A traditional 1960s apartment building in the Stuttgart suburb of Uhlbach. The hedges in the front garden are meticulously trimmed, the door buzzers are clearly labelled, a classically Swabian weekly cleaning roster hangs in the entrance foyer. The view from the balconies over the countryside is idyllic. The vineyards on the nearby Wรผrttemberg hill are perfect for long strolls. A wonderful place for retirees? No way. This idyllic suburb, about 20 minutes by car from the city centre of Stuttgart, is home to two of the fastest young racers in the world. Factory driver Matt Campbell (Australia) and Porsche Junior Jaxon Evans (New Zealand) have set-up a special flat-sharing arrangement close to the Porsche headquarters.
โWe found each other without really looking,โ says 23-year-old Evans. โI moved into this three-bedroom apartment with kitchen, bathroom and laundry with Matt in February 2019. When youโre so far from home and youโre missing family, itโs great to have a brother in Germany.โ The Porsche Junior feels at home with his colleague, friend and โbrotherโ Matt Campbell. The Australian, who is only 17 months older than his flatmate, is certainly not the head of the household. The two young drivers are one unit, almost like fraternal twins. Both are around 1.8-metres tall, both have brown hair and brown eyes, both have the same wicked humour. โWeโre always joking around and we hardly ever disagree,โ says Evans about their lives in the 70-square-metre rental. Not even when it comes to divvying up domestic duties.
โIโm an orderly person, I always like things clean and tidy,โ explains the New Zealander, who spent his youth in Australia. Evans stands in the modern, functionally-furnished living room, looks at the floor and adds with a wide grin: โIโm a virtuoso at vacuuming, Mattโs a hero at the stove.โ The pair have come up with some weekly rituals in the small, cosy kitchen. โEvery Tuesday is Taco Tuesday at our place. We make tacos and other Mexican dishes. Weโre always posting stuff on Instagram,โ says Campbell. There is the familiar sight of a large glass of Nutella in the kitchen cupboard, next to it stands another glass with a yellow label and red lettering. It resembles a spice jar. โThatโs vegemite, a kind of yeast extract that you spread thinly on your toast,โ laughs the 2018 Le Mans class winner. This Australian delicacy tastes like a stock cube. Replacements of this and other goodies from Down Under โ like chocolate-coated Tim Tam biscuits โ are regularly sent from home.
โThese care packages help alleviate homesickness a little,โ says Evans. โWeโre really like twins in this regard, as well. We both miss our families very much. We only get to see them once or at most twice a year.โ Both drivers openly declare their close connections to family. Campbellโs helmet has a message of gratitude to his mum, his grandparents, his aunty. Evansโs is adorned with the national flags of New Zealand, Samoa and Fiji โ the countries where his closest relatives were born. โAnd thereโs something else missing,โ says Campbell with a laugh. โAt home, the weather is better and you can go to the beach whenever you like. We only have a simulator and a Playstation here, and in summer we have the outdoor pools.โ
Things often heat up in the apartment when the two play on the consoles. No matter what the discipline, the most important thing is to win. โThatโs just how we are,โ laughs the Australian, who was promoted to works driver last winter. The Playstation proves more popular than learning German. Thatโs the motto even during the slower weeks of the coronavirus pandemic. โThe language course is progressing slowly for me. Thatโs the downside of two guys from Australia living together,โ Campbell openly admits. โI do know one word though,โ jokes Evans. โSenf. I canโt remember what it means but I thought it was hilarious when they tried to teach me the word during dinner one evening.โ
Sometimes the easy-going flatmates get special company in their Stuttgart apartment. โWhen our girlfriends come to visit life gets even funnier,โ explains Evans, whose girlfriend also comes from Australia. Then, the powerful pair turns into an entertaining quartet. โThe four of us get along brilliantly,โ says Campbell. โOur partners know each other really well now. We enjoy going out and doing stuff together, and if we need a little space, everyone has their own room.โ