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Editor - Dean Evans
Born/lives: Sydney
DOB: July 31, 1972
Motoring journalist since: 1991
Favourite car: 2005 Ford GT
Favourite bike: 2008 Ducati Monster
Favourite Rd: Clipsal 500 track, Mt Buller
With a strong passion and enthusiasm for life and motoring (the latter, just), both parents raced motorcycles in the 1970s and '80s so Dean grew up around Oran Park, Amaroo and Bathurst racetracks. Racing radio-control cars successfully and finishing in the top 20 at the 1988 world title not only unlocked a competitive side, it taught him an incredible amount about car set-up that relates to the real thing. But it wasn't until he started motoring journalism at 20 when he had a proper outlet for his full-size car enthusiasm.
Since then he has experienced the industry's highs and lows, and stands out as someone with talent, integrity, brutal honesty and the ability to establish, implement and execute what some see as highly ambitious (aka crazy) ideas. With an underlying positive outlook on motoring, Dean has done things as exhilarating from flying to Las Vegas to drive his dream car (Ford GT), driving around Australia - 15,000km - in six-and-a-half days to racing an MX-5 in Japan against the country's top GT drivers. And, against the grain of motoring journo policy, largely self-funded.
As Editor of Fast Fours & Rotaries magazine for six years between 1995-2001, Dean took audited sales from 14,000 to 35,000 in three years and established the magazine as a credible, entertaining title. In that time we was the first person in NSW to own a Nissan Pulsar GTI-R in NSW, and also made his racing debut in the 1995 Suzuki Cup. After the 100th issue and evolving the title to Fast Fours, Dean spent a year producing, filming, scripting and editing Serious Performance motoring DVDs. He also sharpened his lipstick camera skills fitting on-board cameras for the SBS TV coverage of the Nations Cup GT championship.
Dean won his first ever race at a rain-soaked Oran Park in 1999 in the Mirage Series one-off drive in the guest car. He returned for the full 12-race 2000 season where he and teammate Warren Luff won every race, Dean also scoring his first ever pole position at Wakefield Park. Dean went on to win the 2001 Mirage season, with seven from seven pole positions and 12 from 14 race wins. In 2005, an impressive drive at Bathurst in a Lotus Elise led him into the factory Lotus Cars Australia Exige in the 2006 Lotus Trophy. Dean scored two poles, two race wins and a lap record around the Adelaide street circuit from two rounds before the series collapsed.
Bigger names were calling in 2002 when Dean contributed to both Wheels and MOTOR magazines, and quickly established a reputation for safe, quick driving, accurate evaluation and - lacking any specific brand loyalty - subjectivity on every test. With sharp technical, mechanical, engineering and electronic knowledge, Dean possesses a unique set of skills in motoring journalism and driving that few can equal. After one year, Dean was pulled into MOTOR magazine full-time where we he was the lead vehicle performance tester and judge on the magazine's major awards, idea generator and regular office arguer about offbeat ideas. After learning the intricate details of how to drive a VBOX, Dean obtained most of the performance figures still used in MOTOR magazine both in straight line and laps.
From Ladas to Lamborghinis, Porsches, Paganis, Saleens and Smarts, Dean has driven most modern day performance cars on both road and track. Regarded as Australia's fastest motoring journalist, Dean's YouTube Bathurst racing clip ranked third on www.TopGear.com's Top Three Greatest Passing Moves of all time - behind two Formula One drivers - with more than half a million hits as of April 2008.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=jQOnOXXc-ps
Dean also made the world competition debut of the Mazda6 MPS in Targa Tasmania (April '05) where he won his class, made the southern hemisphere debut of the Lotus 2-Eleven at the Mt Buller Sprint (Nov '07), setting top stage three times, and he finished 3rd in class (6th outright) in a 996 Porsche 911 GT3 Cup Car at the 2007 Sandown GT Classic 500km enduro. Following an acrimonious departure from MOTOR in 2006, Dean travelled the USA for six months to refresh and reboot and upon his return, decided to launch a new magazine, Tarmac.
Some of Dean's ideas, published stories and projects include:
* Driving a Commodore SS around Australia non-stop (15,000km) in 6.5 days
* Lapping the Nurburgring in 8:52 in a Golf GTI
* Discussing supercars and good pasta over a Modena dinner with Horacio Pagani
* Taking a long-wheelbase Holden Statesman limousine to the track and (with rear passenger watching DVDs and eating popcorn) passing Porsches and Ferraris
* Driving the official safety car (Audi RS6) at the Bathurst 1000
* Pitting a V8Supercar vs a FPV V8 vs an Aussie Racing Car vs a helicopter
* Driving USA coast to coast, Los Angeles to DC in 7 days for $700 including car, meals, gas, accommodation and one tourist attraction per day
* Interviewed 7-time Le Mans winner Tom Kristensen, at 250km/h in an Audi R8
* Lived in the USA for 6 months in 2006/07, visiting Pikes Peak, Laguna Seca, Daytona, Sebring, Talladega and Portland Raceways
* Visited where James Dean was killed and where JFK was shot
* Saw a life goal of a Space Shuttle launch in June 2007
* Visited Seattle, Tokyo, Laguna Seca, Tsukuba and Tokyo simply to drive on (for real) the tracks featured in Gran Turismo 4
* Drove a 2005 Ford GT from LA to Las Vegas, and after seeing 300km/h+, realised it was the best car he's ever driven
DOB: July 31, 1972
Motoring journalist since: 1991
Favourite car: 2005 Ford GT
Favourite bike: 2008 Ducati Monster
Favourite Rd: Clipsal 500 track, Mt Buller
With a strong passion and enthusiasm for life and motoring (the latter, just), both parents raced motorcycles in the 1970s and '80s so Dean grew up around Oran Park, Amaroo and Bathurst racetracks. Racing radio-control cars successfully and finishing in the top 20 at the 1988 world title not only unlocked a competitive side, it taught him an incredible amount about car set-up that relates to the real thing. But it wasn't until he started motoring journalism at 20 when he had a proper outlet for his full-size car enthusiasm.
