Drew Hawkins: The Fastest Qualifier in the Room

Southern Indiana | Pro Men EUC | Dual Sport Racer

Drew Hawkins posted the fastest combined qualifying score in Pro Men EUC at Oak City Shredfest 6 -- earning him the championship standings points for the event. In the finals, he finished fourth behind Hugues Filiault, Jean-Philippe Daigle, and Ky Pelashe.

He'll tell you exactly what happened in those finals.

"Some drama happened out here on the course and I got fourth," he said. "You never really know what's going to happen until it happens."

Drew Hawkins got sideways out of the starting gate in the EUC finals at Oak City Shred Fest. Photo by @eRideLife.

That's it. No excuses, no dwelling. Just an honest read of a race that didn't go the way qualifying suggested it would -- and a rider already thinking about what he's going to do differently next time.

The Road Trip Guy

Hawkins drove from southern Indiana to Raleigh for Oak City Shredfest 6. That's roughly eleven hours each way. He does this for every race on the circuit.

"All the races are a road trip for me," he said. "For this community, I'm down to drive wherever. I'll drive 15 hours, 11 hours."

He's already planning farther. Next season, he wants to get out to the west coast events -- a 25-hour drive. He knows there are fast riders out there and he wants to race them.

At Oak City, he didn't just race EUC. He entered Pro Onewheel too, qualified third, and finished second in the finals. Two disciplines, one weekend, one trip from Indiana. That's who Drew Hawkins is at a race event.

Drew Hawkins (#206) sliding past Noah Kellam for the 2nd Place Onewheel podium at Oak City Shred Fest. Photo by @eRideLife.

Building the Podium

His first year racing, Hawkins never made the podium. He watched the winners celebrate and decided he wanted to be up there.

"I really like supporting those guys," he said. "But then I realized how bad I wanted up there."

So he did what the podium finishers were doing. He studied them. He found out they weren't just riding more -- they were training. Working with coaches. Taking care of their bodies. He started working with trainer Johnny Santella, added yoga for flexibility, and started approaching racing like an athlete instead of a hobbyist.

"People help me get to where I'm at," he said. "It's not just me."

The qualifying lap at Oak City was the result of that work. Fastest time in the field, clean run, 0.00 points. He knows the jump strategy too -- he intentionally held back on the whale tail in qualifiers, then saw other riders go for it after watching him. "There's strategy," he said. "You got to think about this stuff. Maybe next time I'll keep it in the bag until the very end."

Drew Hawkins sending the triple "Rolling Thunder" at Oak City Shred Fest. Photo by @eRideLife.

The Wheel as a Lifeline

The most important thing Drew Hawkins will tell you is that riding changed his life in ways that go beyond racing.

He's sober, and he talks about it openly. He's a supporter of the No Shame Pledge, an organization working to end the stigma around addiction, and he brings it up not because he has to but because he wants to. Because he knows he's going to run into people at these events who need to hear it.

Drew Hawkins EUC Jump on "Hoppy Hill" at Oak City Shred Fest. Photo by @eRideLife.

"If you're struggling with addiction, I recommend getting a wheel," he said. "You can try therapy and doctors, but a wheel can do a lot for you. It's one of the best outlet tools and mental health tools I've ever found."

The reasons make sense when you hear him talk about riding. When you're on the wheel, he says, you can't think about anything else. You have to be present. The trail doesn't give you room for anything but the next move.

"When you're on that wheel, you can't really think about much else. You just focus on what you're doing. And it's amazing the places it can take you and the people it can show you."
He sees the community as part of it too -- not just as a racing network but as a source of genuine support.

"You are who you surround yourself with. And there's a lot of people out here in this community that not only want you to win in racing, but they want you to win in life."

The Athletic Foundation

Hawkins grew up a wild kid. Four-wheelers, anything with a motor, high school sports, college intramural leagues. Rock climbing, whitewater rafting, anything with an adrenaline component. The EUC fit right into that pattern -- except it stuck in a way other things hadn't.

He started on a V14, got in when the technology had already matured, and has watched it keep evolving. Better suspension, more power, higher voltage. He pays attention to where the manufacturers are going and thinks about what it means for the sport.

"They're building better batteries, better suspension, and it just keeps getting better and better, which means it's safer and safer," he said. "People think, 'Oh, you're going so fast, it's dangerous.' You got a big safety margin in there."

He watches riders like Matt Burt, Zac Darnell , Joshua Fagerness, and Justin Davis. He messages them about settings. They message back. That's the culture he found and the culture he wants to help build.

What's Next

Back home in Indiana, Hawkins rides with Bennett Schirmer, an up-and-coming EUC racer he's been developing alongside. "You'll hear about him a lot," he said. "I promise that."

Drew Hawkins was riding the KingSong F18 for some runs at Oak City Shred Fest. Photo by @eRideLife.

When asked where EUC racing will go in the future he said he wants to see full grandstands one day. Fans watching, going crazy as riders hit doubles. He thinks it's coming.

"Will we race way out in the woods? Will we race on the street? Will we race on motocross tracks where the fans are watching us?" he said. "I see a grandstand one day filled up."

For now, he's got another road trip to plan, to Amped Electric Games in October.

"If you haven't been to an Amped Electric Games event, you have to come out," he said. "It's more than just riding. It's more than just racing. It's community, man. You really got to come out and check it out."

If you want to race the fastest athlete at Oak City Shredfest 6, you know where to find him.

Find Drew online at @scoobydrewww across Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, and Facebook.