The Bend 500 at Tailem Bend marked Round 10 of the 2026 Supercars Championship and the opening round of the Enduro season, bringing co-drivers Harri Jones and Aaron Seton into the fold for the first of two toughest weekends in the calendar. Both arrived at the event in strong form following an impressive weekend at Queensland Raceway, with Harri continuing to strengthen his Porsche Carrera Cup Championship lead with a race and round win, while Aaron secured the 2026 Wildcard Cup as the highest-performing Wildcard driver of the Supercars season in the MSR Superior Cranes Racing Camaro. That momentum carried into a challenging weekend at The Bend, where both MSR entries showed strong and consistent pace despite some of the most difficult weather conditions we’ve faced so far this season.
The No.4 Sherrin Rentals Camaro put together a strong performance across the 500-kilometre enduro, with Jack Le Brocq and Harri Jones combining for a hard-fought result. Harri took the opening stint and was immediately thrown into the deep end, navigating 54 laps in torrential rain, multiple red flags and restarts. Despite a difficult start that saw him drop to the rear of the field, Harri produced an exceptional recovery drive, steadily working his way forward before handing the car to Jack in P2. Jack completed a 100-odd lap stint in good form, bringing the No.4 Sherrin Rentals Camaro home in P11. Following a number of post-race penalties across the field, the No.4 was re-classified P10 – a crucial result in Jack’s championship campaign.
The No.10 Bendix Racing Camaro opened the weekend with a standout Qualifying performance – which saw Zach progress through to the Top Ten Shootout amongst some of the most competitive teams and drivers on the grid, where he qualified P8. During the race itself the Bendix Racing duo delivered an equally impressive display of resilience. Aaron opened the race for the team, putting together a composed and consistent stint in the rain before handing the car over to Zach. With multiple restarts and changing track conditions making the race a true test of concentration and adaptability, Zach kept the car clean and continued to bring it towards the chequered flag. The pair ultimately brought the No.10 home in one piece after a gruelling 500 kilometres, with the car classified P16 following the post-race penalties.
Jack Le Brocq: “It was a pretty wild race out there and the conditions made it a real challenge for everyone. Harri did an awesome job to recover from the start and put the car in such a strong position, and I’m really happy we could bring it home in the Top 10 and get some valuable points for the championship.”
Zach Bates: “Qualifying was a massive highlight for me, it was awesome to line up for the first Enduro of the year on the 4th row. The race itself was definitely tough, especially with the rain and all the restarts. Aaron did a great job in the first stint and we were able to keep the car clean and get to the finish, which was important on a day like that.”
Harri Jones: “That was probably one of the most challenging stints I’ve done. To go from the rear of the grid after the start to handing the car back to Jack in P2 was a pretty special feeling, and I’m really proud of what the whole team achieved.”
Aaron Seton: “It was a massive challenge out there, but I really enjoyed being back in the MSR car alongside Zach. The conditions were difficult from the start, so keeping the car clean and giving Zach a solid platform to finish from was the main goal.”
For Team Owner Matt Stone, The Bend 500 was a strong demonstration of the capability within the MSR team as a whole – from drivers to engineers and mechanics – particularly given the conditions faced across the weekend. “It was a really strong weekend from the whole team, both cars showed really great pace and consistency in some incredibly difficult conditions. Harri and Aaron did an outstanding job in those opening stints, and the team performed excellently in both the challenging weather conditions and under that level of pressure. We’ve got plenty to take away from The Bend, and now our focus turns to the biggest one of the year.”
Most importantly, the P10 result sees Jack Le Brocq return to P10 in the Drivers Championship, putting the No.4 Sherrin Rentals Camaro back inside the all-important Finals cut-off with just one round remaining. Attention now turns to Bathurst in a few weeks’ time, where the Championship will face its most demanding challenge of the season as we go racing for 1000kms around Mount Panorama, and where Jack and the team will have one final opportunity to secure their place in the 2026 Finals. With the momentum from The Bend and the strength of the MSR Enduro line-up behind them, the team will head to The Mountain ready for the fight.
