![\"Bates](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/2025-Supercars-Queensland-Raceway-Testing-Evaluation-Z99_6053_-copy.jpg\")
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tZach Bates drives the #888 Supercheap Auto Chevrolet Camaro at Queensland Raceway.<\/p>\n
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tZach Bates drives the #888 Supercheap Auto Chevrolet Camaro at Queensland Raceway.<\/p>\n
Last year\u2019s Dunlop Super2 Series<\/a> winner will make his Repco Supercars Championship<\/a> debut at the Ipswich Super440 this weekend.<\/p>\n Bates will drive the #888 Supercheap Auto-backed Triple Eight Race Engineering Chevrolet Camaro before joining Craig Lowndes for the Endurance Cup.<\/p>\n Bates is the son of former rally driver Rick Bates and nephew of Neal Bates.<\/p>\n Rick and Neal were prominent in rallying but competed in the Supercars Championship in the late 1990s and early 2000s as Bathurst 1000 regulars.<\/p>\n Zach\u2019s father Rick made eight Bathurst 1000 starts, of which four were in the V8 Supercars era from 2000 to 2003.<\/p>\n The second-generation racer will make his first Supercars start nearly 8000 days on from his father\u2019s last.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s very surreal,\u201d said Bates.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s what we\u2019ve worked towards all our sponsors and everything and myself.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s very surreal to be making the Supercar\u2019s debut with Triple Eight and Supercheap Auto, it\u2019s fantastic.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s been a while since Dad \u2013 he raced in Supercars \u2013 did a few Bathursts and whatnot.<\/p>\n \u201cObviously the family\u2019s more known for rallying here in Australia. So both Neal and my dad Rick have done some circuit racing and Supercars.<\/p>\n \u201cThey\u2019ve been very successful in their rallying endeavours. To basically have the name back in Supercars now is very special and I hope that I can fly the flag nice and high.\u201d<\/p>\n Bates will clock the most racing kilometres of any driver this weekend having committed to racing in the Super2 Series as well.<\/p>\n The 21-year-old said he\u2019d be leaning on Triple Eight drivers Will Brown, Broc Feeney, and his Endurance Cup co-driver Lowndes for support.<\/p>\n \u201cObviously a new format makes for a very busy weekend on its own, let alone adding Super2,\u201d said Bates.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m gonna be running around like a headless chicken, but you\u2019ll be able to see me on the TV screen a lot.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s probably one of the positives \u2013 but look, it\u2019s gonna be a big challenge. I\u2019m probably a little bit fortunate the heat\u2019s not gonna be incredibly high.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s on my side, but nonetheless, it\u2019s gonna be a huge task.<\/p>\n \u201cDebut weekend in Supercars, I\u2019ll be thinking about enough, let alone Super2, so it\u2019s gonna be a challenge, but hopefully I can do a good job.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m so fortunate to be able to lean on guys like Will and Broc and obviously Craig as well,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n \u2018They\u2019re at the top of their game right now, so it\u2019s amazing to be able to look at what that entails and how they\u2019re doing it and it\u2019s possible to get to that point.<\/p>\n \u201cObviously they\u2019re fantastic drivers and incredible athletes. It\u2019s great to see how it all happens.\u201d<\/p>\n Action at the Ipswich Super440 gets underway on Friday with Practice 1 at 12:05pm AEST and Practice 2 at 2:20pm.<\/p>\n 2025 Supercars Ipswich Super440 \u2013 Schedule, how to watch, TV times & more<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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