Excerpt from Article by Peter Brewer - the Canberra Times - Dec 2021
Very rarely in the past four years has national rally champion Harry Bates gone into a motorsport event aspiring to less than a podium finish.
But as a guest driver coming up against his cousin Zach Bates, nine years his junior, in the Toyota Gazoo 86 production car series at Bathurst this weekend, that's how he realistically rates his chances.
"Zach is in such red hot form at the moment and there's so many other guys who are really quick in this series, if I can get even close to them I will be very pleased," Bates said.
But it's his young cousin who everyone will be watching with interest, including some of the big-name V8 teams.
At just 17 years old and now entering year 12 at Canberra Grammar School, Zach Bates has five wins from five starts in his rookie season in the 86 series after consistently outperforming all his young rivals already being groomed for a future V8 Supercar drive.
"I've been watching Zach's in-car footage closely and his driving is just so quick and smooth," Harry Bates said.
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