Evans, who was born in Fiji and raised in New Zealand, will sport an impressive design from artist Nakita Russell-Watling on his Brad Jones Racing/SCT Logistics Camaro at the Darwin Triple Crown.
A prominent feature as part of the livery, which is based on Russell-Watling’s artwork ‘Wings of Ancestors’, is the Frigatebird symbol.
That this livery has been green-lit by Supercars is significant, given Speedcafe understands a similar plan to celebrate Evans’ Fijian heritage was turned down last year.
“This whole collab with Nakita has been something really inspiring,” said Evans.
“For someone from Rotuma, being seen and represented like this, especially in a sport where that rarely happens, means a lot.
“Nakita’s artwork isn’t just an amazing piece to look at, it tells a deeper story about where we come from and how far that can take you.
“Massive thanks to SCT, Supercars and Nakita for making this project come to life. It is something I’ll carry with me on and off the track.”
Russell-Watling detailed her excitement to be part of the groundbreaking livery.
“A friend that I grew up with reached out to me, and he was in contact with a person that was looking for an artist,” she said.
“And he asked me, ‘hey, I got this thing. Would you be interested?’. Then I sort of squealed and screamed and said, ‘sure!’. And didn’t even realise that this is where we’d be now just a few months later.
“It really just came from a friend saying, hey, what do you think of this? That happens a lot in Fiji. You just have to be a yes woman in Fiji. So as scary as this opportunity was, it’s quite huge.
“When I first started the conversation my brain just went into overdrive. And then I went into a deep dive of Jaxon. I went online and I researched him, and I learned all this stuff about him, and then I felt the first thing that came to me was the frigatebird.
“I just knew the frigatebird and what it stands for. As in frigatebirds’ natural instinct is to always return home. And these birds can be out at sea for days, weeks and months. They’re out there for ages. But no matter where they end up, these birds always have a sense to return home.
“So I thought the bird could be a nice guide for Jaxon. And then I just envisioned him absolutely smashing that race with the bird leading the way.
“I also feel that whatever comes of this artwork locally here in Fiji will spark conversation, because Rotuma is very small, and not many people talk about it or know about it.
“So I thought that was significant too, and I felt a little bit of pressure, because of that and because of Rotuma’s history with Fiji.
“My mum sent me a snippet of an interview with Jaxon where talks about being the first Pacific racer. And how he wishes that he could influence or inspire people to come into the field.
“And it’s not just racing, there’s other jobs in this field. I feel like I’ve just made his wish come true.
“He’s just given me this opportunity; the domino effect of that is huge too.”
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