Since then he has experienced the industry's highs and lows, and stands out as someone with talent, integrity, brutal honesty and the ability to establish, implement and execute what some see as highly ambitious (aka crazy) ideas. With an underlying positive outlook on motoring, Dean has done things as exhilarating from flying to Las Vegas to drive his dream car (Ford GT), driving around Australia - 15,000km - in six-and-a-half days to racing an MX-5 in Japan against the country's top GT drivers. And, against the grain of motoring journo policy, largely self-funded.
As Editor of Fast Fours & Rotaries magazine for six years between 1995-2001, Dean took audited sales from 14,000 to 35,000 in three years and established the magazine as a credible, entertaining title. In that time we was the first person in NSW to own a Nissan Pulsar GTI-R in NSW, and also made his racing debut in the 1995 Suzuki Cup. After the 100th issue and evolving the title to Fast Fours, Dean spent a year producing, filming, scripting and editing Serious Performance motoring DVDs. He also sharpened his lipstick camera skills fitting on-board cameras for the SBS TV coverage of the Nations Cup GT championship.
Dean won his first ever race at a rain-soaked Oran Park in 1999 in the Mirage Series one-off drive in the guest car. He returned for the full 12-race 2000 season where he and teammate Warren Luff won every race, Dean also scoring his first ever pole position at Wakefield Park. Dean went on to win the 2001 Mirage season, with seven from seven pole positions and 12 from 14 race wins. In 2005, an impressive drive at Bathurst in a Lotus Elise led him into the factory Lotus Cars Australia Exige in the 2006 Lotus Trophy. Dean scored two poles, two race wins and a lap record around the Adelaide street circuit from two rounds before the series collapsed.
Bigger names were calling in 2002 when Dean contributed to both Wheels and MOTOR magazines, and quickly established a reputation for safe, quick driving, accurate evaluation and - lacking any specific brand loyalty - subjectivity on every test. With sharp technical, mechanical, engineering and electronic knowledge, Dean possesses a unique set of skills in motoring journalism and driving that few can equal. After one year, Dean was pulled into MOTOR magazine full-time where we he was the lead vehicle performance tester and judge on the magazine's major awards, idea generator and regular office arguer about offbeat ideas. After learning the intricate details of how to drive a VBOX, Dean obtained most of the performance figures still used in MOTOR magazine both in straight line and laps.
From Ladas to Lamborghinis, Porsches, Paganis, Saleens and Smarts, Dean has driven most modern day performance cars on both road and track. Regarded as Australia's fastest motoring journalist, Dean's YouTube Bathurst racing clip ranked third on www.TopGear.com's Top Three Greatest Passing Moves of all time - behind two Formula One drivers - with more than half a million hits as of April 2008.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=jQOnOXXc-ps
Dean also made the world competition debut of the Mazda6 MPS in Targa Tasmania (April '05) where he won his class, made the southern hemisphere debut of the Lotus 2-Eleven at the Mt Buller Sprint (Nov '07), setting top stage three times, and he finished 3rd in class (6th outright) in a 996 Porsche 911 GT3 Cup Car at the 2007 Sandown GT Classic 500km enduro. Following an acrimonious departure from MOTOR in 2006, Dean travelled the USA for six months to refresh and reboot and upon his return, decided to launch a new magazine, Tarmac.
Some of Dean's ideas, published stories and projects include:
* Driving a Commodore SS around Australia non-stop (15,000km) in 6.5 days
* Lapping the Nurburgring in 8:52 in a Golf GTI
* Discussing supercars and good pasta over a Modena dinner with Horacio Pagani
* Taking a long-wheelbase Holden Statesman limousine to the track and (with rear passenger watching DVDs and eating popcorn) passing Porsches and Ferraris
* Driving the official safety car (Audi RS6) at the Bathurst 1000
* Pitting a V8Supercar vs a FPV V8 vs an Aussie Racing Car vs a helicopter
* Driving USA coast to coast, Los Angeles to DC in 7 days for $700 including car, meals, gas, accommodation and one tourist attraction per day
* Interviewed 7-time Le Mans winner Tom Kristensen, at 250km/h in an Audi R8
* Lived in the USA for 6 months in 2006/07, visiting Pikes Peak, Laguna Seca, Daytona, Sebring, Talladega and Portland Raceways
* Visited where James Dean was killed and where JFK was shot
* Saw a life goal of a Space Shuttle launch in June 2007
* Visited Seattle, Tokyo, Laguna Seca, Tsukuba and Tokyo simply to drive on (for real) the tracks featured in Gran Turismo 4
* Drove a 2005 Ford GT from LA to Las Vegas, and after seeing 300km/h+, realised it was the best car he's ever driven
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