Evans ready for Bathurst baptism of fire
Jaxon Evans is one of three 2024 rookies
BJR recruit completed first solo test day last week
Kiwi driver previously a successful Porsche junior
Brad Jones Racing rookie Jaxon Evans feels ready for his first solo Supercars round at Mount Panorama, after a test day spent acquainting himself with his Camaro.
Evans is one of three rookies on the 2024 Repco Supercars Championship grid, alongside Ryan Wood (Walkinshaw Andretti United) and Aaron Love (Blanchard Racing Team).
All three drivers rose through the Porsche ranks, with Evans a star Porsche junior in Europe before casting his attention to Supercars and Australia for 2024.
Last week saw Evans get a full test day in his #12 SCT Logistics Camaro under his belt at Winton Motor Raceway, which was his only test day before next week’s Thrifty Bathurst 500.
For Evans, it was also a chance to build a relationship with engineer Julian Stannard, which will prove crucial as the Kiwi adapts from years of Porsche machinery to a low downforce Gen3 Supercar.
"Really happy to finish up the first test day of the year, obviously my first test day as a main driver,” said Evans, who will also compete at this weekend’s Repco Bathurst 12 Hour.
“It was good to get acquainted with the team again, get comfortable in the car, fine tune some things to suit my driving style, or change my driving style a little bit to suit the car.
"Really enjoyed working with my engineer and mechanics and looking forward to going to Bathurst.”
Since winning the 2018 Carrera Cup title in Australia, Evans has predominantly raced 911s, which are a far cry to the beefed-up Supercar he will wrangle around the Mountain next weekend.
Critically, Evans will now have a car suited to his liking, having shared a car with Jack Smith in the enduros.
On being able to set up a car for his driving style, Evans said: "It feels good. It's much nicer to have the focus around you, as selfish as that sounds.
"There's certain driving styles that suit these cars and a few things I suppose that I bring to the table that are slightly different.
"But I think collectively it's moving forward. And hopefully it gives us a fresh outlook for the season ahead.”
Tickets for the Thrifty Bathurst 500, on February 23-25, are on sale now.
