Edwards' high praise for Tickford’s Super2 star

Tickford Racing boss has paid tribute to Zak Best after the young Victorian again left a Super2 season-opener with the points lead.

Best scored his second career Super2 victory in a chaotic Race 2 at Sydney Motorsport Park on Sunday.

It marked the second time Best left the first round of a new season atop the rankings.

Last year, Best claimed retrospective round honours in Bathurst after Jordan Boys was disqualified.

Best's Race 2 masterclass was overshadowed by incidents in the controversial race.

The race began in high drama as stalled cars towards the back of the grid triggered the first of three Safety Cars.

Best was fourth through Turn 1, but was second through Turn 2 after Angelo Mouzouris sent Cameron Hill into a spin.

Later, Zane Morse sent Cameron Crick into the wall at Turn 8, triggering another full course yellow.

The race was declared early after a lap 11 restart incident between Matt McLean, Ryal Harris and Nash Morris, the latter duo facing off trackside.

Best took the lead after the first restart with a daring move on Declan Fraser around the outside at Turn 5.

From there, he kept a clean nose to the end, an effort not lost on Edwards.

It followed a trying run to seventh in qualifying, with Best spinning off at Turn 2.

"Zak did a fantastic job today," said Edwards, who has also handed Best another Great Race start with the team.

"He got a little bit of luck with other cars hitting each other and what not on the start, but he did well to steer clear of that chaos.

"Once he got to the lead he wasn’t going to let it go.

"It was a great recovery after qualifying this morning. The crew gave him a good car, and he drove it well.

"It's just about the best way possible for him to start the new season which is great to see."

The Benalla driver was delighted to turn his day around after a "frustrating" qualifying effort.

"It was a really rewarding win today," said an elated Best, who celebrated with a shoey on the podium.

"We didn’t get the set up right for the conditions in qualifying, but fortunately I got a good start and kept my nose clean.

"Before I knew it I was second, and on the restart I had a chance to go for the lead and made it stick.

"It was pretty tricky out there, but once I had the lead I just pressed on and brought it home P1, which was great for the team and a great way to start the season."

Best will take a 30-point lead over Grove Motorsport's Matt Payne to the next round in Perth.