Evans still learning Supercars setup secrets

Supercars rookie Jaxon Evans has plenty of global racing experience, but he is slowly getting his head around the secrets of unlocking speed from the unique Gen3 Camaro.

Having mainly raced Porsches across IMSA to Le Mans since winning the Carrera Cup in 2018, a switch to full time Supercars with BJR was a big jump for Evans, who had only made two Great Race starts prior to the 2024.

Now in the hot seat as the main driver instead of being co-driver for Jack Smith, the Kiwi has plenty to get his head around trying to nail the setup of the Gen3 Camaro.

Although he learnt a lot at his solo debut in Bathurst, the limited amount of track time during the condensed second round at Albert Park meant it remained the case.

“It is definitely still a challenge,” Evans told AUTO ACTION.

“We are always learning and every lap is beneficial for us at the moment. I am still working on the process of communicating with my engineer and understanding how each other relays the information and what we are actually asking from the car.

“It was never going to be a quick fix changing the way we speak because that is something you develop as a driver throughout your career.

“These cars are very setup sensitive and there is plenty to learn from my side in just the way you can set it up and the adjustments you do have.

CLICK THE IMAGE TO READ THE LATEST DIGITAL MAGAZINE

“I feel like we are making progress and still learning which is part of the game.

“There have been some signs of really good stuff so it is just about trying to get on top of it.”

One of the other challenges that rose from Mount Panorama for Evans was a significant ergonomics issue.

The Kiwi had risen from 24th to 17th on the Sunday of the Bathurst 500 only for an overheating footwell caused significant enough pain that he hit the wall in the Esses.

Evans revealed BJR had taken steps to ensure this would not happen again at the Grand Prix.

“The guys have made plenty of changes trying to look after me and cater for my needs which is great,” he said.

“It made it a lot more comfortable and hopefully those issues don’t arise again.”

Although Evans was more comfortable behind the wheel at the Melbourne SuperSprint, he went backwards into the fence at the final turn.

Replays were not clear but BJR did request the Stewards to investigate the role of Thomas Randle but no further action was taken.

Evans eventually bounced back to record a hat-trick of P18 finishes to complete the weekend.

Reflecting on the Race 3 incident, Evans made it clear he will not back down without a fight.

“There is very limited footage and I only saw what was on my onboard,” he said post race.

“There was no penalty handed out so I guess there was no issue from the other car involved but from my opinion it seemed pretty desperate for lap 2 of the race but it is what it is.

“I am not here to open the door for everyone to come back through, I am racing and it is just a shame it ended up that way.”

Evans is now looking forward to his first home race at Taupo on April 19-21.

main image by Peter Norton EPIC Sports Photography

READ THE LATEST ISSUE OF AUTO ACTION DIGITAL MAGAZINE HERE

Latest Podcast: Follow the Easter Trail and more here on the Auto Action RevLimiter

This week we had to work hard for Supercar News, but we found some. It was easier in Speedway with the Easter Trail and the new speedway opening at Eastern Creek.

Listen to our latest episode on your podcast app of choice or here