Benalla motor sport driver extraordinaire Zak Best began his Dunlop Super2 series campaign in perfect fashion at the weekend, claiming victory at the Newcastle 500 season opener for the second-straight year.
In what was a roller-coaster weekend, the 21-year-old performed when it mattered most, as he turned a third-placed finish in race one on Saturday into a victory in race two on Sunday to finish with the most combined points of any driver.
After finishing the past two seasons as a runner-up in the Super 2 series, Best targeted the 2023 campaign as his opportunity to clear that final hurdle and claim a maiden championship.
And having made the shift to Anderson Motorsport for this season, Best showed himself to be one of the drivers to beat over the course of the weekend’s racing at Newcastle.
Speaking in the lead-up to the season, Best said he was confident in his situation with the new team.
“I am pleased to be joining the Super2 grid again driving the DJR Mustang, especially when it was looking doubtful as there were limited places available,” Best said.
“I have already stepped up my diet and training, and am feeling really fit for the start of the season.
“Last year we did really well to fight back from seventh position in the championship to finish second, especially after a bad round at Perth, we just kept chipping away, so hopefully we can continue that momentum into this weekend’s season opener.”
The off-season was not completely smooth for Best and his team, as he was forced to change his plan for the season one month out from the first race.
After a successful campaign with Tickford Racing, Best was initially slated to remain with the team and compete in solo wildcards, but unknowns surrounding how much opportunity he would get to race had him look for opportunities elsewhere.
This is where the partnership with Anderson Motorsport quickly came about, and he said he was encouraged by the early stages of his involvement with the team.
“(Due to) the added pressure on teams, it was decided that it highly likely was not going to be possible to do a wildcard, and Tickford had already signed two drivers for their Super2 program, so we had to make a decision as to what next,” he said.
“We were fortunate, late in January, that we put together a program with Michael Anderson Motorsport. I’ve had a test day with the team at Winton, which we were all very happy with how it went.
“This year I will work with Brendan Hogan as my engineer, who has a wealth of experience, which I’m looking forward to.”
This does not spell the end of Best’s time with Tickford, however, with the Super2 Series championship fancy set to be a co-driver with the team in V8 Supercars endurance races at the Bathurst 1000 and Sandown 500.
After making his V8 Supercars debut last season, Best said he was incredibly keen to get back to the top level and show his prodigious talent.
“Teaming up with Tickford will be great, I’m looking forward to being a co-driver in the endurance events at Sandown and Bathurst driving the new Gen3 cars,” he said.
“It was disappointing to not finish the Bathurst 1000 last year, I was just in the wrong place when the chaos occurred, had nowhere to go — we will be pushing hard to have a better result this year.”
With everything set to get under way this weekend, Best said a strong start would be pivotal to his championship chances, as he hoped to bring the crown back to his beloved home town of Benalla.
“I’m very lucky to have lots of support from the Benalla community following my career, especially from local businesses who have helped us to get where we are now,” he said.
“I love catching up with any of my Benalla supporters at my rounds, or out at Winton when we are testing — it’s a shame Winton is not on the Super2 calendar this year.”