Cam Waters gunning for first Bathurst win
Two-time runner-up insists full focus is on race set-up
Waters, Mark Winterbottom led early last year before wrong tyre call
Cam Waters is more than ready to make his 14th Bathurst 1000 start his most memorable one yet.
After years of near misses and heartbreak, including runner-up finishes in 2020 and 2021, Waters returns to Mount Panorama alongside Mark Winterbottom as one of several leading contenders for victory.
Waters has the most starts of any primary driver taking on the 2026 Great Race without a win against their name, and a tough run with a poor wet weather car at The Bend could've sent alarm bells ringing at Tickford.
However, 32-year-old spearhead Waters is calm heading into the biggest week of the year, insisting that speed once the track dried at The Bend was a positive to build upon, with his eyes firmly set on keeping a fast, clean race car throughout practice.
"Excited to be heading back to The Mountain with Frosty and chasing a spot on that top step with him come Sunday afternoon," Waters said.
"The Bend had plenty of positives to come out of it and we have used that in the preparation and planning for this week.
"I’ll be out there pushing as hard as the car allows me whilst making sure I respect the Mountain as we know how hard it can hit back. We will just take each session as it comes and make sure we go into Sunday with a really good car."
Winterbottom, meanwhile, lines up for his 24th consecutive Bathurst start, aiming to add to his iconic 2013 Bathurst win, clinched after an epic last lap duel with Jamie Whincup.
The 2015 Supercars champion declared that Tickford had "work to do" on their wet weather car in the lead up to the Great Race, but tempered that by adding the dry weather car was strong.
Speaking before Bathurst, Winterbottom doubled down on his belief that Tickford are well in the hunt in a dry race, though early forecasts are indicating that there could be rain across both Saturday and Sunday.
"Bathurst is always incredibly special no matter how many times you go. I look forward to it every year and to be doing it again with Tickford and Cam is great as we have developed a really strong partnership over the last 12 months," Winterbottom said.
"The conditions at The Bend were next level but once the track dried out the car did start to come alive, so there were positive signs that we take into this week. The body is feeling really strong and prepared heading into this year’s Bathurst and the drive is there more than ever to get back on that top step once again with the team.
"We know we have a strong car that is ready to tackle the mountain and there is strong belief in the game plan we are taking in, the focus is just going session by session executing what we need to as a team."
The Waters/Winterbottom combination were well in the conversation for a Great Race victory last year, running among the lead group early, with Waters battling Brodie Kostecki for the lead as the rain began to fall.
However, Winterbottom was caught out on slick tyres as the rain got heavier, nosing the #6 Monster Mustang into the fence at Forrest's Elbow, ultimately recovering to 12th.
On-track action at Bathurst commences with Practice 1 at 1:30pm AEDT on Thursday.
