How reinvigorated Waters snuck into championship picture

Cam Waters has been quietly brilliant in 2026.

That might seem weird to say when the likes of Brodie Kostecki and Broc Feeney have been winning races for fun, Matt Payne went on a four-race podium streak, and drivers like Anton De Pasquale, Jack Le Brocq, and Anton De Pasquale have all made big strides.

Yet, despite only having two podiums to his name, the #6 Monster Mustang has quietly crept up into second behind the #17 Shell V-Power Ford.

Throughout the opening two rounds of this season, the now iconic black Ford has been the one sneaking around in the shadows, waiting to pounce on any misfortune for those ahead.

At the helm is a driver who since the very first laps he turned in anger this season has been right on top form.

It all started with a stunning run to pole at the Meguiar's Bathurst 12 Hour, in a Mercedes he shared with Mostert and Thomas Randle, and whilst the trio couldn't convert on race day, it was a timely reminder that on his day, Waters is among the best anywhere on the planet.

Whilst that couldn't be converted into a win against the world's best, it was a welcome return to devastating form after his 2025 Supercars title run petered out as the year progressed.

Whilst his 2026 DUNLOP Sydney 500 wouldn't reach the same heights as his opening account from 2025, there was one performance in particular that turned heads.

A qualifying miscue saw Waters line up in 20th on the grid for Race 3 on the Sunday, a far cry from his unstoppable dominance 12 months prior, however he had the hammer down immediately.

Within five laps, he had already soared into the top 10, ultimately claiming third by race's end as the rains came and mayhem ensued. There were no risks, no close calls, just methodical and ruthless progress through the order.

“I just had an amazing start. All first three laps was amazing. Just ended up in all the right spots and everyone was in all the wrong spots, and just kept picking 'em off," Waters said of Race 3.

"Eight spots after three laps, which was awesome. Just from that point, tried to look after the tyres a little bit. still picked a few more off. That was great. Really set up our race.

"Obviously I would've preferred a repeat of last year again, but saying that I think we've learned a hell of a lot this weekend, which is great.

"We can use all that in the next few rounds where last year, we probably thought we were better than what we actually were.

"I think we understand our car a lot more now, which is great."

That trend of flying through the field was once again on display last time out in Melbourne, an impressive feat when you consider the chaos and amount of Safety Car laps that disrupted the weekend's running.

Waters could very easily have been caught up himself in the weekend's biggest incident that saw Broc Feeney's Mustang severely damaged, and Cooper Murray and Zach Bates also cop big hits in Race 7.

The catalyst for the incident occurred several hundred metres back up the road, as Kai Allen launched off the side of Ryan Wood's Toyota, crippling both with punctures.

All of this unfolded right in front of Waters, who used all of his 316 races of experience to pick his way through the mayhem as Allen was tagged into Feeney, who had been baulked by Wood's straight-lining Toyota.

Once again, where others stumbled, Waters was the one to capitalise. Through seven races, has has gained a whopping 39 positions.

"I was just in front of it all happening. I saw Kai and Woody’s wheels interlocked, and then I just knew obviously they're gonna go straight and then I see it all unfolded behind me," Waters said of the Race 7 start.

"You're trying to predict what's gonna happen 300 metres up the road, and it's kind of understanding the cars around you.

“Who's going to be a little bit more aggressive than others and just trying to predict where to place your car. And this weekend I've got them all right, which has been amazing for us.

“Sometimes you just can't avoid that stuff. But yeah, it's been good for us."

Maybe it was a complete off-season away from racing his beloved sprintcars, maybe it's a newfound maturity in fatherhood, but whatever the change has been in the off-season, it's clearly been a huge benefit for both driver and his Tickford team.

The next few rounds could be the barometer of whether or not Waters can be a serious title contender this season; if his consistency can be maintained, that will only build further momentum towards the all important Finals.

As we've seen in the past, Cam Waters unleashed is absolute box office. Can box office Waters be paired with the mature team leader we've seen emerge in 2026?

The views in this article do not necessarily express the opinions of Supercars, teams or drivers.