Young Gun – Jarrod Hughes: Embracing the Kaizen

As part of AUTO ACTION’s Young Guns feature series that casts an eye over Australia’s promising youth, TGRA 86 racer Jarrod Hughes is our latest instalment.

A driver who is getting big raps from the right people; who’s shown a constant will to improve as he’s climbed up the ranks.

At the end of the 2022 racing season Jarrod Hughes was awarded one of Toyota’s most prestigious national and global recognitions when he received the Kaizen Award for his efforts in the 2022 Toyota Gazoo Racing Australia 86 Series.

The term Kaizen encapsulates a Japanese philosophy that simply means an ongoing and continuous improvement through a methodical process to achieve success; and it’s a term that suits the journey of the 18-Year-old Brisbane resident to a tee.

Hughes motorsport story starts in karting at the age of 10, through to Hyundai Excel racing, TGRA 86 and, more recently, an appearance in the TA2 Muscle Car Series at Hidden Valley’s world first co-driver TA2 event.

Jarrod Hughes racing at Sydney Motorsport Park. Images: PACE Images

He is also embedded in the Norwell Motorplex on the Gold Coast and cites the heavy influence of Paul ‘The Dude’ Morris – in befitting the Kaizen philosophy, Hughes has been able to approach his racecraft from another angle, having been made a driving instructor and track manager at Norwell.

On top of Morris’s tutelage, ACDelco has also been a big part of Hughes racing backbone as a sponsor on his cars for the last seven years.

Having been there from his karting days and through to the present, they’ll hopefully be there into the future as Hughes gets ready to step things up a gear on his promising career pathway.

Like many young racers in Australia his goals are orientated towards racing in the main game, with the TGRA series being one vital step in that process as Supercars teams utilise it as a base breeding ground for Australia’s up-and-coming talent.

Hughes is determined to give it everything he has to get to Supercars, and that was a goal that formulated early on the competitive national karting scene.

Auto Action spoke with Hughes at Sandown about his racing life, as he prepared for Round 4 of the 2023 TGRA 86 Series.

Jarrod Hughes gets some air in his karting days.

Right from the start, a 9-year-old Hughes showed he knew how to utilise a racetrack.

“I went to a Slideways Go-Karting facility at Eagle Farm when I was nine, but I was a bit too small to have a go actually,” Hughes began.

“But the people there put a few cushions under the seat and let me have a crack, and I was only one second off the track record on my first go. So when I turned 10 I got my first ever kart and I knew that racing was what I wanted to do.”

Six months later, in 2015, he started competing in state and national rounds, consistently running up the front, taking round wins over the course of five years whilst he started thinking about a future in racing.

“Around 2016-17 I started really getting into the Supercars on TV, and that’s when I started to really have a crack on the national level because I had something to personally aspire to.

“I was quite lucky to be able to go around the country with the help of my parents in karting, flying to a different place from week to week, and that gave me the experience to be able to move on to where I am now.”

His first experience in the tin-tops came through state Excel racing, which is where he started his lasting relationship with the Norwell Motorplex, which quickly led onto his TGRA step-up.

Jarrod Hughes leads a pack of Excels into tune 3 at Ipswich.

“Norwell put on a Saturday afternoon test and tune day where you could take your XL and cut a few laps In the afternoon with everybody … so that was sort of the first taste I got with the Norwell complex and environment.

“I did my first Excel race at Morgan Park, and Paul just said to get out there and give it a go, and then I sort of just merged into the Norwell team ….

“Then when I won my second ever race in the Excels we thought it was time to up the ante a little bit, and it was a big step up for me to then get into the 86 after that.

“Going to Townsville for my first ever 86 race was a bit daunting, but after my first lap I just thought it was awesome. The 86 Series is a great place for young people like myself to show off their talents.”

Hughes also became a driving instructor at the tender age of 15 at Norwell, which has helped him hone his own racecraft from a different perspective.

“Paul threw me under the bus so to speak at a young age, and I’ve been doing that ever since.

