Surprise rookie standout offers early 2026 hope for GM
Zach Bates was a standout in the first official running of 2026
Matt Stone Racing rookie was third in Wednesday pre-season testing
Bates was third behind Will Brown, Matt Payne
Supercars champion, Bathurst champion, rookie.
It was quite the top three in Wednesday's Destination NSW Sydney Test Day, which saw Zach Bates trail Will Brown and Matt Payne.
While Wednesday’s session will prove a blip in the grand scheme of the whole season, Matt Stone Racing will be hoping Bates’ performance aboard the #10 Bendix Camaro won’t be a fluke.
Bates set the third fastest time through four hours of testing, in what was held in sweltering heat on the short Druitt Circuit.
While he knows the story is just beginning, Canberran Bates was pleased to get off on a strong foot.
"It was great to get out there in the Bendix Camaro,” Bates told Supercars.com.
“The team did a great job. Obviously it's very, very early days. You have no idea what everyone's running, but I actually didn't mind the short circuit there.
"We obviously ran that today, waiting for the long circuit to be all good. But, yeah, it's a good start, and I'm looking forward to the rest of the weekend.”
Bates and fellow rookie Jayden Ojeda completed an otherwise mixed top eight that also included Anton De Pasquale and both Blanchard Racing Team Mustangs.
In a year General Motors is counting on veterans and rising stars to keep Camaros at the front after the departure of Triple Eight, Bates could have offered a glimpse at performance that could excite GM fans.
When asked how much he can read into Wednesday’s form, Bates said: “A fair bit. Just from my side as well, like just getting all the processes and things right.
“For me, obviously we did some practice starts and as well, which is great. Haven't done too many in this Gen3 car. So it was good to get them out of the way.
“And then, just run through the process with pit stops again. Haven't done too many, obviously did some last year with the wildcard, bu still just getting comfortable with it all.
"So, yeah, let's see how we go."
