Jaxon Evans returns to endurance racing roots
Kiwi craved out global GT career before returning to Supercars in 2024
Evans joins fellow Kiwi Ryan Wood at Walkinshaw TWG Racing
In many ways, it's a case of back to the future for Jaxon Evans in 2026.
While his full-time Supercars career is currently on pause following a two-year tenure with SCT Motorsport and Brad Jones Racing, the 29-year-old Kiwi has landed on his feet alongside Ryan Wood at Walkinshaw TWG Racing.
In a way, it's a return to a globetrotting career pre-Supercars that saw Evans take on the highest peaks of international endurance racing as a factory-contracted Porsche Junior at the turn of the decade.
Evans has just about experienced it all in endurance racing, from finishing third in LMGTE AM in the 2021 World Endurance Championship, to the iconic 24 hour races at Le Mans, Daytona, and Spa.
But now comes a big opportunity to add Supercars glory to what is already an impressive endurance racing CV.
“I love endurance racing, it’s what I sort of moulded my career around before I came back to Supercars," said the 2018 Porsche Carrera Cup Australia champion.
“Now stepping into the co-driver role once again, it’s all about making sure I don’t do anything crazy, hand the car over to Woody in hopefully a good spot, and try and help his title bid.
“It’s a slightly different role to what I’m used to in the past two years, but really excited to get started.”
It also marks a return of sorts to the Walkinshaw stable, having tested one of the team's VF Commodores at a Super2 driver evaluation day at Winton in December 2018.
When news came that Evans would part way with the SCT operation just prior to Bathurst, it came as something of a shock. However, as Jayden Ojeda firmed to depart his post as Wood's co-driver for a full-time opportunity with PremiAir, Wood approached his countryman.
Come November, Evans' move to the Walkinshaw stable's enduro roster was officially sealed. Despite being Wood's third co-driver in as many years, Evans is confident the Kiwi connection can be a winner.
“When Woody and I first started speaking, and then it went a little further down the line with Bruce [Stewart, CEO], I was super excited to not only have them picking up the phone and calling me to join them, but also for them to follow through," continued Evans.
“To now be part of the team, and try and bed myself in with them, and hopefully put together a strong enduro campaign with Woody."
Parallels can be drawn to the career of Richie Stanaway, who after building a strong single seater and GT reputation abroad, returned to Australia with almost immediate success in enduros.
Though he never found the same level of success in a full-time capacity, Stanaway is one of only six drivers in the enduro field to have won both the Repco Bathurst 1000 and the 500km precursor.
In an entry that arguably should've won Bathurst last year had it not been for a late electrical drama, Evans could be the perfect foil for Wood as he hunts down a second appearance in the Finals Series.
“It’s really cool, us Kiwis always seem to find each other, and to be paired with one of the fastest Kiwis on the grid is pretty special," added Evans.
“Bruce and a lot of the other Kiwis in the team, it’s a nice dynamic, sort of a family feeling, so I’m really excited to go racing and hopefully bring a trophy home for the Kiwis.”
On-track action at the AirTouch 500 at The Bend begins on Friday.
