The biggest race on the Repco Supercars Championship calendar is next up for the Championship and Jaxon Evans is determined to perform on the big stage.
Joined once again by the experienced Dean Fiore, Evans believes he is in a strong position on his return to Mount Panorama, following his full-time debut at the circuit in February.
It was a tough opening round for Evans as heat in the footwell led to an injured foot during the closing stages of the second race, resulting in an incident at The Esses on the penultimate lap.
Determined to deliver on the improvements made during the rounds prior to his disappointing end at last month’s Penrite Oil Sandown 500, a spurred Evans will be aiming for a strong result in his return to the famous circuit and to improve on his 21st from the 2023 Repco Bathurst 1000, where he partnered Jack Smith.
“I’m looking forward to getting back to Bathurst,” said Evans.
“It will be the third time for me at Bathurst in this car, first Bathurst 1000 as a primary driver, which is pretty exciting.
“I feel like I’ve got a good co-driver in Dean and he’s fitted in quite well with the dynamic and the way we work, so I’ve been learning from him not only on, but off the track as well.
“I had a bit of a foot issue last time we were at the mountain, so I don’t feel like I was at my full potential. I’m confident when we get to Bathurst, we’ll be able to overcome our struggles at Sandown where hopefully we’ll roll out some speedy cars and have a good result. We’re due one. We’ve gone through the hard stuff and hopefully we can turn it around.
“Everything is heading in the right direction, whether this is publicly seen it doesn’t matter as internally it’s definitely noticed and keeps the fire burning at the moment. We’ll continue to knuckle down, keep our heads in the computers and work hard, then it will ultimately come down to what I can do behind the wheel. I have no issues with that.
“Entering the Bathurst 1000 as a primary driver is an exciting prospect and it’s certainly something people dream of, while it’s been a race I’ve always watched. To be at Bathurst as a co-driver is one thing, but to be there as the main driver is pretty special.”
As for his current co-driver, Fiore is contesting his fourth Repco Bathurst 1000 with Brad Jones Racing and has enjoyed a run of top 10 finishes stretching back to 2020. The West Australian’s best finish being sixth in both 2017 and 2020.
Evans has been impressed by how Fiore has slotted into the team seamlessly and is confident of a strong result at the end of 161 laps at Mount Panorama.
Evans and Fiore will gain plenty of extra mileage at Bathurst through six practice sessions in addition to qualifying prior to the race.
The Repco Bathurst 1000 is the 10th round of the 2024 Repco Supercars Championship and takes place on October 10-13.
