Ojeda coy on 2026, bullish over Enduro Cup hopes
Jayden Ojeda will race with Ryan Wood, WAU for Ryco Enduro Cup
Ojeda made Supercars debut in a WAU wildcard back in 2022
Sydneysider linked to Supercars seats amid wild silly season
Walkinshaw Andretti United co-driver Jayden Ojeda has declared that he and Ryan Wood can be considered a threat in the upcoming Ryco Enduro Cup.
Beginning with this weekend's AirTouch 500 at The Bend, Wood and Ojeda make for one of the youngest and most inexperienced pairings in this year's enduros, however both have proved they're more than capable of featuring at the pointy end.
21-year-old Wood has been one of the mots improved drivers in the championship to date, claiming a maiden pole and race win in Perth and currently sitting ninth in the championship, 41 points clear of the Finals cutoff.
Ojeda, 26, returns to WAU having made wildcard starts in 2022 with the squad, off the back of impressive enduro performances in 2024 with Erebus, and a globetrotting 2025 as a Mercedes AMG junior driver in GT3 competition.
Ojeda, who is also fresh off a race win in Sunday's GT World Challenge Australia race at The Bend alongside Paul Lucchitti, is confident that he and Wood can challenge the more experienced combinations that many look to as favourites.
"I feel like you could say we're a bit of an underdog," the two-time Bathurst 6 Hour winner told Supercars.com.
"I feel like there's a bit of focus on our pairing, and especially with Woody's form as of late. I think we've got a good chance to get a good result [at The Bend], if not at both.
"Woody is building his own momentum in main game and really starting to hit home runs as one of those frontrunners.
"I feel like we've all the right recipe to make a really good result come between the next two events."
Ojeda's 2025 campaign has seen him go within seconds of an unprecedented Bathurst 6 Hour three-peat, whilst also partaking in GT World Challenge competition in Australia and Asia, as well as the Super Taikyu Series in Japan.
Despite logging the frequent flyer points, the Sydneysider says that it's a case of the more racing miles the better.
"I've realised over the past few years that driving frequently is where I do my best work, and is where I feel like I'm driving at my best and it comes to me the easiest," he said.
"The fact that each year has sort of gotten busier and busier, and this year has obviously been pretty full on as well, it's really good. I feel like I'm driving as well as I ever have, if not the best, so it's all building a lot of momentum."
Despite his career taking the GT pathway blazed by the likes of Matt Campbell in recent years, Ojeda says that he still is fond of driving the Gen3 Supercars machinery.
Ojeda has runs on the board in Supercars, having run Broc Feeney to the wire in both Super3 and Super2, and claiming top 10 finishes with Jack Le Brocq at Bathurst in the last two years with Matt Stone Racing and Erebus Motorsport.
However, he doesn't feel as though last year's enduros at Sandown and Bathurst in particular, that saw the pair unlucky not to claim dual top fives, was a breakout moment, rather the culmination of a building phase.
"Yes and no, I feel like it's something that's been brewing for a while, and even looking back at my MSR Gen3 run, I think the Gen3 car I've gelled quite well with," Ojeda said.
"We've been quite strong considering all factors, and like you said we were on for some good results, both at Sandown and Bathurst and running in that top five towards the back end of the race.
"I've been super comfortable in this Gen3 car, and driving a high downforce GT3, obviously there's a lot of different elements, and it hasn't given me any bad traits that can come across which is good."
Ojeda's performances have seen him emerge as a surprise player in the 2026 silly season, given his last season of Super2 came back in 2021 in an MW Motorsport Nissan Altima. There are at least nine seats unaccounted for on the 2026 grid, with Ojeda recently linked to a potential double change at PremiAir Racing.
The 26-year-old was coy on any potential full-time Supercars prospects when asked on the matter by Supercars.com, but he stated his desire to remain part of the Mercedes AMG fold.
"I'm just really enjoying my racing at the moment," Ojeda said.
"I really love the role that I've got with AMG, and doing all the stuff here and overseas, and for sure that's something that I want to have as a big part of my career going forward.
"That'll be my focus, and then in the interim just getting through these Supercar rounds with WAU and Woody, and just making sure I do my role there."
