Ten Little Heroes take on Bathurst with Cody Burcher
October 7, 2026
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Supercar bonnet becomes canvas for ten kids with cancer ahead of Bathurst 1000
This Bathurst weekend, Kids with Cancer Foundation Ambassador and Supercars driver Cody Burcher will have some very special passengers along for the ride.
The artwork and autographs of ten incredible kids who have experienced childhood cancer will race around Mount Panorama on the bonnet of Cody’s fully Kids with Cancer Foundation-branded Holden Commodore ZB.
Aged between three and 18 and coming from across Australia, our ten Little Heroes were invited to create something special for Cody’s Bathurst bonnet.
What came back was a beautiful canvas filled with rainbows, superheroes, flowers, a unicorn, Tinkerbell, a brave lion and plenty of colour.
Behind every drawing is a child with their own story. Each is at a different stage of their cancer journey, but throughout their artwork, happiness, imagination and hope shine brightly.
Meet our Little Heroes
Nina, 3, Sydney
Diagnosed with leukaemia, Nina will have an extra-special place in Cody’s car. Her photo will feature on the passenger-side dash, meaning she’ll be racing ‘with’ Cody around the Mountain.
Nina will also travel to Bathurst alongside two other Sydney families to meet Cody, see the car and experience some of the excitement behind the scenes.
Olivia, 9, Sydney
Diagnosed with leukaemia, Olivia filled her contribution with happiness, drawing a colourful rainbow and love heart.
Madeline, 4, Sydney
Madeline was just two when she was diagnosed with retinoblastoma, a rare form of eye cancer. For Cody’s bonnet, she traced her little hand and added a beautiful yellow flower.
Chi, 18, Sydney
Diagnosed with lymphoma, Chi added their name and artwork to the bonnet and will be among the Little Heroes cheering Cody on.
Penny, 6, Sydney
Penny, who was diagnosed with leukaemia, drew a smiling rainbow sun – bringing an extra burst of happiness and colour to Cody’s car.
Charlotte, 11, Sydney
Diagnosed with leukaemia, Charlotte added a smiley face to the bonnet – a simple drawing filled with positivity.
Sully, 5, Newcastle
Sully drew a lion to represent how brave he has been throughout his journey with rhabdomyosarcoma.
His lion sits proudly at the centre of Cody’s bonnet – a symbol of the incredible courage shown by children facing cancer across Australia.
Shontel, 16, Victoria
Shontel was diagnosed with Ewing sarcoma in March and has spent more time in hospital than at home since. She has undergone major treatment, including having a kidney removed, and faces another 12 months of intensive treatment.
Her contribution? Tinkerbell. And the thought of seeing her drawing fly around Mount Panorama brings a little magic to a very tough journey.
Bianca, 7, Darwin
After spending a year in Sydney undergoing treatment for leukaemia, Bianca is finally back home in the Northern Territory.
She first met Cody at the Darwin Triple Crown and, for his Bathurst bonnet, drew something very fitting: herself and Cody as superheroes.
Isabella, 8, Perth
Isabella was diagnosed with a rare brain tumour shortly after her seventh birthday. Her treatment has included chemotherapy, major surgery, a stem cell transplant and two months of proton radiation in Florida.
Now finished treatment and rebuilding her strength at home in Perth, Isabella drew a unicorn for Cody after meeting him at the Perth Super 440.
Racing for every kid and family facing childhood cancer
While ten special children will have their artwork physically racing around Mount Panorama, Cody will be carrying thousands more kids and families with him in spirit.
More than 1,200 children and young people aged 0–18 are diagnosed with cancer every year in Australia, with around 5,600 undergoing cancer treatment at any one time.
For Cody, having the children’s names and drawings on the car makes one of Australian motorsport’s biggest weekends mean even more.
“Every time I get in this car over the weekend, I’ll think about the kids whose names and artwork are right there on the bonnet with me,” Cody said.
“Racing at Bathurst is the biggest stage in Australian motorsport, and it means everything to be able to take these ten incredible kids along for the ride, together racing for all kids and families going through childhood cancer.”
Cody has raced for Kids with Cancer Foundation throughout the 2026 season in a fully branded car and race suit – an extraordinary opportunity gifted to the Foundation by the Montag family, a regional NSW business family who have supported Cody since his junior racing categories.
Kids with Cancer Foundation CEO Todd Prees said the Bathurst bonnet was a powerful way to shine a national spotlight on childhood cancer.
“These kids are facing incredibly tough journeys, and yet what comes through in their artwork is joy, imagination and hope,” Todd said.
“Having their pictures carried around Mount Panorama in front of a national audience is a powerful way to put a spotlight on childhood cancer, and we’re enormously grateful to Cody and the Montag family for making this possible.”
For our Little Heroes, their families and everyone in the Kids with Cancer Foundation community, there will be plenty to cheer for when Cody takes on the Mountain.
Ten kids. Ten stories. One very special bonnet. And one big race carrying their courage, creativity and hope around Mount Panorama.
Go hard, Cody. The Mountain is yours! 
