Jaxon Evans keen to tackle new Albert Park layout

Jaxon Evans will experience the new Albert Park layout for the first time when he enters the track for opening practice for Round 2 of the Repco Supercars Championship tomorrow morning (Thursday).

Following a dramatic solo Repco Supercars Championship debut event at the Thrifty Bathurst 500 where a foot injury plagued him on Sunday, Evans displayed competitive pace, despite the ailment.

Now with his foot injury recovered, Evans returns to Albert Park for the first time since 2018 in his championship-winning Porsche Carrera Cup Australia campaign where he won the final race and round of the weekend.

“It’s a big event in terms of Australian motorsport and it is chaotic just in terms of how the schedule laid out, but I’m excited to be back as part of the Formula 1 circus and race at a track I know although the configuration has changed slightly,” said Evans.

“Being a support category, you get used to that stuff. Not only here in Carrera Cup, but it’s the same with Supercup internationally as only Formula 1 uses the pit facilities. It is what it is, it won’t make too much difference to the racing side of things, there’s no pit stops. It’s unfortunate that it won’t be open to the fans in a situation out of our control.

“Having the first day of a race weekend so loaded with everything is pretty unusual. We won’t have the time to analyse data as much in between sessions, so hopefully we roll out of the truck pretty strong otherwise we’re going to have to combine our thinking process and work together as a team. This is the strength of a four-car team as we can head in different set-up directions at the start of the weekend and hopefully one clicks, so we can gravitate to that.”

Two corners have been removed as part of an updated layout since Evan’s last race at the Melbourne street course, ensuring there will be still fresh aspects to the circuit for Evans. Also, the lack of pit facilities is not new for Evans having been part of the Porsche Supercup in years gone by, but the idea of practicing, qualifying and racing all in one day will be.

Since the last event, Evans was part of Supercars’ promotion of the inaugural Taupo event by taking in the sights and attractions of the area – his home country – while also getting his first opportunity to visit the venue in five years.

Albert Park will be the first test for some alterations made to the footwell of Evans’ SCT Motorsport Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, with the short, sprint races format being an outlier compared to the calendar’s other championship rounds.

Evans continues his maiden Repco Supercars Championship at the MSS Security Melbourne SuperSprint on March 21-24.