“Now that I’m 18, and had three years at Norwell, and having learned quite a few things that Paul’s taught me in my own racing, being able to teach other people that are coming through has been important.

“Teaching kids coming through karting like I did is quite special, but I think the best thing for me doing that is obviously you see how other people do it, and there’s always something that they do better than you, so I think that’s the best part about teaching.”

Jarrod Hughes with Paul Morris.

He also spoke a bit about ‘The Dude’ – who is one of Australian Motorsports most pivotal figures for young racers behind the scenes.

“Having Paul on my side is massive. He’s so strong on wanting to help kids coming through, and with what he’s done for guys like Broc Feeney, Anton De Pasquale and Brodie Kostecki … he just cares so much about us and wanting to help us step up through the categories.

“It’s the passion he has for wanting to help that’s so special. You name any racecar series and car and he’s probably driven in it, and having that knowledge base on your side and knowing him like I’ve been able to is a real privilege, as it is for a lot of people.”

2022 was a big year for Hughes, taking his first 86 win at Sandown and also winning a state title in the Excel series, setting a host of category win records along the way.

But winning the Kaizen award gave him the opportunity to travel overseas to the Daytona 500 … and then he got first dibs on the new Toyota GR 86 that he will race in 2024.

“Winning the Kaizen award really topped off a perfect year – to have people noticing you like that was a big upper hand for going into this year.

“I couldn’t tell you how it felt hearing my name called out, and then to go to the NASCAR race at Daytona to see directly how they operate … it’s helped me implement a lot of things that I’ve utilised this year with my organisational and driving skills.

Jarrod Hughes with his ACDelco team. Image: PACE Images

“And also being able to go to the North American Toyota Gazoo Racing Facility to see the cars being built; and the Jacob’s Racing factory, that was unbelievable.

“You think of the big teams in Oz like T8 and DJR and their factory set-ups, and then times that by 20 … it was pretty eye opening.”

This year he also got his first taste of racing in a V8 at Hidden Valley when he took on the TA2 national series in a Dodge Challenger as a co-driver with Hayden Jackson.

He backed up that faith by scoring an early podium, whilst the pair finished fifth outright in the event standings.

“That was the hottest I’ve ever been in a race cabin, but what an experience – it was my first time on slick tyres and in a big V8, as well as driving on the left hand side!

“First time I hopped in I thought ‘Jesus, this has some boogie to it…’ – had a bit on an 86 anyway. Unfortunately the gearbox gave way in the finale which prevented us from getting second overall.”

This year has been a bit of a struggle on track for Hughes in the 86 series, as things just haven’t clicked mechanically in what is likely his last full year in the series.

“We’ve had gearing issues unfortunately and we’ve just been losing big time out of the corners. We took the engine out here at Sandown so we’ll see where that gets us.

“I’ll just have to be wheeling as hard as I can from here on in, but we’re still fifth in the championship, so we’ll see what the rest of the year brings.”

Following on from the aptly themed Kaizen motif, 2024 is a year where Hughes is wanting to step up in his development as he assesses several options to get to that next rung on the ladder.

“In the ideal world I’d be in the Super2 series, but the biggest problem is getting the money for that … but we’re looking at those options, and the other one for us is to race in the Porsche Sprint Challenge.

Jarrod Hughes rides the kerb at The Bend. Image: Pace Images

“A lot of kids have been going through that and progressing into other things, which is awesome to see, so they’re our two main options.

“But of course, the TA2 series is also looking like a very cool option, but with having Paul on my side who he knows – it’s most likely Super 2 or Porsche … but you never know what’s going to happen …”.

In terms of his relationship with ACDelco, Hughes is also confident that that relationship can be something that’s also carried forward.

“I absolutely love working with them, so to have them stick with me for so long is a real privilege. 

“Hopefully I can stick with them and one-day we can make it to the main game together. They’ve been there from the start, and I feel that that would be a cool thing to say once we make it.

“I’ve also been lucky to have people like Rusty French and Skye Sands on board for this year… I’m very lucky to have what I have.” 

Images: PACE Images

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