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Bates Springs Bathurst 1000 Qualifying Surprise for Chevy
Bates posted a 2:03.938 lap, becoming the first Gen3 driver to break 2:04 as two cars missed qualifying after practice crashes.
- On Friday, rookie Zach Bates topped Bathurst 1000 qualifying at Mount Panorama, setting a 2:03.938 lap time to become the first driver to break the 2:04 barrier in the Gen3 era.
- Dedicated to his late mother, Alison Drower, the Canberra native drives for Matt Stone Racing and is the son of former driver Rick Bates, whose motorsport heritage shaped his path.
- Bates's lap surpassed Brodie Kostecki's Bathurst 1000 record of 2:04.0307 seconds. "I'm surprised that I'm sitting here, but I want to be in the top 10," Bates said.
- Separate practice crashes on Friday forced Ryan Wood and Rylan Gray to miss qualifying entirely, relegating both drivers to the back row for Sunday's race.
- The Top 10 Shootout begins Saturday at 5.05pm with Bates as the last driver on track, while defending champion Chaz Mostert qualified 16th and series leader Matt Payne ninth-fastest.
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Breaking: Bates dedicates historic Bathurst lap to late mum after stunning qualifying
Zach Bates has become the first driver in the current era of Supercars to complete a lap of Bathurst under 2:04.000, topping Friday's qualifying session ahead of Saturday's Top-10 Shootout.
·Ultimo, Australia
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Leaning Left5Leaning Right1Center4Last UpdatedBias Distribution50% Left
Bias Distribution
- 50% of the sources lean Left
50% Left
L 50%
C 40%
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