IT was a super start to Jaxon Evans’ international campaign last weekend at Hockenheim, as the reigning Carrera Cup Australia champion finished third in both races in the opening round of Carrera Cup Germany.
It was a suitable warm-up for the 22-year-old as he heads to Spain this weekend for the opener of the biggest prize in one-make racing; the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup.
Though his car was excluded from race one for a technical infringement – they have appealed – that does nothing to diminish the results on track.
In wet conditions on Saturday Evans was superb, out performing people with significantly more wet-weather running in Porsche’s to fight his way to third.
There’s an irony in that because, despite his South Island of New Zealand roots, Evans’ total experience in wet conditions behind the wheel of a Cup Car in Australia probably amounts to six or seven races, maximum.
So to do what he did on a circuit he’d never seen before practice against a field that includes most of the Supercup front-runners, was a big tick.
Supercup will be a different challenge, of course, however Jaxon already has a test session under his belt at Catalunya and though that didn’t go quite to plan the knowledge gained will be invaluable.
Ultimately, though, that Jaxon could head to Europe and be competitive immediately is not only proof that he’s more than capable; it’s an impressive vote of the local competition that prepares these junior drivers for the rigours of international competition.
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