The opening round of the 2026 GT World Challenge Australia Powered by AWS at the Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit saw ARGT’s #26 Ferrari 296 GT3, driven by Jaxon Evans and Elliott Schutte, deliver a strong performance in a highly competitive field.

Mixed weather conditions set the tone for the weekend, with both opening races providing action from start to finish.

A late change saw ARGT’s second entry, the #77 Ferrari of Steve Wyatt and Jordan Love, withdraw prior to the event, placing added focus on the #26 crew. Evans and Schutte rose to the challenge.

Saturday qualifying brought rain for the first time across the weekend, levelling the playing field. Evans handled the tricky conditions in the first session, consistently running inside the top five before producing a clean lap to secure P2.

Schutte faced delays and traffic in the second qualifying session but methodically worked his way up the order, ultimately banking P2 just moments before a red flag brought the session to an early end.

Race 1 saw the sun return and improved conditions. Starting from the front row, Schutte was immediately in the fight but dropped to fourth in the opening laps while battling on cold tyres. Two early safety car periods disrupted the flow of the race. After the restart, Schutte pushed for third but suffered unfortunate contact, costing valuable time to the leaders.

At the driver change, Evans took over and delivered a solid and consistent stint from fourth, closing the gap on the leaders. A late 15-second penalty dropped the #26 car one position, resulting in a P5 finish.

Sunday’s race 2 was run in ideal conditions. Evans started from the front row, holding P2 under pressure from a pursuing Mercedes.

Following the mid-race pit stops, Schutte rejoined the action and faced intense competition in the closing stages. A mid-pack collision brought out the safety car, leaving only a handful of laps for the sprint finish.

On the final lap, Schutte showed exceptional awareness to avoid a multi-car incident, navigating his way through the chaos to secure P2 for the #26 Ferrari, and valuable championship points.

After Round 1, Evans and Schutte sit second overall in the championship, narrowly behind Schumacher and Feeney.

“It was a challenging opening round with mixed conditions, but Jaxon and Elliott did a fantastic job to manage the racing well and having a good consistent run. They showed great pace and composure under intense pressure. We’ll take the positives and focus on building for Round 2.”

The GT World Challenge Australia Powered by AWS continues with Round 2 at The Bend Motorsport Park from 8-10 May.

Sponsors: ARGT extends sincere thanks to its valued partners - Barbagallo, Iveco, Car Expert, ORAFOL, Anthem Workwear, Lift Off, OMP, VCM Coffee & Machines, and Lance East Exotics - for their continued support throughout the 2026 season.


Jaxon Evans and Elliott Schutte deliver a strong performance in a highly competitive field.

Championship on Track After Round 1 for Evans and Schutte

ARGT has finalised its 2026 GT World Challenge Australia powered by AWS line-up with Jordan Love and Steve Wyatt to return to the grid starting from Round 1.

Behind the wheel of one of ARGT’s Ferrari 296 GT3 cars, the pair will feature at this month’s LIQUI MOLY GT Festival Phillip Island before confirming the rest of the year.

This year will be their second season together following a solid run in 2025 where they contested all but one round together - eventually finishing the year inside the Pro-Am top 10, with Love’s pole position at Sandown one of their team’s highlights.

Considered one of the country’s top GT drivers, Love has had quite an impressive career behind the wheel and has proved a handy driver in a range of national and international categories.

Starting his career in open-wheel racing in Formula 4 both in Australia and Germany, Love eventually switched to tin tops in 2017 where he raced in the Bathurst 12 Hour and picked up a class podium.

A switch to the Porsche Motorsport Pyramid proved successful as he ended up winning the 2019 Carrera Cup Australia title, which opened a range of opportunities overseas in highly esteemed categories, starting off with Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup in 2020.

The West Aussie then opened up a new career path the following year, competing in many GT World Challenge Europe powered by AWS, Intercontinental GT Challenge and Asian Le Mans Series races as a Mercedes Junior Driver.

Some of his highlights as an international driver included a class podium in the 2023 24 Hours of the Nürburgring - SP9 Pro/Am, as well as a win and two podiums in the GT World Challenge Europe Sprint Cup that same year. This year, Love scored an impressive class podium at the Bathurst 12 Hour, finishing second in the Pro-Am class.

Wyatt himself has plenty of experience in GT racing, with much of it being behind the wheel of a Ferrari 458 GT3 at international level prior to taking a break from the sport in 2016 and returning last year.

Like Love, Wyatt has experienced plenty of success over the years – starting off with a victory in the Wanneroo 300 in 2012 before winning the Asian Le Mans Series GTC class in 2013 thanks to podiums in all four of his races, two of which were on the top step.

That year proved quite productive for Wyatt, who went on to finish on the class podium in the Gulf 12 Hour and score another three podiums in the Ferrari Challenge Asia Pacific Trofeo Pirelli class. He went even better in 2014, scoring seven podiums in Ferrari Challenge Asia Pacific and winning the Gulf 12 Hour GT3 class, four races in the Brickmakers Super GT Series and scoring three podiums in the FIA Endurance Trophy.

His final season before taking a step back saw him win the Ferrari Challenge Asia Pacific Trofeo Pirelli title after picking up eight wins, a further three podiums and nine pole positions.

Love and Wyatt will begin their 2026 GT World Challenge Australia powered by AWS campaign at LIQUI MOLY GT Festival Phillip Island on 27-29 March.


#77 ARGT Ferrari 296 GT3
“I am hugely grateful for ARGT, and Steve for having me back for a second year,” Love said.


“It’s super exciting to have Steve going again, as obviously last year being his first year and his return to racing after ten years out of the seat was very much a learning year, so to be back and going again, keeping that consistent momentum is going to be hugely beneficial heading into the season. I’m really looking forward to it.


