Agents and Publicists

I am having a hard time getting a publicist or agent. I know it is difficult to represent someone like me but it really does have its benefits. If there are any sports agents or publicists out there that want to work with me and all the groundwork I have already accomplished, let me know!

More Fun!

On another note I am building a BMW 325is for club racing and instruction. It is just in the dissasembling stage right now ($300 car) and it is real dirty. I will start putting the cage in it next week then I would like to start building it. These things are expensive! I will be instructing with it privately and with various clubs. This car will be in front of BMWCCA drivers and fans so this could be a cheap way to get your companys name out there! Or just get some instruction on some of the best tracks in the world! I will be frequenting VIR, Road Atlanta, Carolina Motorsports Park, Roebling Road, Rockingham, Daytona, Sebring, Homestead and more...email me at evan@edarlingenterprises.com for more information!

2009 schedule

Well here it is! As you can see Homestead is back as well as Laguna Seca! My two favorites on the '09 Schedule! Still trying to get support do do this but I am staying positive.

2009 Grand-Am Annual Schedule

Jan 23 - 25 Daytona International Speedway – KONI Challenge
Rolex 24 At Daytona – Rolex Series

March 13 - 15 Homestead-Miami Speedway – KONI Challenge

TBD Mexico City 1000 km race – Rolex Series

April 24 - 26 Virginia International Raceway – Rolex Series

May 1 - 3 New Jersey Motorsports Park – Rolex Series

New Jersey Motorsports Park – KONI Challenge

May 15 - 17 Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca – KONI Challenge
Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca – Rolex Series

May 22 - 25 Lime Rock Park – KONI Challenge

June 5 - 7 Watkins Glen International – KONI Challenge
Watkins Glen International – Rolex Series

June 19 - 21 Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course – KONI Challenge
Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course – Rolex Series

July 2 Daytona 250 – Rolex Series (Thurs)

July 17 - 19 Barber Motorsports Park – KONI Challenge
Barber Motorsports Park – Rolex Series

August 7 - 9 Watkins Glen International – Rolex Series (Fri)

August 14 - 16 Trois-Rivieres – KONI Challenge

August 28 - 30 Montreal – Rolex Series (Sat)

Sept 18 - 20 Miller Motorsports Park – KONI Challenge
Miller Motorsports Park – Rolex Series

October 2 - 4 Virginia International Raceway – KONI Challenge

October 9 - 11 Homestead-Miami Speedway – Rolex Series

It looks like we are going to have a great year of racing...now just get me there! Next year is also a premier year for the series as NASCAR owns the series. There will be more televised events and publicity surrounding the series. We are a small team so sponsoring us would have a greater visual impact for sponsorship dollars. We know how to stretch a buck!

Come join us for some great racing action!

Remembering a great racer

We lost a great racer. Paul Newman has passed on. PLN has always been a great inspiration for me. My first real race car was a Datsun 240Z painted in red/white/blue to mimick his car. I met him at Daytona in 1997 and 1998 and he was the nicest down-to-earth racer I had met. At the track he was always having a good time but took his racing very seriously. He was a great driver with more natural talent than many top paid drivers out there today. The world is a better place because of Paul Newman and he left his mark with me and many generations to come. Rest in peace PLN

Race Updates

Well it has been a very trying year. We managed to finish the race at NJ Motorsports park after all the mayhem. We were a lap down at the end and the race was riddled with wrecks and drama but we got it done. My stint was the second one and I got in the car with 1 hour and 10 minutes to go. Before we even got a green flag, there was a wreck and we were under caution until there was only 18 min left. I got a green flag and raced for a whopping 18 minutes! I must say that the track was fun and the weather was beautiful though.

Our next adventure is the 6 Hour race at Virginia International Raceway. We are trying to raise funds to get there and run. I know the economy has been pretty bad lately but we are not looking for millions! If a few people put something towards it we can do it. I am the only out GLBT Pro in sports that is out and active! There has to be someone that wants to help support myself and the community! There is a paypal addy on my website and anything helps. If anyone has any ideas let me know as well.

My agent did not work out as he was too young and not ready for this type of career. He is smart and should do fine with more experience, but needs to finish school and get some seat time in the real world. If anyone knows of an agent or publicist that wants to try and grow with me I can be contacted thru here or my website (edarlingenterprises.com).

For those new here

I recently published a synopsis of my 2008 season at gaytona.com's website that summarises my season pretty well so I brought it over here. If you have not been to gaytona.com, you must! Well here is my season so far...

