BLANCHARD Racing Team duo Aaron Cameron and Zak Best have gone the extra mile in a bid to ensure there’s no repeat of their Tailem Bend struggles from last year.

Cameron and Best are one of just six enduro combinations to have carried over year-on-year, having enjoyed a strong run to ninth place in the 2025 Repco Bathurst 1000.

The preceding Bend 500 was another matter altogether however, the #3 Mustang lacking pace en route to an uneventful 24th at the chequered flag.

Eager to kickstart their second Enduro Cup together in better fashion, the pair brainstormed how they could get to grips with The Bend’s West Circuit layout that will be in use next month, in a car as close to a Gen3 Supercar as possible.

The answer proved to be a day spent there in an Innovation Race Car Super Development machine Thursday last week, splitting time between hopping behind the wheel as well as driver coaching Emily Caccaviello.

“It was cool to do a bit of driver training with her and for us trying to learn the West Circuit,” Cameron told V8 Sleuth.

“Everyone would think it’s a pretty small change but some of the corners… Turn 6 instead of going left, you go right, and it’s a really tight corner which catches you off-guard on the first few laps.

“So just trying to learn that and compare the data between Zak and I so we can hit the ground running when we get there for enduros, so we’re not wasting time in that first practice or two trying to learn the track.

“We should have that down pat, the different lines and where the bumps are and the braking zones. It was certainly beneficial.”

BRT engineer Chris Fitzgerald also attended the day to lend a hand.

“If you look at Tailem Bend last year, we struggled a fair bit at that track,” said Cameron.

The #3 Ford at the recent Perth Super440. Pic: Supplied/Mark Horsburgh

“So we’re just trying to make sure we’re taking all the driver excuses out of it and making sure we’re onto it and that we can really focus on the car set-up when we get there.”

The Liqui Moly Blahst Ford regular praised the IRC SD as having several similar traits to a Gen3 Supercar, and reflected positively on Caccaviello’s progress.

“We also got to make some changes to the car to help Emily drive it a bit more on the edge and a bit more like what we think it should really feel like to be getting that last few tenths out of a race car,” said Cameron.

“It was cool to see her progression over the day; she did a really, really good job.”

Caccaviello will compete this weekend as the Australian IRC Racing Series resumes at Ipswich.

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