Kody Garland is set to take part in the remaining rounds of the S5000 Australian Drivers’ Championship, beginning with Sydney Motorsport Park on July 28-30.
Garland currently competes in the Supercheap Auto TCR Australia Series as well as the Battery World Aussie Racing Cars Super Series.
He will make his S5000 debut aboard the Garry Rogers Motorsport entry James Golding used in the three rounds to date.
The opportunity has emerged as Golding will be committed to Supercars as S5000 is aligned at the same meetings for their final three rounds.
Garland expects that, by the Adelaide finale in November, he will be in position to be at the front of the field vying for the one-off Tasman Series title.
“I’m excited for this opportunity and honoured that the team chose me to fill in the seat vacated by Jimmy Golding,” said Garland.
“The S5000 cars suit the way I like to drive, they’re difficult cars to drive and you need to have a lot of respect for them, otherwise they can bite you hard.
“I have had one serious test day in the S5000 so far, and a few laps in the car at various points over the last year or so. It’s all about building into it with the S5000, they’re the fastest cars in the country and it’s extremely rewarding when you get it right.
“I am certainly aiming to get some good results, but I know there’s a difference in experience that I need to overcome first against the likes of Joey Mawson and Aaron Cameron. The new tyre compound that is being introduced will help level the playing field a bit, and then I’ll just be trying to take everything on board.”
Garland has become comfortable in S5000, having driven the cars at GRM’s Combine test days.
He believes the new tyre compound for the category in Sydney will help reduce the advantage held by the seasoned category competitors.
After a successful career in several Australian Kart Championships, Garland raced in both the Toyota Gazoo Racing Australia 86 Series and Aussie Racing Cars and was leading the points in the latter’s Covid-shortened 2021 series where the title was not awarded.
Since 2022 he has complemented his Aussie Racing Cars duties by competing in the Supercheap Auto TCR Australia Series with GRM, initially in a Renault Mégane RS TCR before a switch to a Peugeot 308 TCR this year.
“Jumping in at the midway point will certainly be a challenge for him, but we’ve got full confidence that Kody will be able to put together some superb performances,” added GRM Director Barry Rogers.
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