DEVIN'S BIO
Devin Walz
OKJ Karting Driver
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| Birth Date: | 27-Apr-11 |
| Place of Birth: | Boise, Idaho |
| Place of Residence: | USA | UK | Germany |
| Karting Debut: | 2020 in Boise, Idaho in L206 |
| Current Category: | FIA OK Junior |
| Current Team: | Forza Racing UK |
| Favorite Kart Track | Sarno, Italy |
| Hobbies: | Snowboarding, Fishing, Trap & Skeet Shooting |
| Racing in Europe: | Started in January 2023 with BabyRace Academy |
RACING FROM AN EARLY AGE
The competitive spirit is part of Devin’s DNA. While challenging his brother to see who is fastest or best at anything, may be a daily activity, so too is the desire to see how he stacks up against others on the international stage. At the age of 6, Devin qualified to be on the US Cycling’s BMX Team USA, and he represented the United States and participated in the 2017 UCI World Championships. Two years later, Devin joined the elite team of BMX races at the 2019 UCI World Championships in Zolder, Belgium. After the BMX race concluded, he and his brother discovered the joy of karting at the nearby, world-famous Genk karting complex. Those few days in rental karts kicked off Devin’s true passion for 4-wheeled racing. Fast forward through 2024….
- 2019 – karting at Genk, Belgium and watching SKUSA SuperNats in person in Las Vegas
- 2020 –learned the art of kart racing in Idaho from legendary tuner, Doug Fleming
- 2021 – moved up to racing cadet karts across the Western USA
- 2022 – time to seek out more competition against the best in the USA at SKUSA, ROK, and USPKS events
- 2023 – a casual invite in January to race GR3 (60 Mini) in Italy resulted in staying the full year, and securing notable wins
- 2023 – became one of only 3 Americans to WIN a WSK Series, and the only one to do it in GR3 / 60 Mini – 2023 Final Cup Series.
SPEED ISN’T ENOUGH TO LEAD AND WIN
While speed, purple sectors, and fastest laps came quickly for Devin, it wasn’t long before he started asking his team, coach and mentors about strategies and how to manage a race to put him in the best position to be competitive for podiums in the main event. Devin quickly saw the value in post-session review of race data and video for areas to extract the most from himself and his kart. Equally, it became clear that having a solid understanding of kart dynamics and the ability to communicate technical aspects of the race to his team meant the difference between finishing a race and winning the race. Fortunately, Devin has been able to learn from some of the best in karting, including Doug Fleming, Jake Mottaz, Mike and Alex Speed, Austin Miles, Leo and Alessio Lorandi, Macaulay Walsh, Jamie Croxford and many others. Taking nuggets of wisdom from each, Devin is forever learning, adapting, and honing his craft to become a well-rounded motorsports athlete.
2024 – FIRST FULL YEAR IN FIA OK JUNIOR
With his rookie year of international racing in the books, Devin is stepping right into the highly competitive FIA OK Junior category with major races across Europe, culminating in the FIA-CIK Karting World Championship. Success, podiums, and championship wins in 2023 afforded Devin the ability to secure one of the rare and few seats on the World Championship winning team, Forza Racing UK. This elite British team, with its strong relationship with OTK, Machac Engines and cadre of talented staff is sure to give Devin the best possible chance to shine on the world stage. Marry these partnerships with his driver coach, physio coach, and all the companies that support him, and Devin is confident his rookie year in OKJ will be worth following.
A CRYSTAL BALL INTO THE FUTURE
Several times a year this question gets posed to both Devin and his American family, “Where do you want to end up? INDY? NASCAR?” Sure, reaching the pinnacle of any of these motorsport venues is the dream of racers, but for now Devin’s eyes are focused singularly on one goal = F1.
The thought of competing against the best in the world in bespoke and highly technical race cars on the iconic tracks spread across the globe fuels Devin’s commitment to be first at the track each day and put in the long hours honing his race craft. Repeatedly watching each episode of Netflix’s series “Drive to Survive” also adds fuel to passion… and ensures the family can quote funny lines from the various segments. Devin, nor his family, are naive enough to think the path to INDY, NASCAR, or F1 is simple or easy. Rather, the focus is one race at a time, one podium at a time. Devin is steadily developing, studying, and engaging with experts to develop his craft. He is honing his strategic thinking and technical knowledge to be an asset to current and future teams as he climbs the international motorsports ladder. A pinch of luck and the told and untold support of the “village” will be necessary to ensure Devin has a chance at achieving his focused and ambitious goal.