This year has been trying. The season started at Daytona in January where we thought we had a great chance at a good showing. I was paired with Mary Katharine driving the GSM Motorsports VW GTI in the Grand Am Koni Challenge enduro. Our car came off the trailer with a few issues that did not rear thier ugly heads until practice. We were way down on power and having to reset the master switch on track to get it back (not fun @150mph entering the chicane!). We played around with programming and changed a few parts hoping we found the issues. The problem was we did not qualify well having these issues. I was gridded next to Patrick Dempsey in the Roar RX 8 midpack. We got a great start picking up 8 positions and the car was making the power it should. I kept on turning times as good as the leaders when we started cutting out again. We soldiered on after a long pitstop to try and fix the issues. I handed the car over to Mary where she did a great job driving the car keeping her position. Eventually the motor let go. It was the .60 cent part that caused all the drama as usual ending our race (and our motor). Oh well! Our next race was at Lime Rock and we had a pretty good candidate to drive with me. We tested him at 2 tracks, Roebling Road in Savanna and Kershaw (CMP) in South Carolina. He was pretty good, learning the challenges of a fast front wheel drive car. Two weeks before the race I was trying to make the funds to be in the game but I came up short. Part of the fun of being the only GLBT racer is there are very few companies that want to sponsor me. I am still looking for the right one that wants to help me and our community...I am sure they are out there I just need to find them. I have had a great outpouring of support from the community though! (Faultline Bar in LA, Exile in Columbus, OH and a bar near you soon! More on that later). Anyways we go to Lime Rock and we have another driver with a bigger wallet renting the car with the kid. The new guy practiced in the car and realized you don't just hop in a car like this and learn how to drive it hours before a race. He backed out. This means I drive! Woo Hoo! Well it wasn't that simple. The kid did not want me as his co-driver. We are speculating why but the most logical answer is he wanted someone slower than him in the car. He was consistently slower than me in all our testing and he wanted to be the star. He chose one of his less experienced friends. It is possible that he did not want to be associated with a GLBT driver, but that is speculation. Well they started the race, got lapped 3 times, then crashed. It was one of the most embarrassing and degrading weekends of my life. I would have much rather gone to IML in Chicago that weekend. I skipped the race at Mosoport as our team had no plans on going, then went to Mid Ohio. I was helping a couple of teams with their programs and being a mechanic. The car I was crewing for ended up in the gravel trap with a broken wheel bearing with 20 minutes to go (it was raining and the car went off a few times before that). It has been frustrating going to these races helping others and not driving. I love being there and helping, but I love racing more. If sponsors do not come, I will be out of the sport all together.On another note, I have been doing fundraisers. I went to the Faultline bar in LA and had a great outpouring of support (paid my entry to Lime Rock...just could not afford the rest of the expenses). I was trying out a publicist type and he ended up being a bit strange and we parted ways. He did organize the event (sort of) by putting me in contact with people, but had his own plans for me. Well things did not work out with us so I was stuck in LA. He even canceled my flight home and did not inform me! Nice. The trip ended up a lot less profitable than it could have but it was great to see all the race fans! I also met my Agent for the first time. He is pretty young and still in school, but he seems pretty smart. I am still waiting to see the Faultline pics and email list though! I then went on to Palm Springs to visit my friend George (Georgie's Alibi) to talk about future fundraisers. Then on to Phoenix where I set up a table at Charlie's. Great country western bar but not really a fundraiser. The next one was at Exile in Columbus Ohio. This is a new (renovated) bar with great clientele. I was surprised at how big the gay community was there. Columbus is an interesting city and should be visited if you are passing through. The fundraiser was not planned until a week before so I did not expect much. It turned out great with me meeting some really great people. I will try and have more fundraisers all around so look out!Ok I will stop rambling on and hopefully have some great news in the near future about sponsorship! I have a blog (I promise I will update it more) http://evandarling.blogspot.com/ so check it out! Special thanks to Betty Jack...we have had some great media lately and it shows we are a BIG part of society as well as our community (GLBT race fans). Heres to growing our gearhead gay community!

Cheers!

Evan

EVAN DARLING IS A PROFESSIONAL RACECAR DRIVER BASED IN NC. CHECK OUT EVAN'S WEBSITE FOR MORE INFORMATIONhttp://www.edarlingenterprises.com/

New Jersey here we come!!

