JAMIE Whincup has made no secret of the fact that he personally pushed hard for Zach Bates to get the nod for Triple Eight’s 2025 Supercheap Auto wildcard program.
Hailing from a famous rallying family, Bates won last year’s Super2 crown and will now have the honour of sharing in Craig Lowndes’ final couple of races for Triple Eight.
But what set Bates apart from the pack of up-and-comers gunning for an opportunity?
“I just see someone keen to develop and keen to learn, mainly,” Whincup explained to V8 Sleuth.
Zach Bates deep in thought. Pic: Ross Gibb
“You have got a heap of kids that are a similar driving level but then you have got the odd one here or there that is just keen to develop and keen to listen more than talk, and that’s certainly Zach.
“I always look for someone you can work with and bring into the T8 way, and to be able to want to get better and develop. That’s him.”
Prior to the enduros, Bates will make his Repco Supercars Championship debut at next month’s Ipswich Super440.
His predecessor Cooper Murray set a high benchmark by making a Top 10 Shootout at the 2024 Darwin Triple Crown, a feat Whincup described as “unbelievable”.
“We won’t put that pressure on Zach for Queensland Raceway because it’s a track that a lot of drivers know very, very well, but I think it will be a great place for him to get up to speed and I think both him and Lowndesy will be very, very competitive at Bathurst,” said Triple Eight’s managing director.
Bates will test the #888 Camaro at QR on Monday July 28.