Steve Smith got a great 19th birthday present by signing up for Evil Bikes. This move will give Evil a strong presence on the World Cup circuits in 2009 though we’ve yet to see a working prototype bike.

Here’s what team mate Thomas Vanderham said;

On behalf of Evil Bikes I am stoked to announce the signing of World Cup downhill racer Steve Smith. I first started hearing Steve’s name about 4 or 5 years ago when I was still racing BC and Canada Cups. It was always murmured along with phrases like “the next big Canadian racer” and “has the potential to do well at a world cup level”. This year Steve took big steps to reaching that potential with a break out season, which saw him claim the US Open title, post a 10th place finish at the Andorra world cup, and debut in the film Seasons. As a fellow rider I am excited to have Stevie as a teammate, we have always had a great time hanging together and I like the confident approach he brings to his riding. The generally soft spoken 18 year old usually lets his riding do the talking but I forced him to sit down and answer some questions so that all of you could get to know him better.

For a full interview check out Evil Bikes

Steve Smith on Evil