Ok I have a co-driver for the New Jersey race! Her name is Mary Katharine and she is a World Challenge driver. She raced with me in our Daytona race where we unfortunately lost the motor. This should be alot of fun as it is a televised race (Sept. 7th @2:00pm on Speed Channel) and there are alot of support races included in the weekend. If anyone lives in the area come on out to Thunderbolt Raceway to see the show! Our race starts on Sunday at 8:45am and it is a 2 1/2 hour race. If anyone would like a great advertising oppertunity, please contact me for details! More to come as we get closer!

Evan

Happy 4th of July!

Yea I know I am a day late but I have been under the weather lately. I am still trying to find sponsors and burning the midnight oil trying to figure out how I can continue.

Fundraiser in Columbus

Hey there, I just finished a fundraiser in Columbus Ohio at a bar called Exile. If you are ever visiting this area check it out! It has a great mix of people in it and the bar was obviously just renovated. It looks like they have alot of improvements to come as well. I am going to Mid Ohio this weekend (I am actually here now) to network and keep my face fresh with the series. Still trying on the sponsor stuff. My agent, Elliot Rozenberg is working on some ideas to approach companies and I have great hope that we can do something. Thats all for now...

June update

Hey all, pick up a copy of Sports Out Loud...great magazine and article on racing! I am very happy with the publication and quality, truly a world class sports magazine!

Well June is upon us and it is killing me to see all these nice races on the schedule and not be able to show my stuff. I am going to Ohio for a possible fundraiser and go to the track to mingle. It is the most difficult thing in the world for a racer to do...go to a race and watch. I see all the people I race with and watch them progress thru thier careers as I wait for sponsorship. Help? This next race is going to be a great one as it is televised and we are the premier race for the weekend. If anyone is in the Mid-Ohio area (Steam Corners) please look me up! Lots of fun and great atmosphere at these events! It is fun seeing Patrick Dempsey and others mingling around and racing. I will post more info on the fundraisers soon as soon as I get scheduling together. My agent Elliot Rozenberg is working on sponsorships as well and any inquiries can go to elliot@edarlingenterprises.com.

Thanks for reading!
Evan

Back from Lime Rock

Well that was pretty bad. I was not in the car at Lime Rock this past weekend. We had 2 new drivers in the car and they were inexperienced in front wheel drive cars. One of the drivers tested with us at a couple of tracks and is coming up to speed pretty well but the other driver had no experience. We were off pace during the race and got taken out by another car lapping us. Oh well I am not sure of when I will race next so keep tuned and I will update.

Thanks

Doesn't look good

Well I really tried and I do not have enough funds to make Lime Rock. This is an expensive sport that I am trying to excel in but with no corporate support it will not happen. I put it all out on the line for our community and thought I was doing something good, but I guess I was too early to try this approach. I will continue to try but I doubt I will make many races with no support. I am going to keep approaching corporations and will keep you all informed. Thank you to all that have helped and supported me to this point. I do have an entry fee already paid for Lime Rock (thanks everyone from Faultline!) and I can transfer it to a future race. The travel expenses and funds needed to operate the car are just too much. Well its back to work for me and thanks again for the kind words of support and private help from you!

Been a while...

Ok I have not posted much on here lately but get lots of people looking at it. Say hello or give me an opinion! We had a great fundraiser at The Faultline in LA with a great turnout of support! I would like to thank everyone involved for thier hard work and support to get me to the track. My search for a sponsor is still coming up empty and I would like some opinions on how to get some (or one big one!). I can use a private sponsor to put charities on the car or a commercial sponsor to promote thier products. It is very expensive to race and I am short for Lime Rock (race is May 23-25) and TV broadcast is May 31 at 8/11 pm. This is a great oppertunity for someone to get thier product name or charity of choice out there for the world to see and help sponsor the only active GLBT driver out there today!

I will be doing more fundraisers as the year progresses to try and make races but if sponsorship comes my way I would love to help local charities raise funds. Give it some thought and get back to me!

Evan

Testing

Well after the GTI lost its motor at Daytona, we have it together again. We are taking it to Roebling Road Raceway to test it this weekend for Lime Rock coming up. I have a new agent and we are working with a potential new sponsor for the rest of the season or a few races! I hope this works out as we really need it to continue!

I also will be doing a fundraiser at The Faultline Bar in Los Angeles on April 27 and at Charlies in Phoenix May 3. Come on out and support our cause!

More soon!

Daytona in the books-Lime Rock next!

Well the daytona race is done. I wish it went better but at least we got some great coverage when the motor let go LOL. Here is a copy of the press release:

Daytona, FL (1/28/08) - The GSM/Bildon GTI shows strong pace at Daytona setting the 2nd fastest time of all VWs in the event.

