Evans avoids carnage in chaotic Spa 24 Hour

Jaxon Evans has avoided the carnage in a chaotic CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa, with the Brad Jones Racing rookie placing 26th.

Evans share the Phantom Global Racing Porsche with Thomas Preining and Joel Eriksson in the race, which was won by Comtoyou Racing’s Aston Martin entry.

It was the first finish in the event for Evans, who recorded a DNF on debut in 2022 with Herberth Motorsport.

The #23 Phantom Global Porsche had a number of hurdles through the day, with the car picking up a brake issue and puncture, in what proved a highly competitive race.

Victory slipped away from AF Corse in dramatic fashion, with the Ferrari on course for victory before its final stop with 50 minutes left.

The #51 Ferrari arrived at the pit entrance, only to find a stricken Lamborghini blocking its way, gifting the lead and eventual win to Comtoyou.

The race, which drew more than 99,500 spectators to the famous circuit, was the second of the Intercontinental GT Challenge, after January’s Bathurst 12 Hour.

There was more late drama to come, with the #998 BMW — on course for runner-up — facing a penalty for overrunning the maximum stint length, and running through the pit lane on the final lap.

The #998 dropped to sixth in the final classification, putting the #51 Ferrari back in second ahead of the #32 Team WRT BMW.

The #32 was fourth on the road, but was promoted to the podium thanks to a penalty for the #34 Walkenhorst Motorsport Aston Martin.

New Zealander Evans will return to Australia for this weekend’s NTI Townsville 500, which is the sixth round of the 2024 Repco Supercars Championship.