The shock stats underlining Cameron's rocks and diamonds season

There's no questioning that the opening two rounds of the 2026 Repco Supercars Championship have been a story of rocks and diamonds for Aaron Cameron.

One lap speed has not been a problem for Blanchard Racing Team as a whole, with the team's stunning front row lockout for the opening race of the season anything but a flash in the pan.

Through the opening seven races of the year, Cameron has the second-best qualifying average in the field (4.71), whilst new teammate James Golding's average (6.57) is fifth.

Such has been Cameron's speedy start, that he is one of only two drivers to qualify inside the top 10 for every race this season, alongside Penrite Racing's Matt Payne.

However, in a tale of two halves, races have continually slipped away from the 2024 Super2 runner-up, with Albert Park a disastrous weekend.

Through a mix of incidents, accidents, and plain old bad luck, Cameron's race average has plummeted to 17.0 for the year to date, placing him 22nd in the field.

Speaking on Supercars' Bailey Ladders The Run Home podcast, 2015 Supercars champion Mark Winterbottom believes that Cameron has been guilty of overdriving what his car is capable of, particularly in Melbourne.

"It was really important that they went to the Grand Prix and backed it up to make sure it wasn't just a flash in the pan in Sydney," said Winterbottom.

“But for Aaron Cameron, I think he's just got to finish. There's a point where you go, ‘hey, a podium might not be on the cards today.'

"A top five finish, get some points, get the pressure off and just get some points in the bag. That would have been really big for him.

“Just start getting some runs on the board. It's really important for them.”

Sitting 19th in points is by no means representative of his year to date, and the points lost in the past five races make for brutal reading.

If you take the positions the #3 Ford was running in before striking trouble from Race 3 in Sydney onwards, the Victorian has lost 223 points in the last five races.

Had he bagged all of those points, he would be sitting inside the top five in points. But alas, that is only hypothetical.

The potential is clearly there, however with 101 points to claw back on the Finals bubble already, there is a mountain to climb.

How he performs in the ITM New Zealand Doubleheader could very well set the tone for whether or not a Finals berth is still on the cards.

The opening leg in Taupō is another important checkpoint for BRT to clear, given the North Island round was the nadir of their 2025 season, with Cameron and former teammate James Courtney locking out the back row in all three races.

2013 Bathurst winner Winterbottom added: “It’s a good test for them going to Taupō, because last year they were half a second off. Effectively, they were very slow there.

“So they'll go there now, they'll be up the front, they get another opportunity. And every time they race at the front, they'll realise this isn't the one they have to get.

“Golding is a little bit more experienced in championship racing, but first of all, they need to finish and develop the cars. When you're repairing them as well, they're not getting built to go faster. You're practically just getting them ready to race again.

“So for that team, the next step is consistency — finish races, maximise their position, a few top 10s, a few top fives, and the wins will come.

“Sit on your hands a little bit. That’s hard to say to racers, but just control the narrative and sit on your hands and just get some points.”

The ITM New Zealand Doubleheader begins with the ITM Taupō Super 440 from April 10-12, before the inaugural Christchurch Super 440 from April 17-19. Tickets to both events are on sale now.