Zach Bates takes Bathurst 1000 pole in top-10 shootout
The 22-year-old Matt Stone Racing driver clocked 2:04.206 at Mount Panorama, beating Brodie Kostecki to the leading grid position.
Supercars rookie Zach Bates has secured pole for the Bathurst 1000, setting the fastest time in each sector during the Mount Panorama top-10 shootout. He will share the No.10 Matt Stone Racing entry with Aaron Seton.
Bates entered the shootout holding provisional pole and completed his lap in 2:04.206, ahead of Brodie Kostecki’s 2:04.491. Kostecki, who had won the previous three shootouts, earned a fourth consecutive front-row start.
Anton De Pasquale qualified third for Team 18, alongside Cooper Murray in fourth. Series leader Matt Payne finished the shootout in 10th, with David Reynolds taking eighth place.
Bates thanked his family and team, saying their work had helped him reach this point. The Canberra driver is Rick Bates’ son and Neal Bates’ nephew. His Bathurst debut last year ended with a 10th-place finish alongside Craig Lowndes in the Triple Eight Race Engineering wildcard.
Outside the shootout, Kai Allen qualified 11th, Broc Feeney 12th and Cam Waters 13th. Defending Supercars champion Chaz Mostert will line up 16th, the highest qualifying position for a Toyota Supra. Separate crashes during Friday’s opening practice left Rylan Gray and Ryan Wood on the back row.
