Canberra’s Zach Bates has written the latest sensational chapter in Bathurst folklore, scoring pole position for the 2026 Repco Bathurst 1000.
The 22-year old shocked the motorsport world on Friday by taking provisional pole, and incredibly backed it up with a lap of 2.04.2062.
Matt Stone Racing driver Bates was nearly three tenths of a second faster than Brodie Kostecki, whose 2.04.4912 lap looked nearly unbeatable.
The result means Kostecki just misses out on what would have been a record fourth consecutive Bathurst 1000 pole.
Team 18’s Anton De Pasquale qualified third, with Erebus Motorsport’s Cooper Murray fourth, and Bates’ Matt Stone Racing teammate Jack Le Brocq fifth.
Both Bates and co-driver Aaron Seton have remarkable family backgrounds in motorsport. Bates’ family is renowned for its dominance of Australian rally, while Seton’s father Glenn was a two-time Australian Touring Car champion, and revered by many as the most successful driver to never win the Bathurst 1000.
Tomorrow (Sunday) two new names will be added to the Peter Brock Trophy, and crowned Kings of the Mountain in 2026.
The Repco Bathurst 1000 begins at 11:30 a.m. AEDT.
A 20-minute warm-up precedes the Great Race at 8:30 a.m., with pre-race festivities beginning just after 10:00 a.m.
Results: Repco Supercars Championship Repco Bathurst 1000, Top 10 Shootout
1/ Zach Bates, Matt Stone Racing, Chev Camaro ZL1, 02:04.2062
2/ Brodie Kostecki, Dick Johnson Racing, Ford Mustang GT, 02:04.5296
3/ Anton De Pasquale, Team 18, Chev Camaro ZL1, 02:04.5296
4/ Cooper Murray, Erebus Motorsport, Chev Camaro ZL1, 02:04.6970
5/ Jack Le Brocq, Matt Stone Racing, Chev Camaro ZL1, 02:04.9854
6/ William Brown, Triple Eight Race Engineering, Ford Mustang GT, 02:05.1198
7/ Jayden Ojeda, PremiAir Racing, Chev Camaro ZL1, 02:05.1558
8/ David Reynolds, Team 18 Chev Camaro ZL1, 02:05.1732
9/ James Golding, Blanchard Racing Team, Ford Mustang GT, 02:05.3028
10/ Matthew Payne, Grove Racing, Ford Mustang GT, 02:05.3517
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