Erebus young gun Jarrod Hughes confident he can win Bathurst 1000
Hughes turned in the drive of his life to comfortably lead Bend 500
21-year-old puts hand up for full-time seat in 2027
If there was a man of the match award handed out for Supercars races, few would've begrudged it being awarded to Jarrod Hughes.
The effervescent 21-year-old stunned against an experienced crop of co-drivers in driving rain to start the race, and promptly drove away from the field — led by Chaz Mostert and Kai Allen — as the track began to dry out.
Ultimately, Erebus Motorsport were slightly too early to switch to dry tyres, condemning Jobe Stewart and Hughes to an unlucky 14th, it was further proof that Erebus truly do come alive in enduro season.
There were similarities to last year's breakout performance by Stewart at The Bend, which was followed by an even better drive at Bathurst.
Now, the former Super2 rookie of the year is adamant he can help Stewart to the Bathurst win he fell agonisingly short of 12 months ago.
When asked by Supercars.com if he can win Bathurst, Stewart confidently declared: "Of course we can, there's always a lot of positivity in the team around enduros.
"The atmosphere was great in the team even before The Bend, but the weekend was just an extra boost, because we showed that we've got genuine speed.
"I think Jobe led a few laps earlier this year in Tasmania through a pit cycle, but for me to lead 27 laps I think it was, and for it to be on speed was a huge boost for the team.
"It was a bit of a moment for the team of, 'Hang on a minute, we've got the speed to get results'.
"Last year Jobe and I were rapid at Bathurst as co-drivers with Cooper [Murray] and Jack [Le Brocq], and for us to now be paired together is something I'm really excited about.
"But, it's Bathurst, and you never really know what you're going to get, we all know what last year was like."
His starring role at The Bend also did no harm to his future prospects, with Murray out of contract at the end of the season in the #99 Erebus entry.
With Stewart locked in on a multi-year deal, Hughes has thrown his hat into the ring to become the latest Erebus Academy success story, despite strong links to the wider General Motors and Chevrolet Racing camp.
"I want to be full-time next year, and I don't want to be with anyone other than Erebus," added Hughes when asked whether he would be willing to look to other Chevrolet teams to join the full-time grid in 2027.
"They've treated me like family since I arrived there, and a lot of people misunderstand them, and that really pisses me off, because they've all become family to me.
"Obviously I've also been part of the General Motors family since I was 10 as well, so that's been an 11 year journey now as well.
"If I could land anywhere within the GM family in Supercars, that would still be great, but I'd love to go full-time with Erebus after all they've done for me.
"I know I'm ready to make the step up, and to drive the way I did at The Bend just gives me more confidence that I am ready. It was perfect timing given nothing went to plan in Trans Am."
As it stands, all four Chevrolet teams — Erebus, Matt Stone Racing, PremiAir Racing, and homologation team Team 18 — all have question marks surrounding their 2027 driver line-ups.
