ARGT Endures Challenging weekend at Hidden Valley

ARGT's weekend at Hidden Valley Raceway proved one of the toughest for Jaxon Evans and Elliott Schutte, with the team unable to convert its pace into the results it was targeting.

Warm conditions, with temperatures in Darwin hovering around 30°C throughout the weekend, placed a premium on tyre management and navigating traffic during qualifying. With the field separated by only fractions of a second, Evans qualified seventh for Q1, while Schutte secured fifth on the grid for Q2.

The weekend took a significant blow in Race 1. The No. 26 Ferrari 296 GT3's race came to an early end after a Turn 1 incident on the opening lap. As the field bunched into the first corner, Schutte moved to the inside to avoid the Audi ahead, placing the Ferrari three-wide into the turn. As the circuit narrowed, he was squeezed onto the kerb, resulting in contact with another competitor.

The incident damaged the Ferrari's steering rack, forcing the team to retire before the completion of the opening lap.

Frustratingly, the incident saw the duo endure their first DNF in three racing seasons, putting them on the back foot for the rest of the weekend.

However, the team repaired the car overnight and returned for Race 2 with Evans behind the wheel. A strong start saw the New Zealander move from seventh to third into Turn 1, before being forced wide on corner exit and dropping back to sixth. Evans handed the Ferrari over to Schutte midway through the race, with the pair circulating between sixth and seventh before ultimately securing sixth position at the chequered flag.

While Darwin didn't produce the results the team was aiming for, there is a well-earned break for the team and the attention now turns to Sydney Motorsport Park, where ARGT claimed victories in both races last season.

Jordan Oon, Team Principal, reflected on the weekend:

"Darwin was a frustrating weekend because we showed good pace in practice, but unfortunately we didn't quite put everything together when it mattered, particularly in qualifying and Race 2. We didn't get the opportunity to turn that into the results we know we're capable of.

"The Turn 1 incident in Race 1 was unfortunate and left the crew with a lot of work to get the car ready for Sunday, so credit goes to the entire team for getting the Ferrari back on track.

"Our focus remains on the championship result. Sydney has been a strong circuit for us in the past, and we'll take everything we've learned from Darwin into the next round in September.

We'll give it everything we have in Sydney to put ourselves in the best possible position heading into Adelaide’s Grand Final round in November, to ensure we have the best chance of fighting for the championship.”

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