By: Ashley McCubbin

Getting his feet wet last year with the second half of the USF2000 Presented by Cooper Tires schedule, Evagoras Papasavvas is ready to embark on the full campaign in 2023. The Jay Howard Driver Development driver shared his thoughts with NEWS FROM THE PITS.

What are your thoughts on the upcoming season for 2023?

Well, I think this season I am very motivated and excited to start this season with Jay Howard Driver Development for the second-year running. I’m really excited to work with this team again. We had very good connections with each other. I’m really excited to be on-track with my teammates once again and doing what I love most.

What are your goals for this upcoming season?

Well obviously, last year was my rookie season. So this year, we are going for the championship, so it’s going to be a lot of hard work and dedication, but I think both the team and I are ready for that and I think we’re both capable of doing that.

What track on the schedule are you most excited to get back to?

So I only did half a season last year, but out of those, I think I like Toronto the most. Toronto was a very fun track for me. I like the area. It’s a very nice city, and it’s a street course so it’s on the real bumpy streets of Toronto.

So what do you feel that you can do better this season, based on what you were able to learn in the second-half of the schedule you did run?

So last season was my rookie season so it was all about learning, learning the most that we can do, and I think we’ve done that. We’ve learned a lot and we’re ready to put that to the test this year. But during the races, it was just the little mistakes that cost the difference between the podium and seventh-place, for example. So just those little mistakes is something that I could’ve fixed.

How did you get started in racing?

Well, I got my start in racing – my dad brought me to an indoor karting place when I was about eight-years-old and the second I got into the go-kart, I knew this was something I wanted to do for a very long time and I’ve loved it ever since.

What’s been your most memorable moment to date?

Probably the first time I got into a racecar, just making the transition from go-karts to racecars. My transition was also with Jay Howard Driver Development, and they’ve been very comforting since the beginning. I still remember all the new feelings, differences, like the power, the speed, (and) all those kind of things.

You mentioned coming back with Jay Howard Driver Development and they have a nice slew of drivers, as you’re the fourth driver confirmed alongside the others. What is it like for you being a young driver having teammates to lean on for these tracks and new experiences?

Well this sport off the track is very much a team sport. We’re all working together with the race engineers to make the cars as best as we can and I think we all have good connections with each other and I think that’s very important to have a successful team to have solid results.

Where do you see yourself five years from now?

Well five years from now, I see myself either in IndyCar or some other professional level of motorsports. That is my ultimate goal and that’s where I want to get to, and where I want to stay.

That leads into the next question. I know you’re on the open-wheel path right now. But are there any other types of motorsports that you’d like to give a try?

I’ve always loved watching sportscar racing and with the 24 Hours of Daytona coming up – the different types of cars, all different classes, multi-class level racing – I just really love all those variances in racing so I’d love to try something with that.

Who is your racing hero?

Ever since I started racing and started watching racing, started watching Formula 1, I’ve always looked up to Fernando Alonso and a two-time World Champion with Renault. I look up to him a lot and make a lot of connections with him and he’s like a role model for me in the racing world.