Schutte not feeling extra pressure

Gamer turned racer Elliott Schutte does not feel deterred by the extra weight on his shoulders after a strong start to the 2025 GT World Challenge Australia.

Following the departure of champions Chaz Mostert and Liam Talbot, Schutte and Jaxon Evans are now the leading Arise Racing Ferrari 296 GT3.

But they showed no signs of the extra pressure getting to them as they won the round with a nail-biting Saturday victory followed by a third place on Sunday.

They claimed the opener in impressive fashion, with Schutte snatching the lead on the opening lap and never relinquishing it before Evans had to fend off a charging Jayden Ojeda, who had come from sixth in the final stint.

It is just a second win for the Evans and Schutte combination after the pair took their maiden success also at Phillip Island last year.

After being consistent on their way to third last year, they see themselves as championship contenders in 2025 and the opening round form proves that.

The relatively inexperienced Schutte said he does not feel burdened by the prospect of leading the team in its title defence.

“I don’t feel any extra pressure this year. If anything there is more cohesion,” Schutte told Auto Action.

“We are all moving towards the goal of winning the championship.”

Schutte has not taken the ordinary path to racing having forged a career through the modern route starting in the bedroom rather than the go-kart track.

“My family did not have the opportunity to go karting and it was always something I wanted to do,” he said.

“I went to track days when I could and the whole time I was playing Gran Turismo and they came up with the GT Academy concept, which seemed very bizarre at the time.

“I had a crack and got into the international competition and got close to winning.

“From there I got a bit of sponsorship and did some Formula Ford stuff and driver search events.

“I arrived at Arise through their Radical program where I did my first season and that gave me the ability to learn the fundamentals which turns out it translated beautifully to GT3.

“To be honest it is surreal. Who would have thought you could go from bedroom chair to a Ferrari and it worked.”

With Mostert not doing GTs, experienced engineer Adam de Borre has moved over to the #26.

Schutte said de Borre’s expertise has already made him and Evans even stronger.

“Really happy. It has been a really nice car to drive from as early as practice,” Schutte told Auto Action.

“The working group we have led by Adam De Borre is making it great for the driver.

“This is our first time working directly with him and he has made a huge impact. Adam has made a big difference just in how the car drives.

“He has done so many things and loves to perform which is why we love him.”

Another key figure is Schutte’s growth is his Pro partner Evans, who is not only a Supercars driver, but has GT experience from all over the world.

“He is incredibly successful and experienced and the stuff that he has done with Porsche especially is really impressive,” Schutte said.

“He is very knowledgeable and a great person to learn from, I could not ask for anything more.”

After having a crack last year, the pair want to go all the way in 2025.

image: GT World Challenge

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