Porsche Driver Jaxon Evans is in the frame to make his Great Race debut in Supercars’ last vacant co-drive seat with a planned Brad Jones Racing evaluation day.
The #4 SCT Logistics ZB Commodore is yet to have its enduro line up confirmed, though the squad previously stated it has good options on its radar.
David Wall was a favourite to slot in alongside Jack Smith again, having paired up at Mount Panorama last year to finish 17th.
However, Wall is committed to his Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia programme as a team owner and driver of Wall Racing.
The BJR crew is now bringing Evans into the fold, with an evaluation day planned for September 19 at Winton.
Following that, a decision will be made as to whether Evans will be locked in as Smith’s co-driver for the Repco Bathurst 1000 (October 6-9).
“Our preference was to continue on with Dave,” SCT’s Head of Motorsport Programmes Andrew Jones told selected media, including Speedcafe.com.
“We went down that path…but as the Carrera Cup championship continued on this year we started to have some more dialogue around ‘I don’t know if I can do both at that event and be able to do that to the level that everybody would like that to happen’.
“Plus Dave has a pretty important support group making his Carrera Cup campaign happen and it has slightly changed this year compared to what it was last year.
“Where we ended up, and this has only happened in the last month, was agreeing he should be able to focus on his Carrera Cup championship…given how it impacts his larger Wall Racing business.
“With that in mind we did have Options B and C in place and Option B, if I can say that without it sounding demeaning to anybody, is we’d had some conversations with Jaxon Evans.
“We went through the process of allowing him to talk to Porsche AG about whether or not Bathurst would fit into his programme.
“At the moment we still don’t have anything locked in, but our plan is to hold an evaluation day where we’re able to run Jaxon Evans in the car.
“If everything goes okay on that day then it will give us some scope to make a decision or look at our other options that are available.”
Evans won the 2018 Carrera Cup Australia title, before the Kiwi moved to Europe as a Porsche Junior driver.
He finished runner-up in the 2021 Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup and currently competes in the FIA World Endurance Championship GTE class with the German brand.
Evans’ BJR evaluation day later this month won’t be his first experience of a Supercar, having logged laps with Walkinshaw Andretti United in 2018.
Jones revealed Smith and Evans have a connection that dates back to their time in karting.
“Anybody that is able to continue through that Porsche Junior programme and continue to beat world-class drivers is a good talent,” he enthused.
“I think he and Jack Smith are going to team up really well, funnily enough, they were team-mates many years ago when they were both karting.
“They’re not unfamiliar to each other and they will be a good mix.
“I think we’re at a point with our team and where Jack is at with his driving, to have two young guys in there, certainly our philosophy for our endurance campaign this year is very different to what it has been in years gone past.”
Jones sang high praise for Wall, who was drafted in as a late co-driver replacement for Ash Walsh at last year’s Mount Panorama enduro.
“From my end, preference was always in continuity and I feel like we need to acknowledge David Wall,” added Jones.
“I think he does a terrific job and if you look at what he does in Carrera Cup, that backs that up for me.
“He did a ripper job for us last year not only coming in late but also just the speed he provided and the way he slotted into our group and was able to contribute throughout the entire event.”
Craig Lowndes cut laps aboard the #4 ZB Commodore for the co-driver practice session at Sandown, given the car’s enduro driver is yet to be confirmed.
Smith will be in action at this weekend’s Supercars round in New Zealand ahead of next month’s Bathurst 1000.
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