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Live EPL on SN this weekendTriple Eight star jumps rookie for Bathurst 1000 lead
Joanna Guelas, AAP • October 11th, 2026 3:40 pm
Co-driver Aaron Seton gave his team a great start to the Bathurst 1000, leading from pole position | Photo: Mark Evans/AAP
Supercars rookie Zach Bates has hit a speed bump in his bid for a fairytale Bathurst 1000 win, with experienced campaigner Will Brown surging to the lead.
Matt Stone Racing co-driver Aaron Seton capitalised on Bates's surprise pole position and delivered a near-flawless opening drive to hold on to the lead early in Sunday's 161-lap marathon.
But the underdog outfit in the No. 10 Chevrolet Camaro lost the top spot after the first round of pit stops.
Swapping out with their co-drivers on lap 26, Triple Eight star Will Brown surged to the top of the order after using the undercut and getting the jump on Dick Johnson Racing's Brodie Kostecki at pit exit.
Will Brown, the 2024 Supercars champion, charged to the lead after the first pit stop | Photo: Mark Evans/AAP
Still, 22-year-old Bates' campaign is far from over, sitting third after 40 laps ahead of fourth-placed Jack Le Brocq in the sister Matt Stone Racing car.
Drivers are set to enjoy sunny conditions across the 1000km, unlike the wet weather chaos that ensued during last year's Great Race.
Defending Bathurst 1000 winner Matt Payne was slapped with a five-second penalty for a tussle with David Reynolds at the top of Conrod Straight.
Reynolds momentarily went off track, but was able to recover.
"He didn't even lose any ground," Payne said over the team radio.
Team 18 veteran Reynolds saw it differently.
"Matt's not the sharpest tool in the shed, isn't he?" the 2017 Bathurst 1000 winner told Fox Sports.
"I don't know what he was doing. It's too early to start playing silly buggers like that."
Seton started from the top spot 30 years after his dad and two-time Australian Touring Car champion Glenn Seton claimed pole position for the Bathurst 1000.
Zach Bates (r) and Aaron Seton (l) are out to make the most of their surprise pole position | Photo: Mark Evans/AAP
The 28-year-old Seton is looking to join his grandfather Barry "Bo" Seton as a Bathurst 1000 winner, something dad Glenn had never achieved in 26 attempts.
The famously carnage-riddled race has remained largely incident-free on Sunday, with rank outsiders Nash Morris and James Moffat avoiding serious damage after coming together en route to The Cutting on the opening lap.
SCT Motorsport duo Jackson Walls and Jack Perkins were running last and 14 laps behind the pack after being kept in the garage for nearly 30 minutes with car issues early in the race.
Tune into Sport Nation for live commentary of Bathurst 1000 weekend this October - download the app today on Google Play and the App Store - find your frequency here.
