Bates seals title with clinical Adelaide victory

Zach Bates has kept his cool to wrap up the 2024 Dunlop Super2 Series with a faultless lights-to-flag victory in the final race of the season at the VAILO Adelaide 500.

Needing a podium finish to claim his maiden Super2 title, Bates did that and more in a clinical performance, whilst championship rivals Kai Allen and Aaron Cameron were involved in a controversial collision.

Bates also claimed the round victory in a triple treat for Walkinshaw Andretti United, the Canberran handing the team the ultimate farewell gift before he departs for Triple Eight's wildcard program in 2025.

"I can't believe it. I honestly can't believe it," Bates said.

"We had a goal at the start of the year, and that was to win the championship.

"For a while there, it didn't look like that was going to be possible, but the nature of this category is that.

"I'm beyond stoked. Honestly, cannot think the Walkinshaw Andretti United crew enough. To go out like that, I'm off next year, it's unbelievable."

Following a crash at Turn 8 in the preceding Carrera Cup race that required lengthy barrier repairs, the final race of the year was shortened by 12 minutes in the build up to the finale.

Once again it was the title combatants Cameron and Bates on the front row of the grid, with the qualifying order from yesterday reversed and Cameron on pole.

It was an even start off the front row, with Bates edging slightly ahead at the second phase of the start and taking the outside line at the Senna Chicane.

Bates was the last of the late breakers and went smashing over the kerbs to claim the lead from Cameron, who was not willing to take no for an answer.

Cameron rattled the rear bumper of Bates through the staircase section on the opening lap, jacking up the rear of the Shaw Wines Commodore and stacking up the field behind.

Cameron then made an audacious lunge at Turn 9, though Bates was able to nip back through on the inside, before the Victorian repeated the treatment on lap 2, nearly allowing Allen to nip by for second.

The unsuccessful move would prove to be pivotal in the championship race, as Allen would attempt a move on Cameron at Turn 4 on lap 6 of the race.

The pair would come together, depositing Cameron backwards into the tyre wall and tumbling down the order from second to fifth, whilst Allen would not be given a penalty by race control.

That would ultimately let Bates off the hook at the front of the field, as he put the hammer down to gap Allen and the chasing pack behind in an untroubled race from that point onwards.

Cameron would be one of a handful of drivers to brush the Turn 8 wall through the race as he threw everything he could at trying to regain ground with a damaged car, with Cameron McLeod and Matt Chahda also tagging the wall.

Chahda's final Dunlop Series start would be ended by damage from the brush with the wall, whilst Mason Kelly would also be caught up in a clumsy collision with Chahda at Turn 14.

Jordyn Sinni was the only other retirement from the race as he sustained steering damage after a collision with Cameron McLeod in the closing laps.

Jobe Stewart claimed third in his Erebus Motorsport Commodore ahead of stablemate Jarrod Hughes, with Cameron, Rylan Gray, Brad Vaughan, McLeod, Max Vidau, and Lochie Dalton rounding out the top 10.