Best returns with a bang to top Sydney short track qualifying

Zak Best is back.

The Benalla product and Anderson Motorsport have claimed their first DUNLOP Super2 Series pole positions since 2023 in an unusual Boost Mobile Qualifying session.

The Blanchard Racing Team headed a top five that was separated by less than a tenth of second in a frantic qualifying session, that introduced a brand-new circuit layout to the DUNLOP Series.

Half an hour before the session, officials announced that the first Boost Mobile Qualifying session of the year would be held on the shorter Druitt configuration, owing to track repairs at Turn 8 on the full layout.

The 2.8km layout introduces a 'flip flop' that exits the full Gardner layout at Turn 4, and rejoins the traditional lap at the exit of the Turn 8 hairpin.

Boost Mobile Qualifying was the first time all weekend that the shorter layout was used for Super2 all weekend, and to add a further layer of complexity the circuit was declared wet pre-session with rain bearing down on Sydney Motorsport Park.

With 25 minutes on the clock, there was plenty of time for what was just over a 60-second lap to have several runs.

The initial story of the day was just how many drivers picked up kerb hops and track limits warnings through the Turn 4, 5 complex.

Ben Gomersall went to the top early, continuing his strong Friday form, before Lochie Dalton set a 1:01.1622s to go almost a second faster than the the Tickford Mustang.

Cody Burcher went second on a 1:01.7925s, but was still more than half a second away from the #43 BRT Mustang, before his marker was knocked off by Reuben Goodall on a 1:01.6839s.

Zak Best then jumped up to second in the #78 Anderson Motorsport Mustang, his 1:01.5107s creeping ever closer to the Dalton benchmark.

Bailey Sweeny made it the second BRT 1-2 in as many days as he jumped to second on a 1:01.4047s, as the timing screens lit up with just shy of eight minutes remaining.

Dalton's reign on top was ended by Brad Vaughan, the two-time pole sitter from last year going top by just 0.0228s on a 1:01.1394s in the #80 Brad Jones Racing Commodore.

With five minutes remaining, both Anderson Mustangs rolled out on a green set of tyres, whilst Gomersall jumped back up to second on a 1:01.1597s.

Fresh tyres worked wonders for Best, who snared the top spot off Vaughan with a 1:01.0640s, before bowling a wide at Turn 2 and running well off into the grass. Teammate Ryan Tomsett also jumped to third.

The final results had Best heading Vaughan on the front row by just 0.0754s, with Tomsett (+0.0867s), Gomersall (+0.0957s), and Dalton (+0.0982s) rounding out the top five.

Goodall, Sweeny, Campbell Logan, Nash Morris, and Jordyn Sinni rounded out the top 10. Alice Buckley qualified 16th for her first DUNLOP Super2 Series race.

The opening race of the 2026 DUNLOP Super2 Series will begin at 6:10pm local time. An announcement will be made in due course over whether the short of full layout will be used for the race.