Close, competitive racing marked the first event on the 2008 calendar for the GSM Motorsports VW GTI sponsored by Bildon Motorsport. The Fresh from Florida 200 at Daytona International Speedway was the first event for the team since it's big setback last year which saw the #113 GTI destroyed in at Lime Rock Park.

However this was a new year, and with it, new drivers and renewed expectations. The team arrived well prepared after its successful testing in the weeks prior. The initial practice sessions were uneventful as the team drivers Evan Darling and Mary Katharine settled into a groove working on race setup and practicing driver changes.

When the green flag flew on Friday's race, the GTI made it's move with a strong push early on moving up as many as 5 positions. Throughout the first hour the GSM GTI held it's own and continued to move forward in a very large and competitive field. Avoiding a few crashes that took out a number of competitors was part of the strategy that the team was following, "stay out of trouble and it will come to you".

But this is racing and trouble can find you even when you are trying you hardest to hide from it. By the mid-way point it became evident that the car was down on power. Crew Chief and Team Owner Jon Lewis said "We were fighting what we thought was a computer program or diverter valve failure when we decided to do our driver change just over the mid way point of the race." Once Mary Katharine took control and settled in the real problem showed itself during a routine pit stop in the form of a telltale wisp of smoke. As it turned out the number one cylinder was on its way out, most likely the result of a broken piston ring. The team soldiered on until just before the 10 min mark before before they radioed to driver Mary Katharine to pull off the track to save the motor from further damage.

So with the knowledge that the car when healthy had been turning laps as faster as those in the top 10, the team put the GSM Motorsports GTI 'sponsored by Bildon Motorsport' back in the trailer and headed home knowing that we have a car capable of running up front.

"We are looking forward to Lime Rock, the next event. We want to finish what we started last year, and have a good solid finish, said Lewis.

Thanks to all our friends and sponsors, Bildon Motorsport, Revo Technik, Autotech Sport Tuning, Spec Clutch, Carbotech Brakes & KW Competition.

Note: The Fresh from Florida 200 will air on Speed Channel at 8pm EST February 2nd.

About Grand-Am KONI Challenge
The Koni Challenge, formerly known as the Grand-Am Cup Series (GAC) and its sister series the Grand American Rolex Sportscar Series (Rolex), are North America’s premier platforms for professional endurance road racing. The cars that compete in Grand-Am Cup are production-based, “uni-body” cars running in two classes: Grand Sport (GS), “Sportscars” and Sport Touring (ST) “Touring Cars”.

About Bildon Motorsport
Bildon Motorsport (www.bildon.com) is a company focused on marketing Volkswagen performance and racing equipment. The company is a manufacturer, importer and retailer and offers a complete line of suspension, body, and drivetrain parts for racers campaigning Volkswagen products such as the GTI, Golf, Jetta and Corrado. Bildon Motorsport also offers professional race team assistance with racecar fabrication, parts fabrication and engineering support.

About German Speed Merchants
German Speed Merchants (www.GermanSpeedMerchants.com) is a full service performance and racing operation based in Wilmington North Carolina since 1997. The GSM facility is a 14,000 square feet building with 5 service bays, and dedicated space for race car fabrication and repair. GSM employs 7 full time technicians and support staff. The GSM Team has built 73 race cars ranging from SCCA club racing and autocross cars to a BMW 330 featured in the Universal motion picture The Fast and The Furious.

Further information:
Bill Sulouff, bill bildon.com
Text, photographs and video: http://gsm.bildon.com

Next race Lime Rock! I hope it goes better than last year. Check back for details about the up coming race and to see if I get sponsors!

Daytona Grand Am Koni Challenge!

Well I begged borrowed stole raped and pillaged enough funds (and labor) to race at Daytona on January 25th in the Koni Challenge race. I need to thank Ruff Riders Clothing in Wilton Manors, FL, Chic Optique in Wilton Manors and Dr. Veronica Gipps in Fort Lauderdale for associate sponsorship of the GSM GTI! I need more sponsors to go to the rest of the races but at least I am making it to the first one! My co-driver in this event is Mary Katharine, a World Challenge veteran and great driver. I am not sure how many races she will be doing. This race will be televised on March 4th at 11:30AM on Speed Channel so lok for us! (#113 VW GTI ST Class and the car is white).

Happy New Year Everyone!

Well I lived to 2008...I guess that is good! I am planning on going to Daytona at the end of this month. If I get a sponsor, I will race. If I do not I will be a mechanic. Someone sponsor me!!!

Cheers, Evan