Best, who has returned to the Dunlop Super2 Series grid full time this season with Anderson Motorsport following three consecutive second place finishes in the category from 2021 to 2023, wasted no time in returning to the top at the opening race of the season at the weekend.
Sydney Motorsport Park was the venue for round one of the second-tier series, which began on Friday, and it was Best that defied both the wet weather and a last-minute track layout change to clinch pole position in his first race back.
Repairs to turn eight saw the track layout swapped to the shorter ‘Druitt’ configuration just half an hour before the qualifying session began on Saturday, and it was Best that adapted, well, best, topping the time sheet by 0.0754 seconds to confirm his position at the head of the field for race one on Saturday evening.
Unfortunately, it would be the last of the success the Benalla export tasted for the weekend, unable to convert pole into a race win following a poor start.
Initially launching well, Best lit up the #78 entry’s rear tires while moving through the gears, and was forced to watch second-placed Brad Vaughan inherit the lead, while also coming under fire from Reuben Goodall in third.
That pressure manifested in a bump off-line as Goodall lunged down the inside of turn two, which also opened the door for Best’s teammate Ryan Tomsett, as Best suddenly found himself in fourth after two corners despite starting from the lead.
He would maintain fourth sport until the chequered flag, capping a solid return to Super2 racing, but with the knowledge that points were left on the table.
Sunday presented an immediate opportunity for Best to make amends; however, he was unable to recapture the form that saw him take pole just a day before, recording the fifth fastest time to line up on the third row for race two, three tenths off the pace of pole-sitter Lochie Dalton.
Best would drop one spot in Sunday afternoon’s race, too, finishing sixth, as Dalton claimed the race win and with it the championship lead at the end of round one with 261 points. Best remains among the top handful of contenders in fifth, 39 points adrift with 222 to his name.
There is now a significant break in the Super2 calendar, with drivers next hitting the track from June 19 to 21 for the Darwin Triple Crown, the feeder series’ maiden trip to the Top End alongside the main game Supercars.
Alongside his Super2 running in 2026, Best will reprise his role as a co-driver for Blanchard Racing Team in the Supercars Enduro Cup events alongside Aaron Cameron in the #3 Mustang, a role that produced a stunning wet-weather stint at the Bathurst 1000 last season that saw Best run as high as second and challenge for the lead, before the eventual ninth-placed finish.
“I’ve spent a lot of time with the team over the past year, so coming back in for the enduros feels like a natural continuation, which I'm really happy about,” Best said of the appointment.
"Bathurst last season showed what we are capable of when things come together and that we can fight towards the front when the opportunities are there. I’m looking forward to seeing what we can do this year.”
BRT co-owner and team principal Tim Blanchard highlighted Best’s Bathurst drive as one of the key factors in the reappointment, also noting the Benalla product’s consistency as a big reason as to why he will once again partner Cameron.
“Zak has been consistently strong in every car he has raced over the years, and his performances at Bathurst, particularly last year in the wet, really stood out,” Blanchard said.
“He is a great character within the team, but we know that when it is time to go racing, we can rely on him to deliver.”
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