“I think we will be able to continue our speed this year, and obviously now Steve will be going back to a lot of tracks that he’s now seen for a second or third time, so hopefully it’s going to keep flowing.


“Last year was my first year racing back in Australia competitively for a few years and it was really nice just rocking back up to race tracks that I grew up racing at and seeing a lot of familiar faces. It was really nice to be back and it is pretty special, something I’m very much looking forward to.”


Steve Wyatt and Jordan Love confirmed for Phillip Island return
ARGT has finalised its 2026 GT World Challenge Australia powered by AWS

Steve Wyatt and Jordan Love confirmed for Phillip Island return

Last year’s GT World Challenge Australia powered by AWS Pro-Am runner-ups Jaxon Evans and Elliott Schutte will return in 2026 in the hopes of securing the class title after falling just short last season.

The pair will once again team up with ARGT, formally Arise Racing GT, in one of the team’s Ferrari 296 GT3s, having run together for the past two seasons in GT World Challenge Australia powered by AWS and twice coming close to silverware.

First racing together in the 2024 season, the duo scored three podiums in the first four races, including their debut outing, before picking up a victory in the penultimate round of the season at Sydney Motorsport Park - eventually settling for third in the standings following 10 races.

In 2025, the pair went to another level and dominated the field across the opening two rounds, converting three pole positions into three victories and adding a podium finish to their four outings – the pair charging to an early lead in the standings.

Over the course of the next three rounds, Evans and Schutte went on to secure four podiums from six races, with their best result being another lights-out to chequered flag victory at The Bend.

Unfortunately, some misfortune prevented them from securing the class title as they fell short by just four points; however, foundations were further laid for another proper charge in their third attempt. Outside their GT World Challenge Australia powered by AWS crusade, both drivers have had successful stints across a range of international and national series.

For Evans, the New Zealander made a name for himself in the Porsche Motorsport Australia pyramid, debuting in the Porsche Sprint Challenge Australia Series in 2015 and quickly establishing himself as a front-runner before graduating to the popular Porsche Carrera Cup Series, where he won the title in 2018 with six wins and a number of podiums.

His success landed him a place in the highly esteemed Porsche Junior Shootout in Europe, which he won and earned him drives in the 2019 Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup and Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland, where he finished as the top rookie before winning Porsche Carrera Cup France in 2020.

Following on from his 2020 Porsche Carrera Cup title, Evans soon switched to GT racing, where he would win the inaugural Nürburgring 12 Hour before coming back to Australia to race in Supercars, where he competed with Brad Jones Racing until the end of last season.

Schutte’s national career began at the start of the decade and was primarily in open-wheel cars before making the switch to GT machinery. A brief run in the Australian Prototype Series was quickly followed by an impressive two-year stint in the Radical Cup Australia Series with Arise Racing, where he was a regular on the podium.

His best campaign came in 2023 when his consistency earned him second place in the overall standings. Schutte then made the step up to GT World Challenge Australia with ARGT, sharing the team’s Ferrari 296 GT3 with Evans before the pair teamed up with Alessio Rovera and Brad Schumacher in the 2025 Bathurst 12 Hour, winning the Pro-Am class in the Intercontinental GT Challenge season opener.

The pair begin their 2026 GT World Challenge Australia powered by AWS season at this month’s LIQUI MOLY GT Festival Phillip Island on 27-29 March.

"Coming back for a third season with Elliott and ARGT feels pretty special,” Evans said. “We’ve been knocking on the door for the last couple of years - third in year one, second last year - so naturally we’d love to go one better. “The Ferrari 296 is a great car and the team dynamic is second to none! GT World Challenge Australia is never easy, so we’ll keep our heads down, do the work, and hopefully be right in the fight."

"It's great to be back with Jaxon and the ARGT crew for another season,” Schutte said. “We’ve built some strong momentum over the past couple of seasons which leans well to the direction the team is heading this year. “The Ferrari 296 is an incredible piece of machinery and the atmosphere within the team makes it even more enjoyable to be part of. GT World Challenge Australia is always fiercely competitive, but we’re excited for the challenge and determined to push for that top podium this season."

Last year’s GT World Challenge Australia powered by AWS Pro-Am runner-ups Jaxon Evans and Elliott Schutte will return in 2026.

Jaxon Evans and Elliott Schutte to go around again in 2026 with ARGT

Australia

The Shell V-Power Motorsport Park, commonly known as The Bend, is a premier racing facility located in Tailem Bend, South Australia. It hosts the Fanatec GT World Challenge Australia, attracting the best GT3 teams and drivers to compete in this prestigious event.

Round 3 & 4 - The Bend

Queensland Raceway, located in Willowbank, Queensland, is a well-known motorsport venue that hosts Round 3 of the GT World Challenge Australia. Known affectionately as “The Paperclip” due to its distinctive layout, the 3.12 km (1.94 miles) circuit features six turns and is renowned for its fast and flowing design.

Championship on Track After Round 1 for Evans and Schutte

Steve Wyatt and Jordan Love confirmed for Phillip Island return

Jaxon Evans and Elliott Schutte to go around again in 2026 with ARGT

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Championship on Track After Round 1 for Evans and Schutte

Steve Wyatt and Jordan Love confirmed for Phillip Island return

Jaxon Evans and Elliott Schutte to go around again in 2026 with ARGT

GT3 racing is a symphony of speed, where the roar of engines and the hiss of tires tearing through asphalt form a thrilling overture. In this world, cutting-edge technology meets human daring, creating a spectacle that's as much about art as it is about competition.

2026 Drivers

Jaxon Evans

Elliott Schutte

Steve Wyatt

Jordan Love

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