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Jaxon Evans turns Supercars setback into statement
Sport Nation • September 18th, 2026 9:53 am
Jaxon Evans | Photo: @jaxonevans_/Instagram
Jaxon Evans wasted no time proving he still belongs in Supercars.
The 29-year-old Kiwi returned to the category for the first time since being dropped by Brad Jones Racing (BJR), partnering fellow New Zealander Ryan Wood in Walkinshaw TWG’s No. 2 Toyota at last weekend’s weather-hit The Bend 500.
He more than held his own up against rival full-time drivers, before Wood took over driving duties to bring the Toyota home.
Evans started 14th on the grid, and moved through the field, reaching as high as 3rd before handing the car over to Wood.
It was Evans’ first Supercars podium - a sharp turnaround after two full seasons with BJR without a finish better than seventh.
Evans finished 23rd in the championship in both years and was left without a full-time drive as BJR switched from four Chevrolets and to a three-car Toyota operation.
And now he has returned to the Supercars spotlight as a co-driver, with a serious point to prove.
“I've been through the highs and lows of motorsport, both here in Supercars and overseas with Porsche and things like that, so I've sort of learned to roll with the punches,” he told Sport Nation Afternoons.
“I’ve found myself in a pretty good spot here with Walkinshaw TWG and I'm really enjoying working with them while still being able to do my GT racing.”
Evans was thrown straight into the deep end at The Bend, having not driven a Supercar for almost 10 months and facing difficult conditions for many laps.
“Being left out there in that race on Sunday against a lot of the main drivers was a big confidence for me to know that I’ve still got the goods to mix it with those guys and hold my own.
“There's a lot to learn and get up to speed with and in those conditions, it certainly didn't make it easy.”
Jaxon Evans, Ryan Wood, Chaz Mostert and Fabian Couthard celebrate a double podium with their Walkinshaw TWG team | Photo: Photosport
The race was won by Walkinshaw TWG teammates Chaz Mostert and Fabian Coulthard, giving both cars a place on the podium and Toyota a major boost ahead of the Bathurst 1000.
“I think to see both cars on the podium from the team is a massive achievement, not only by them, but by Toyota to get to that stage.
“So it gives us a lot of confidence going forward to an even bigger race, double the distance, but I'm just glad I was on the good end.”
Evans said he felt immediately comfortable in the Supra, with former engineers suggesting Walkinshaw’s approach could better suit his driving style.
“Once I jumped in the Supra for the first time, I felt really comfortable in the way that they wanted to extract the lap time from it.
“I didn't really notice much of a difference in terms of when I drove the Chev last year to driving the Toyota this year, because (I’m) not really back to backing them or driving them close to one another in terms of time frame.
“Even speaking with my engineers from last year at BJR, they said, ‘we probably think that Walkinshaw's philosophy may suit your driving style a bit better.’
Jaxon Evans in the SCT BJR Camaro at the 2024 Bathurst 500 | Photo: Clay Cross/Photosport
“Maybe it is a little more suited to driving style which hopefully pays dividends when it comes to Bathurst.”
With The Bend serving as experience before Bathurst, Evans shared the podium gave the team extra confidence.
“This is the build up to the Bathurst 1000, which is probably what we all want to win. It's a race that we're all trying to win.
“To go out and be on the podium in the 500 is a great start.”
Evans is focused on making the most of his current opportunity and is committed to taking it step-by-step, however remains open to another full-time Supercars drive.
“You're only as good as your last race, so when you get to the next event, that's sort of out the window and I just know that I need to keep performing and hopefully the phone starts ringing.”
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Listen to the full interview below:
