Cracks at Feeney/Whincup strengthen Cameron's Bathurst resolve
Aaron Cameron battled championship-leading car at The Bend
Blanchard rising star set for second Bathurst start, first as main driver
Cameron to race with Zak Best, who makes first start since 2023
Aaron Cameron got a career-first opportunity at the AirTouch 500 at The Bend, and he made sure it didn't go to waste.
It's not often that a Triple Eight Camaro and a Blanchard Racing Team Mustang have engaged in combat for track position, yet when Jamie Whincup tumbled down the order after his refuelling drama, Cameron saw his chance.
Although Cameron couldn't get past Whincup in his opening stint, and was overtaken by Broc Feeney as he charged to make up for the #88's bungled first stop, it was taste of the front-running competition that Cameron wants more of.
Cameron is 24th in the standings, and last of the full-timers having been parachuted in to the #3 CoolDrive Mustang ahead of the Melbourne SuperSprint.
As such, he is out of Finals contention, with 12 drivers still in mathematical contention for the last four Finals berths on points.
When Supercars.com asked the Victorian whether or not the lack of championship pressure frees him up for a big swing at Bathurst glory, Cameron replied: "100%, every race is like that for us.
"We don't worry about the championship or Enduro Cup or anything, we're not in that sort of position. I think a lot of guys probably should be a little bit more careful. I certainly semi did that at Tailem Bend when Broc and Jamie weren't having a great day.
"It was cool to be running around them, and I certainly had a crack to pass them because it's not every day you get to have a go at passing a Triple Eight car.
"We'll do the same at the Mountain, we'll be giving it 100%. You never know when your last race is going to be, so we're just going to try and do as well as we can."
As eluded to, his future at BRT is uncertain beyond this year, with the 2024 Mike Kable Young Gun Award winner only signed to a one-year deal after hurriedly replacing Aaron Love after this year's season opener in Sydney.
Team owner Tim Blanchard has gone on record several times to state his preference in keeping Cameron, stating at The Bend that: "We want to give Camo as much time as we can to keep his development going."
One piece of BRT's 2026 puzzle is now locked in, with James Golding confirmed to be joining the team on a multi-year deal from PremiAir Racing.
However, despite the headlines that BRT generated with Golding's acquisition, the 25-year-old remains confident over his prospects.
"I'm not really fussed about where 2026 is at, I think every race has just been getting better.
"You look at our trajectory by the numbers, it's getting better and better, and certainly towards the end of the year we go to plenty of circuits that I have been to.
"Some I've been to in a Gen3, like Bathurst and Sandown, and circuits that I just like a bit more in general.
"I think every race is always an audition for anyone that's on a one-year contract, so you never know when things are going to happen.
"Obviously there's been all the recent driver movements, I think it's taken everyone a bit by surprise, so we'll see what happens."
Track action at Mount Panorama commences on Thursday October 9.
