakland University. He also has a heavy work schedule subcontracting his mechanical skills to V2 Motorsports, which primarily fabricates and preps Mazda Miata’s for racing.
Reece plans to compete in four or five Majors this year in Formula Enterprises and take another shot at the Runoffs. “I enjoy competing the most,” says Reece, “and I seem to be most effective in the final laps of a race. SCCA racing has helped improve my race strategy, patience, and safety, knowing when to make a move and when not.”
Reece also very much knows he is part of a team, wherein his father “not only preps the car, but manages the calendar and the finances. I think it’s important that my dad and I spend time together doing something we both enjoy. It’s just not something everyone can do.”
Words by R.A. McCormack
Image Courtesy of Steve Everard
