Following an impressive display in the Bathurst 12 Hour last weekend, Jaxon Evans will now switch focus to his solo Supercars Championship debut at the Bathurst 500 this weekend.
An international GT gun for hire since winning the Porsche Junior Programme Shootout in 2018, Evans returns to compete in Australia’s top tier at the Brad Jones Racing-aligned SCT Motorsport in 2024.
Having joined the squad for the past two seasons as an endurance driver pairing with Jack Smith, the 27-year-old will undertake his maiden Supercars Championship season aiming to build on his international experience.
“Making my debut in the Supercars Championship as a solo driver is really exciting,” said Evans.
“It’s going to be a pretty full-on weekend. It’s the first round on my own, so I’ll have a lot of things to take in, and I just want to keep on learning. I want to make sure that we hit the ground running, but at the same time, turn as many laps as I can.”
Evans has primarily raced Porsche machinery during his career, achieving his first success in 2018 by winning the Carrera Cup Australia before heading overseas to contest the Porsche Supercup, where he finished runner-up in 2021.
That same year, he also took a top-five class finish at Le Mans and was third in GTE Pro-Am contesting the FIA World Endurance Championship.
Evans recently tested the SCT Motorsport Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 at the official Supercars Test Day at Winton to build up his experience, but starting the season at Bathurst ensures the rookie will begin his maiden championship attack at a venue he knows well.
“My time at Brad Jones Racing has started really well,” he said. “Knowing the team for the last two years and all the guys remaining on car #12 (formerly #4) are the same, including engineer Julian Stannard, so that continuity is really nice. It makes you feel a little more at home.
“After spending the test day and a little bit of time in Albury with the team. Everything seems to be gelling really well and I’m just excited to see where we stack up on the track.
“I would like to think my knowledge from Europe can help BJR. There are aspects of what I’ve done overseas, the endurance racing and little things that can be useful to myself as well as the team. I’ll think of it as a collaboration, which can be beneficial to both parties.
“Everyone knows the level of competition in Supercars is very tight, so if I can be consistently running in the top 50 per cent of the field and knocking on the door of some top-five finishes, it would be a really, really strong year.”
Not only has Evans contested the Bathurst 1000 twice, but he has also clocked up four Bathurst 12-Hour starts, finishing a best of second in 2020.
Last weekend, the New Zealander scored fourth in a stunning performance for Phantom Global Racing.
Track action for the Bathurst 500 begins this Friday before one race on Saturday and Sunday.
