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.
QUOTES
Jaxon Evans
#26 ARGT Ferrari 296 GT3
"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"
Elliott Schutte
#26 ARGT Ferrari 296 GT3
"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."