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There is some exciting talent either joining or returning to Supercars next season – but who is the most exciting new addition to the grid?
That’s what we’re asking you in this week’s Pirtek Poll, off the back of confirmation that Jaxon Evans has landed the final available seat.
Evans will join Brad Jones Racing as a replacement for Jack Smith, the Kiwi returning down under after several seasons overseas as a factory-aligned Porsche driver.
He arrives with a remarkable pedigree in Porsches, his CV boasting Carrera Cup titles in Australia and France, while he was also a front-runner in the Supercup.
Evans also has three Bathurst 1000 starts to his name alongside Smith.
It’s an exciting signing for both BJR and Supercars – but is Evans the most exciting addition to the grid for 2024?
He makes a strong claim, no doubt about it, but there are some fellow Kiwis that are right in the mix as well.
One of them is the very highly-rated Ryan Wood, who joins Walkinshaw Andretti United alongside Chaz Mostert next season.
A year ago Wood was facing a similar path to Evans, with a Carrera Cup drive lined up for 2023. That was until he was lured into the Supercars system by WAU, Wood starring in Super2 this year with more poles and wins than anyone else.
He missed out on the title due to costly retirements in Newcastle and Bathurst, but wowed the team enough for them to promote him in place of the embattled Nick Percat in the main game.
Now he faces a stern test across the garage from bonafide star Mostert as he looks to succeed where Percat failed in the #2 entry.
Then there is Richie Stanaway. He isn’t a rookie, rather a returnee after three years mostly on the sidelines (apart from Bathurst starts in 2022 and 2023).
Stanaway will join a Grove Racing team that’s on the rise, paired with another talented Kiwi in Matt Payne, who was a race winner last time out in Adelaide.
The Stanaway/Payne line up is highly intriguing, with a lot of eyes set to be on Stanaway given his rocky Supercars past.
He arrived in the series back in 2018 off the back of an incredible enduro campaign with Tickford which saw him and Cam Waters win the 2017 Sandown 500.
However the fourth Tickford car proved uncompetitive and his relationship with the team broke down midway through the year.
He parted ways with Tickford at the end of 2018 before scoring a lifeline at a struggling Garry Rogers Motorsport outfit for 2019.
That too didn’t work and Stanaway retired from racing at the end of that season.
He was then lured back by Boost Mobile founder Peter Adderton in 2022 and starred in an Erebus-run wildcard at the Bathurst 1000.
That led to a Triple Eight enduro deal, he and Shane van Gisbergen winning the Bathurst 1000 this year.
Another exciting new addition to the grid is Aaron Love, who will form the expanded Blanchard Racing Team line-up with James Courtney.
The West Aussie was spectacular in one-make Porsche racing before moving into Super2 with BRT last year.
He proved to be a front-runner in terms of pace, even if it was a somewhat inconsistent campaign, and scored a promotion to the main game for 2023.
All four will be fascinating to watch next season. Let us know who you think will be the most exciting new addition to the grid by casting your vote in the Pirtek Poll.
