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\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tJarrod Hughes. Image: Richard Gresham <\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tJarrod Hughes. Image: Richard Gresham <\/p>\n
The 21-year-old Queenslander starred in the treacherous conditions aboard Jobe Stewart\u2019s Camaro, during what was just his third main game race.<\/p>\n
Hughes started ninth and rose through the pack to be placed as high as second during the opening stint, subsequently inheriting the lead when Tim Slade suffered a huge moment during a restart on lap 50.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was the sketchiest conditions I\u2019ve ever raced in, but I guarantee it was the sketchiest conditions a lot of the experienced guys have ever driven in too,\u201d Hughes reflected to Speedcafe.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was just crazy. Turn 10 under the first Safety Car, I almost put the thing in the fence doing 30 kays an hour. You were just a passenger a lot of those times.<\/p>\n
\u201cTimmy [Slade] off that restart, Jesus Christ. I thought he was in the fence hard. You\u2019re driving in a straight line and the thing is trying to ping-pong off the walls.<\/p>\n
\u201cAfter the restart, I thought, \u2018Ah, there\u2019s some bloke up further that had an even better start. I\u2019m not actually leading\u2019.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019re like, \u201cNo, no, you\u2019re leading the race\u2019. \u2018F***! Okay\u2019. It was just surreal.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe only reason I wanted to get out was because it was just so sketchy. But I was having a blast.\u201d<\/p>\n
Erebus\u2019 decision not to pit either of its Camaros during the second or third Safety Car periods meant Hughes ended up leading 27 laps \u2013 pulling a gap on Kai Allen and holding a large buffer to Chaz Mostert.<\/p>\n
That strategy also proved the team\u2019s downfall as the car ran short on fuel while the track was still drying, forcing an early move to slick tyres that resulted in a 14th place finish.<\/p>\n
Regardless, the point was made. A year on from the breakout co-driving performance from Stewart that thrust him into a full-time seat, Hughes laid down his own marker.<\/p>\n
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Hughes led 27 laps in Sunday\u2019s AirTouch 500 at The Bend. Image: InSyde Media<\/p>\n
\u201cI already knew I could do it, I showed that last year. But this actually gives me a bit of a boost behind what I say,\u201d he surmised.<\/p>\n
\u201cI could easily go to a team boss and say, \u2018hey, I\u2019m ready to go, put me in, coach\u2019.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut now I\u2019ve actually got a bit of evidence to say that in probably the toughest conditions we\u2019ve seen in a long time, I can actually turn it on.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s good to actually have something to back it up rather than just say, \u2019yeah, I\u2019m lit\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n
Hughes noted the sweet and sour of being able to give the Erebus team a morale boost amid a trying season, while missing out on putting a big result on the board.<\/p>\n
The next step is doing just that at next month\u2019s Bathurst 1000 and then seeing what 2027 brings.<\/p>\n
Hughes believes a main game promotion would be just reward for all who have supported his career to date.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy family has got no money, so the investment up to this point from the supporters behind me is huge and it\u2019d be so cool to actually be able to pay them back,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI know I\u2019m ready to do it, they know I\u2019m ready to do it, so if we can get that seat, that would just be a dream come true.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m certainly not going to waste it, that\u2019s for sure. So many people have put their time and money into me to get there and let off the gas pedal.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re going to get there and we\u2019re going to have a crack. We\u2019re not going there to come outside the top 20, we\u2019re going there to win straight off the bat.\u201d<\/p>\n
Erebus Motorsport is yet to confirm drivers for either of its cars next season, while uncertainty also exists over line-ups at fellow Chevrolet outfits PremiAir Racing, Matt Stone Racing and Team 18.<\/p>\n