Cam Waters, Tickford in resurgent form
Waters on the podium in five of last six races, including two wins
Tickford vow to win title with Waters, who's in 11th full-time season
2026 is potentially shaping as the year that Cam Waters and Tickford's loyalty and longevity could finally pay dividends.
The #6 Monster Mustang has burst into form in the last two rounds across Darwin and Townsville, winning two races and a further three podiums in the last six races.
It followed a difficult start to the year, however Waters has arguably been in career-best form in 2026, starting with a superb run to pole at the Bathurst 12 Hour in February.
The uplift in form has seen Waters and Tickford emerge as title contenders when the top 10 reset for Finals at the Gold Coast in October, with Tickford Director of Motorsport Rod Nash going so far to say that Tickford "owe" Waters a championship in his 11th season with the squad.
“He has been quite loyal to the company, as the company has been to him,” Nash recently told News Corp.
“I do believe that the company owes him to a certain degree. We’ve got to deliver him that championship.
“There has been a few that have tried to take him away from us over more recent years, but at the end of the day it is up to the team to make sure you are doing all the right things so that even when other offers come in to a driver that they see that their strength is staying at home so to speak to get the job done."
Former teammate turned co-driver Mark Winterbottom has seen Waters grow from a hot shot Super2 champion to one of the bona fide superstars of Supercars.
He's also better qualified than most to explain what the 31-year-old has put in behind the scenes at Tickford, especially in the first half of the season to drag them back to the top step.
The loyalty also goes the other way, Tickford having signed Waters to a Super2 deal in 2014 when he wasn't able to kick on from a whirlwind Bathust debut in 2011 as a fresh-faced 17-year-old.
"The other thing is when you talk about loyalty, the team have been very loyal to him too," Wintebottom said on MotorRacing 360.
"When you're a young kid trying to come into the sport with not a lot of backing, Tickford gave him an opportunity and he took it. You don't forget that.
"Some drivers do, but he's been very well looked after there as well, so it's something that works together.
"When you start a journey, he's super loyal. Cam is so loyal. You start a journey, you want to win with that team.
"You go and join a Triple Eight whose won five championships and you add two. Yes you want to go and win a championship, but it's so much more rewarding when you're with that team and you beat the best. That's Cam Waters."
Waters continues to sneak up on unwanted history as he approaches his 15th Bathurst start. Only Paul Morris (22 starts), Luke Youlden (18), Lee Holdsworth (18), and Allan Grice (17) started more Bathursts before winning their first.
But, Waters and Tickford are undoubtedly peaking at the right end of the year, whilst Winterbottom himself logged an extra 200km of seat time at Darwin filling in for an ill Thomas Randle.
"It's very hard, our sport. You need that Bathurst, or you need that championship to give all those other race wins and all the results you get credibility.
"There's some tough critics out there, you need those big ones."
Waters is fourth in the championship through seven rounds, and will be back in action on Friday July 31 in Perth.
