Championship on Track After Round 1 for Evans and Schutte
Published on: Mon Mar 30 2026
Reading time: 3 mins
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.
Jordan Oon, Team Principal, commented:
“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.
