Cody Burcher will further his Supercars ambitions with a move into Trans Am competition next year.

After finishing third in this year’s Australian Formula Ford Championship, despite missing a round, the Burchers have reached an agreement with Garry Rogers Motorsport to run a car in 2022.

That car is the ‘Coca-Cola Mustang’ which James Moffat drove at Sydney Motorsport Park.

“The move up to Trans Am is very exciting,” said Burcher.

“It is an exciting category to be a part of, especially with all of the people who are already involved.

“It’s a category that is growing and starting to gain a lot of traction and attracting bigger names.

“Trans Am cars seem to move around a lot like a Formula Ford, but with a lot more power and a roof over my head.

“Being a V8 rear-wheel drive car, it’s a good category to develop on the pathway to Supercars, especially with Gen3 Mustangs and Camaros in the not-too-distant future carrying a similar formula.”

The 18-year-old is known already to GRM from an S5000 test, when he left a positive impression on team director Barry Rogers.

“We’ve come to an arrangement with the Burchers to run the Ford Mustang ‘Moff’ used at Sydney Motorsport Park for next year,” Rogers reaffirmed.

“We’ve gladly got involved with the Burcher family and helped them make all this happen because Cody’s a young guy we certainly rate coming through.

“We gave Cody a drive of an S5000 12 to 18 months ago and he was very, very impressive.

“Cody is certainly a young guy we rate and moving into Trans Am next year, we think he’ll be mixing it pretty soon.”

Burcher himself drew attention to the wealth of knowledge and experience at GRM, including that of competition director Marcos Ambrose.

“GRM has been a massive part in making this happen,” said the Orange-based driver.

“They gave me a test in an S5000 at Phillip Island last year, which was a fantastic experience.

“We’ve kept in touch ever since and this new deal to run the Mustang in Trans Am brings that all together.

“Garry and Barry are renowned for spotting young talented drivers and helping them develop their skills. And I’m glad to be part of all that.

“They’re a very professional team, being a former Supercars team, they’ve got a lot of experience in the sport.

“There is also a lot of talent and knowledge in the workshop as well with people like Marcos Ambrose being involved, which I am sure will keep me on my toes to get the best out of me.

“I can’t thank the guys at GRM enough for the opportunities they’ve already given me, and I’m looking forward to continuing working with them into the future.”

The top-finishing rookie in the most recent Dunlop Super2 Series round, Aaron Seton, cut his teeth in both the Turtle Wax National Trans Am Series and TA2 Muscle Car Series, while Steven Johnson has spoken positively of the category as one in which son Jett can learn the craft.

This year’s national Formula Ford title winner, Thomas Sargent, has opted to progress his career in Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge, the tier below Carrera Cup.