Bates back on top in second Sydney practice

Reigning Dunlop Super2 Series champion Zach Bates has risen back to the top of the timesheets in Practice 2 at the Thrifty Sydney 500 - Opening Round.

The 20-year-old was the only driver to break into the 1:31s this afternoon, setting a 1:31.9526s to end his first official day as an Eggleston Motorsport driver as the one to beat.

Bates led Blanchard Racing Team rookie Bailey Sweeny, who impressed in BRT's return to full-time development series competition to set a 1:32.0445s, just 0.0919s behind Bates.

Jarrod Hughes rounded out the top three for Image Racing on a 1:32.0642s, ahead of Cameron McLeod, and Jackson Walls, who were both within a quarter of a second of Bates.

The session ran green for the entirety of it's 40-minute duration, though several drivers pushed the limits with locked wheels, and Reuben Goodall was lucky to escape a trip through the grass at the exit of Turn 3.

Mason Kelly was an encouraging sixth in the second of the Kelly Racing Mustangs, only 0.03s behind his highly-rated teammate McLeod, as the team aims to go one better than Aaron Cameron's runner-up finish in last year's championship.

Cody Gillis, Lochie Dalton, Rylan Gray, and Cody Burcher rounded out the top 10, though the latter featured towards the top of the timesheets for the majority of the session.

After topping his first official session in Super2, Ayrton Hodson was a lowly 22nd having only completed eight laps, though the team were saving tyres for tomorrow and Sunday after an impressive opening hit-out.

Another feature of the session was the continuing trend of drivers being able to set two push laps in a row, which could be a consideration for the first Boost Mobile Qualifying of the season tomorrow afternoon.

The 2025 Dunlop Super2 Series kicks into gear tomorrow with Boost Mobile Qualifying at 2:00pm local time, before the Race 1 of the 25th anniversary season begins at 5:55pm.