Benalla’s Zak Best will again team up with full-time Supercars driver Aaron Cameron (pictured testing recently at Winton) at the Bathurst 1000 this weekend. Photos: Rene Martens.
Benalla’s Zak Best could be in for a pretty special birthday present on Sunday afternoon.
Hold tight - we’re checking permissions before loading more content
Best, who will celebrate his 25th birthday on October 11, will be taking to the start line for the Bathurst 1000 as a co-driver alongside Blanchard Racing Team’s Aaron Cameron in the #3 LIQUI MOLY BLAHST entry, and is of the opinion that the pair are a realistic chance to take out ‘The Great Race’.
After a scintillating stint in the wet last year, Best was behind the wheel as the pair ran as high as second with the laps rapidly counting down, though some late-race mayhem saw a number of safety cars called, and the duo ultimately finished ninth, improving 11 spots from their starting spot of 20th on the grid.
But it’s given Best the confidence that the ultimate success isn’t out of the realms of possibility, telling Supercars.comthat he and Cameron believe they are in the conversation to be hoisting the Peter Brock Trophy.
“Yeah, I think we can (win),” he said.
“Really, anyone can I think in the field, just need a bit of luck go your way, and you just gotta be there at the end.
“Just minimise mistakes or no mistakes, and then hopefully we've got a good car underneath us, which I’m sure it’ll be good. Hopefully we can get a good result together, hopefully a podium if anything.”
It has been a bit of a rough start to the 2026 season for Best, though, who entered the feeder Super2 series with the hopes of finally going one better than his three-peat of runner-up finishes from 2022, 2023 and 2024.
Things initially looked promising, with a pole position and pair of top 10 race finishes from the opening round in Sydney; however, a raft of mechanical retirements and other issues have plagued him since, leaving him languishing in 12th spot on the standings.
It has been enough for Best to pull the pin on the remainder of the campaign, confirming he won’t take any further part in the Super2 season, but it has also freed him up to focus entirely on the Bathurst campaign with BRT.
Having taken to the track at The Bend for the AirTouch 500 in South Australia from September 11 to 13, the first round of the Enduro Cup, Best and Cameron suffered a disqualification after the race went to a time certain finish following torrential weather, leaving Cameron two laps shy of the 54-lap minimum drive time requirement.
Best and Cameron will enter the Bathurst 1000 as co-drivers for a second straight year, having run as high as second in 2025 before ultimately finishing ninth.
Despite the early snag, Best believes the pair enter this year’s race around Mt Panorama in a much better spot than 12 months ago, and with a lightning quick BRT Mustang underneath them, anything is possible.
“I think we've got a lot more confidence this year going into Bathurst, having the same engineer, same driving line-up,” Best said.
“It felt like for us and our side to have continuity is quite good. It’s the first time for me having the same pairing, that makes things a lot easier when we’ve worked together before.
“I think it’s a lot more confidence going in, and obviously the car speed has been great compared to last year, and I think we've learned a lot over the year, and learned from The Bend.
“I think I should be in a good position, and hopefully Aaron can have a good qualifying and put the thing in the Shootout. I think there’s a lot of speed in the car, Aaron and I just haven't been able to show our true potential yet.”
The Repco Bathurst 100 will be held from October 8 to 11, with every session broadcast live on Foxtel and Kayo, while Channel 7, 7mate and 7plus will carry live coverage from Practice 3 onwards, starting on Friday, October 9.
11°C