Jaxon Evans has finished his sophomore Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup season fourth in the championship with a fifth-placed finish at the season-finale from the Autodromo Nazionale di Monza.
The championship was ultimately awarded to Larry Ten Voorde who overcame a four-point deficit to erstwhile points leader Dylan Pereira with a lights-to-flag triumph while his rival could only muster fourth. The crown was essentially determined in qualifying given the difficulty of overtaking in the series and it showed with Pereira unable to make headway after starting on the second row.
Meanwhile, Evans does help ensure BWT Lechner are crowned team champions but will undoubtedly be leaving 2020 with bittersweet emotions after unable to win again all season following his dominant drive at the opening round in Austria.
The Kiwi started eighth following a post-qualifying penalty, but the race barely made it to Turn 1 before the first major accident as Philipp Sager was punted into the outside wall, collecting the barrier with his rear wing. A quick Safety Car was deployed to recover the stricken vehicle.
Amid the Turn 1 sqaubble, Evans had worked himself up to sixth and for the restart had himself sandwiched in a heated exchange with Ayhancan Guven and Jean-Baptiste Simmenauer. However, the field was once again neutralised behind the Safety Car when Hugo Nerman found the tyre barrier at Lesmo 1.
A lengthy intervention by the Safety Car followed but from the restart Evans hounded the rear of Guven, forcing the Turkish driver into a mistake at the second chicane to place himself nicely for a move to claim fifth.
Upfront, Ten Voorde’s margin on Florian Latorre was a healthy two-seconds while Pereria searched in vain for a way past Leon Kohler for third to keep his fading championship hopes alive.
As that margin slipped away, the Luxembourg driver came under rapid fire by Evans who had closed to within half-a-second as the field commenced its 15th and final lap. The Kiwi was evidently faster but knew the risk of having a collision with his teammate was too much to make any unnecessary lunges for position.
Thus, Evans followed Pereira home in fifth to round out a season highlighted by three podiums and a maiden career win. He also finished right behind fellow Porsche Junior Guven in the standings, showcasing the promising potential of the sports youngsters.
Australia’s Jordan Love had a commendable drive to finish a career-high seventh for his first top-10 result since Hungary.
Next year will once again have the Supercup follow the Formula 1 European schedule and is also slated to see the introduction of the new Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car into the championship.
Evans is yet to firm up his plans for 2021 though his impressive 2020 display will hopefully be leaving him wanting more and the thought of a possible return to the series to try and claim a maiden crown.