Ethan Ebert might only be sixteen years old, but Honda has already named him their driver of the future. On Tuesday, Honda Off-Road Factory Racing Team announced Ebert will replace team owner Jeff Proctor in their flagship Honda Ridgeline, which will begin competing in the top-level SCORE International Trophy Truck class in 2023. His début will take place at King of the Hammers in February.
A short course ace who competed in the Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series and Great American Shortcourse, Ebert became a Honda development driver in 2021 and has spent the last two seasons with the Honda Talon department. He began competing in SCORE races in 2022 starting with the Baja 500, where he finished fifth in the Pro UTV Normally Aspirated class. At the legendary Baja 1000, he teamed up with Honda partner Zach Sizelove to finish runner-up.
“I’m blown away to have this opportunity to move ahead in my career,” said Ebert. “It doesn’t always happen that way, so this means a lot. To carry-on Jeff’s legacy and be able to learn from him makes all the difference. In the Talon, I’ve been able to learn about set-up and my driving style and how I want the vehicle to drive for me. I have lots of hard work ahead of me to get dialed in on the Ridgeline and I’m ready for it.
“It’s a cool learning curve to get my brain equipped to manage the added and sustained pace of the Ridgeline and find out where the lines are, how hard I can push it. The new Ridgeline will be ready soon and I can’t wait. My first race is King of the Hammers in Johnson Valley. We’re not holding back and going for it.”
With Proctor behind the wheel, the Ridgeline won Class 7 at the Baja 500 five times and the 1000 in 2021 and 2022. The latter victory allowed him to end his driving career on a strong note as he is stepping away for health reasons.
Ebert’s Ridgeline is a new “Gen 2” model with a Trophy Truck chassis. The team recently signed a two-year contract extension to continue receiving factory support from Honda.
