Zach Bates one of four rookies to test at The Bend on Friday
MSR rookie endured torrid Perth weekend in lead up to test
2024 Super2 champion returns to scene of spectacular debut in Ipswich
After what might well have been the most trying weekend of Zach Bates' maiden Supercars season, a rookie test day couldn't have been better timed.
Having exploded into his first full Supercars campaign with three top 10 qualifying efforts in Sydney, performances in Perth couldn't have been further away from that marker, failing to crack the top 20 in any qualifying session or race.
While there were top 10 qualifying performances as recently as Darwin, races have been a struggle for the 2024 Super2 champion, who is ranked 19th for average positions gained/lost in races this season.
Bates was one of four rookies to take to The Bend Motorsport Park on Friday, alongside PremiAir Racing's Jayden Ojeda, Dick Johnson Racing's Rylan Gray and Objective Racing's Jackson Walls, all completing their second allotted rookie test day of the season.
Bates and Matt Stone Racing took a methodical approach to their day, with a focus on car set-up and understanding changes, something which the Canberran admitted was needed.
“The day was all about learning more about what certain changes do to the car set-up, and I learned a fair bit," Bates told Supercars.com.
“At the start of the year you’re not really thinking about that stuff, you’re just flat out trying to drive fast. You're not really thinking about set-ups.
"We got the chance to really take our time with things away from a race weekend, obviously the practice formats are pretty hectic with two short sessions on a Friday, and then you're straight into qualifying the next day.
"I feel like we've learned some things for the back-end of the season."
Throughout 2026, MSR has been hunting for more consistency out of both of its Camaros, with Jack Le Brocq remaining embroiled in a battle for the 10th and final berth in the Finals Series.
Le Brocq and Bates are ranked 15th and 17th respectively for lap consistency in all races this year, with the team admitting that the veteran's race prowess and Bates' qualifying speed need to be converted into one package.
“There’s some rounds where we roll out of the truck really strong, but we haven’t turned up every week," Bates continued.
“This year’s been sort of a case of Jack has got a really good race car, and I’ve been more comfortable in qualifying. Obviously Jack's been doing a great job to hang in there in the 10 for Finals, and his race pace has helped that a lot.
“The weekend was really well timed, obviously Perth was a massive struggle, we just never got on top of the car and it was a really tough weekend."
The Century Batteries Ipswich Super 440 could represent a golden opportunity for Bates to rediscover top form, given the Queensland venue was the scene of his remarkable Supercars debut 12 months ago.
His raw speed shone with a stunning qualifying effort for the final race of the weekend, qualifying for the Boost Mobile Top Ten Shootout before backing it up to qualify fifth, and setting the fastest time of anyone on used tyres.
However, Bates knows that it is only history, adding: "Obviously last year was great, but you never count your chickens before they hatch.
"I really enjoy racing at Queensland Raceway, and you never forget making your debut, it was really special for me obviously to get in a Shootout on debut.
"I've got a job to do now though in the Bendix Camaro, and we'd love to get it up towards the front at our home event."
MSR will expand to three cars at Ipswich from August 21-23, with Aaron Seton making his second appearance of the season in the #30 Camaro.
