Sports · Motorsport · 1 day ago
Zach Bates takes pole for Bathurst 1000
Zach Bates will start the Bathurst 1000 from pole position after setting the fastest time in Saturday’s Top 10 Shootout at Mount Panorama.
The 22-year-old Supercars rookie clocked 2:04.2062, beating Brodie Kostecki by 0.285 seconds.
Kostecki had been aiming for a fourth consecutive Bathurst pole but finished second.
Bates is the third rookie to take pole for the race, following Klaus Ludwig in 1987 and Marcos Ambrose in 2001.
He made his Bathurst 1000 debut last year and finished 10th.
The Bathurst 1000 is scheduled for Sunday, October 11, with Bates starting at the front of the field.
ABC Sport says it will provide a live blog from the start to the finish.
Zach Bates won the Top 10 Shootout at Mount Panorama and will start the Bathurst 1000 from pole position.
The 22-year-old rookie set a time of 2:04.2062, beating Brodie Kostecki by 0.285 seconds.
Kostecki had been seeking a fourth consecutive Bathurst 1000 pole but finished second in the shootout.
Bates is the third rookie to claim pole for the race, and the first since Marcos Ambrose in 2001.
The Bathurst 1000 is scheduled for Sunday, October 11, 2026.
- Who
- Zach Bates, a 22-year-old Supercars rookie
- What
- Won the Top 10 Shootout and qualified on pole for the Bathurst 1000
- When
- Saturday, October 10, 2026
- Where
- Mount Panorama, Bathurst, Australia
- Why
- Bates recorded the fastest lap in the Top 10 Shootout.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
Bates recorded the fastest qualifying time and earned provisional pole for the shootout.
Bates won the Top 10 Shootout with a lap of 2:04.2062, finishing 0.285 seconds ahead of Kostecki.
The Bathurst 1000 is scheduled to take place.
- Bates's shootout time
- 2:04.2062
- Margin over Kostecki
- 0.285 seconds
- Bates's age
- 22
- Bates's rookie distinction
- Third rookie to take Bathurst 1000 pole; first since Marcos Ambrose in 2001
- Race date
- Sunday, October 11, 2026
What people are saying
It would’ve been cool, but I’d rather have my name engraved on the [Peter Brock] trophy
Sources
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