Jarrod Hughes will step away from his Trans Am season with one round remaining to focus on Supercars. Image: Richard Gresham
Hughes confirmed via The Driver’s Seat podcast that he will step away from the series for the final round at Sandown, which will run in support of the Sandown 500.
Trans Am is set to for back-to-back Sandown rounds to conclude the season, commencing with the Shannon SpeedSeries on October 31-November 1 before the Sandown 500 on November 6-8.
Hughes will contest his final round this weekend before turning focus fully to his new role the following weekend.
“We’re definitely going to do the round with the SRO, with the GT cars the week before,” Hughes explained.
“We’ll finish six of the seven rounds of the Trans Am series, which is awesome.
“That category for me this year, it’s given me back in the sport. Super2 last year wasn’t too much fun and it just wasn’t really enjoyable.
“I wasn’t losing the love for it, but it wasn’t as enjoyable as it could’ve been.”
The 21-year-old noted that Erebus Motorsport CEO Barry Ryan actually gave him the option to race both on the Sandown weekend.
Hughes turned down the offer, electing to fully focus on his new life as a Supercars driver ahead of his maiden full season next year.
“Baz said to me ‘you can do Trans Am and Supercars’ and I’m like ‘oh hang on Baz, that one might be a little bit exciting’,” Hughes joked.
“We did have the option, but no, we’re just going to do six of the seven rounds of Trans Am and focus on the Supercar come the Sandown race weekend.”
Hughes explained how Trans Am reignited a fire after a difficult Super2 campaign and has allowed him to show what he’s truly capable of.
“Trans Am this year, I’ve absolutely loved every bit of it,” he added.
“It’s been so good that I can actually show what I can do on a bit more of a level playing field, and obviously a lot more budget-friendly as well.”
Hughes carried backing from Chevrolet during the previous two Trans Am rounds. Image: InSyde Media
Hughes sits equal fourth in the Trans Am standings alongside Blake Tracey, just two points shy of James Moffat in third.
The young gun stepped into Supercars in a mid-season shift, with former Erebus driver Cooper Murray being moved to PremiAir Racing to replace the ousted Declan Fraser.
Hughes impressed in his second Enduro Cup campaign with Erebus, emerging as one of the standout co-drivers in treacherous conditions at The Bend.
The Queenslander was then running solidly inside the top 10 on debut at the Gold Coast 500 during Sunday’s race before being forced to pit for fuel in the closing laps, one of two late stops that allowed fellow Chevrolet driver Anton De Pasquale through to the next round of the Finals.