Dumbrell, Waters in Best's Bathurst sights

Zak Best is in search of a Bathurst round victory to re-stamp his authority on the Dunlop Series — and if he can, he will join some illustrious company.

Best is entrenched in the closest top four ever heading to Mount Panorama, with the Victorian leading Kai Allen, Ryan Wood and Cooper Murray.

Heading to the Repco Bathurst 1000, Best leads Allen by 33 points, Wood by 75, and Murray by 90. Never before has the top four been as tightly bunched before Bathurst.

Key for Best, who lost a swag of points after a Sandown collision with Zane Morse, is his hot form at Mount Panorama.

Only five drivers have won two or more points-paying Super2 rounds in Bathurst — and Best is one of them. Leading the way is Paul Dumbrell, who won the Bathurst 250km race three years in a row between 2014 and 2016.

Dean Canto won in 2005 and 2008, Andrew Thompson in 2006 and 2011, and Thomas Randle in 2018 and 2019. Randle inherited the 2019 win after a penalty for Bryce Fullwood. 

It's a good omen for Best, who is chasing his first Super2 crown after missing out in the last two seasons — Dumbrell, Canto, Thompson and Randle are all Super2 champions. Luke Youlden also won two rounds, in 2002 and 2007, but the development series didn’t race for points between 2001 and 2004.

Remarkably, Best has won more rounds at Mount Panorama than races; penalties and incidents for his rivals ensured Best won the season-opening round in 2021. Last year, he won the first race and the round after Race 2 was washed out.

Most Bathurst Super2 round wins*

*Not including non-points rounds in 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004 and 2017

A round victory at Mount Panorama would also take Best past Tickford Racing spearhead Cam Waters on the all-time list of Super2 round winners.

Best’s Newcastle round win was the fifth of his career; he won the 2021 Mt Panorama 500 round, and three rounds — Sydney, Sandown and Bathurst — in 2022.

Dumbrell (16), Owen (10), Canto (nine) and Thompson (eight) lead the way, with 2006 series champion Adam Macrow just ahead of Waters and Best on seven round victories.

Most Super2 round wins