Jarrod Hughes will make solo Supercars debut this weekend
Hughes replaces PremiAir Racing-bound Cooper Murray on Gold Coast
Hughes a "formality" to return in 2027 with Erebus, says Barry Ryan
Jarrod Hughes is ready. That's the word from Erebus Motorsport CEO Barry Ryan, who believes his latest young charge has the hallmarks of a Lowndes or Mostert.
Hughes, 21, will make his solo Supercars debut at this weekend's Boost Mobile Gold Coast 500, replacing PremiAir Racing-bound Cooper Murray.
Already one of the more vibrant and recognisable faces in the paddock, Hughes gets his big chance on the daunting Surfers Paradise streets, where Erebus last raced to victory lane in 2024.
Erebus has been a treasure trove in blooding new talent, debuting the likes of Murray, Brodie Kostecki and Will Brown to success. Ryan, though, can see something special in Hughes, who has already impressed in 2026.
Notably, Hughes streaked away from the field in terrible conditions at The Bend, even keeping his cool as veteran Tim Slade aquaplaned in front of him at 200km/h. Then, in Bathurst, he gapped the field by 0.6s in co-driver practice.
"The best thing about Hughesy, is he's got the ability outside of the car to be a Craig Lowndes or a Chaz Mostert," Ryan told Supercars.com.
“But you mentioned pressure, he was the king of pressure at The Bend. He was leading a race, in teeming rain, saw a car go 90 degrees in front of him on the front straight, and he didn't even skip a beat. I think his heart rate was still at 65. He’s got an amazing temperament.
"Then Bathurst, people sort of overlooked what he did on Saturday. He did a 2:05.5 in a race car with a race setup. That's pretty f**king impressive.
“In the race, he was chucked in against main drivers, and he held his own. He’s ready to go — the next step's gonna be, as long as he keep that momentum and confidence in his own ability to make the next step real quick. I think he will.”
Hughes conceded it will be a "baptism of fire" on the Gold Coast, while Ryan acknowledged the youngster was being thrown into the deep end at Surfers Paradise.
Ryan, though, maintained the rising star was ready for it, saying: "He’s just taking each drive as it comes. He says it's his favorite track on the sim, but he's definitely thinking about the right areas of the track where he needs to focus on.
"He's got full confidence in his own ability, so that's a big first tick. If you believe in yourself, you've got half a chance of getting there."
As for 2027, Ryan maintains Hughes is all but a "formality" to race for the team. However, Ryan wants the young Queenslander to make the most of his latest opportunity.
"I don't know where the narrative's come that he's only signed for three rounds,” Ryan said.
"I didn't want to say we might just cruise for three rounds, that’s not the way I go about things. I have said, ‘Yes, the pressure's on. You have to perform, and not just for us, it's for yourself’.
“He needs to kick into next year ready to go, not be, 'Oh, I sort of cruised into it, and I think I'm ready to go for next year’.
"I want him to go to Gold Coast, be solid, and then go to Sandown, which he knows back to front, and actually push for top 10s and, and get up there.
“So yeah, it’s basically a formality that he's gonna be driving with us next year. It’s all but a signed contract.”
Critically, Erebus and PremiAir have joined forces to deliver moves that align with their current strategies. PremiAir wanted a seasoned driver, while Erebus was happy to foster rising stars.
Having won championships and Bathursts, Ryan is more than happy to Erebus to be a proving ground for the next generation, even if they eventually move on.
"I think the biggest thing is that we could really help Cooper have another opportunity,” Ryan said.
"We just sometimes see the vision better than others. Speaking to PremiAir and GM, they didn't really want a rookie. So I think it was up to us to make the right decision and say, 'Right, we're happy for Cooper to go and for PremiAir to get what they want’.
“We're happy to take on a rookie again with Jarrod, because we've got a lot of confidence in how we've prepared him for this journey and where he's at right now on his journey.
“Blooding drivers doesn't mean giving them a year or two. We took two young rookies on in 2021, and that worked out pretty well.
“But not just for us, but for those two young guys. We won a championship with one of them, and at Bathurst with the same guy, and Will was in the fight for the championship with Brodie.
“So, you can do it with rookies. It’s just being willing to do it and picking the right two rookies, and we did then with Will and Brodie, and a lot of people questioned us. The same people are probably questioning us now.”
Hughes will contest his first competitive solo Supercars season on Friday.
