A champion's season: Unpacking Bates' victorious Super2 campaign

The 25th season of the Dunlop Series proved to be a memorable one, as seven drivers went into the final round in Adelaide as mathematical title contenders.

Of the seven, the top three were covered by just 42 points, with Zach Bates heading Aaron Cameron and defending champion Kai Allen.

The Walkinshaw Andretti United driver came out on top after a season of highs and lows, at one point being more than a race's worth of points behind Allen before turning the script around with a late-season charge.

Supercars.com takes a look back at Zach Bates' 2024 Dunlop Super2 Series campaign that brought Walkinshaw Andretti United their first championship victory in any category since 2009.

Race 1 (Bathurst): Qualified 3rd/Finished 3rd

It was a solid start to the season for Bates in the opening race of the season, who started third but dropped back to fifth on the opening lap. Passing Rylan Gray on the first Safety Car restart, Bates then moved back up into the podium places after Cooper Murray slapped the wall on the run to McPhillamy Park. Bates' move on Gray ultimately proved to be the decisive move in a race that was heavily interrupted by Safety Cars and red flags, as there was never a full lap run under green flag conditions.

Race 2 (Bathurst): Qualified 3rd/Finished 19th

It would be two third place starting positions in a row for Bates for the second race of the year, however the Canberran would find himself caught up in a collision that put him on the back foot in the championship fight. Attempting to overtake Cooper Murray for the final spot on the podium after a poor start, Bates lunged the Eggleston Commodore at The Cutting. Murray was sent into the wall for the second time in as many days, whilst Bates would be slapped with a 30 second penalty that demoted him from third on the road to 19th in the final classification.

Race 3 (Perth): Qualified 5th/Finished 3rd

A starter motor failure for Brad Vaughan left third on the grid vacant, and gave Bates a clear run to Turn 1 from fifth on the grid. Bates disposed of Cody Gillis on the first lap and remained in third behind Kai Allen and Murray for the remainder of the race.

Race 4 (Perth): Qualified 2nd/Finished 1st

Bates secured his first front row start of the season for Race 4 in Perth, and beat polesitter Brad Vaughan off the line to control the race from the front. A fiery engine failure for Mason Kelly brought out the red flags whilst a lengthy oil clean-up unfolded, leaving a frantic dash to the line. Bates was outdone by a desperate last corner lunge from Max Vidau at the end of the first restart lap, before Cameron McLeod's rollover brought the race to a halt once again. The race was declared with results backdated to the previous completed lap at the restart, meaning Bates was awarded his first race victory in Super2.

Race 5 (Townsville): Qualified 8th/Finished 17th

After showing blistering speed in the early sessions, an eighth place starting position put him right in the middle of potential danger. When Brad Vaughan and Murray collided on the run to Turn 3, Bates became an innocent victim as he speared into the back of McLeod and suffered heavy damage to the front of his Commodore. Though the damage wasn't terminal, it had a major impact on the performance of the Shaw Wines entry, which promptly plummeted down the order from second to 17th at the finish, after visiting pit lane mid-race. Crucially, Bates scored 54 points after limping to the finish.

Race 6 (Townsville): Qualified 1st/Finished 2nd

It was an emphatic rebound for Bates on Sunday in Townsville, claiming his first career Dunlop Series pole. However, championship rival Kai Allen get the better of him off the front row and bolted to a crushing victory, whilst Bates fell into the clutches of Jack Perkins in a tense dice for second. The 20-year-old would prevail in the battle, but lost more ground on Allen in the points standings.

Race 7 (Sandown): Qualified 2nd/Finished 3rd

Another front row start for the WAU driver was squandered by another poor start, but from that point onwards it was a quiet race, and another podium finish

Race 8 (Sandown): Qualified 5th/Finished 3rd

A blinding start from the third row of the grid lifted the #25 Commodore into the podium placings right from the start, and once again he held the position for the remainder of the race distance. Two third placings were enough for Bates to claim his second round win of the year, becoming the ninth driver to win a Dunlop Series round having not won a race at that round.

Race 9 (Bathurst): Qualified 12th/Finished 5th

Bates' title challenge was almost ended by a tyre failure in Boost Mobile Qualifying, ruining his final run and leaving the WAU Commodore buried in 12th on the grid. What followed was an impressive charge through the field that saw him pass three cars on the opening lap, before continuing to march forward into fifth. Woes for Allen that began with a qualifying crash and was compounded by engine woes in the race saw Bates close the gap to Allen by 48 points. A power steering failure for Aaron Cameron whilst running second with a handful of laps to go also allowed Bates to pull clear of the Kelly Racing star.

Race 10 (Bathurst): Qualified 5th/Finished 4th

The Saturday Bathurst race proved to be the pivotal moment in the championship fight, as a power steering failure pitched Allen heavily into the wall at The Esses on the second lap. That left the door wide open for Bates to jump into the lead with any reasonable result, with a fourth place more than enough to move into a comfortable 42 point lead on Allen. However, a dominant victory for Cameron brought the Victorian roaring back into contention, moving into second place and 39 points behind Bates.

Race 11 (Adelaide): Qualified 1st/Finished 2nd

Bates claimed his second pole of the season at a perfect time in Adelaide, though chief rival Cameron got a scorching start off the front row to lead into the Senna Chicane. Cameron would not relinquish the lead, though Bates also didn't let him get away at the head of the field, with the pair throwing their cars around on maximum attack throughout the race. Although the lead was whittled down, the Canberran did everything he had to do in the first race of the weekend, and held a 27 point advantage into the final race of the season

Race 12 (Adelaide): Qualified 2nd/Finished 1st

The title protagonists lined up on the front row once again for the finale, though this time Cameron would start from pole. The outside line was once again the place to start, as Bates got the advantage after smashing over the Senna Chicane kerbs. The intensity had immediately increased ten-fold over Saturday, with Cameron applying the blowtorch to the rear of Bates' Commodore, and making an audacious dive at the Turn 9 hairpin. Bates was able to criss-cross on corner exit, and was then gifted breathing room after Allen bumped Cameron into the tyre wall. Promptly setting the fastest lap of the race the following lap, Bates cruised home to claim the race, round, and title victories.