SUPERCARS enduro regular Zak Best has launched his own business that’s being inspired by the attention to detail required in motorsport.
Known for being the second-youngest driver ever to a claim a Supercars Championship pole position, not to mention his trio of Super2 title runner-up campaigns, Best will partner Aaron Cameron in next week’s Repco Bathurst 1000.
All the while, he is forging a niche with his ZBR Tiny Homes business.
Initially dreamed up in 2024, Best last month went public with his first model of tiny home available for purchase: The Panarama, a 23sqm dwelling at the maximum dimensions without needing a permit (i.e. 12m long, 2.5m wide, 2.7m tall).
ZBR Tiny Homes is based out of the same Benalla factory that his family’s Best Leisure Industries company occupies.
“We were just seeing that they have become quite big in Australia,” Best explained to V8 Sleuth of tiny homes.
“With all the resources we have and the capabilities of our team and crew and what we have got in our factory, I thought we may as well have a crack and see where it sort of ends up.
“It’s been a long process to get to where we are… 2024 was that quiet period where I didn’t do a lot of motorsport, so I was sort of thinking about life after motorsport.
“I had the time to do something at that point, so I was working hard in the background doing all that. I just saw a gap in the market and there’s not many people doing it in our area and thought ‘why not?’
“What I’ve tried to build is all Australian materials, no imported stuff, and I have made sure to put together a really nice, polished product.
“I guess with motorsport, every tenth counts and everything has to be so precise with the set-up of the race car, all that sort of flows into what I do with building the tiny homes. I’m very particular on it.
“My name is on the product so I want the best and to make sure that it’s good enough that I would buy it myself.
“I think we’ve come up with a good first model with a good layout. It’s all registered and legal, ready to go, there’s no permits required or anything like that.
“The new website is out now with all of the information and everything you need to know.”
Of the inspiration behind the project, Best added: “I have an interest in the building and design and all the creative side to it, I quite enjoy all that. There’s so much endless opportunity with what you can do with these things and it’s quite niche.”
The 24-year-old will no longer be on double duties at Mount Panorama, after parting ways with Super2 squad Anderson Motorsport.
He has recorded top 10 finishes in each of his past two Great Race attempts: sixth with James Courtney in 2023 and ninth with Cameron last year.
Clear As Mud! | The Undercut
THE Undercut returns, breaking down the latest news in the world of Supercars racing!