Expert Analyst 'Jai Eccles' – T10 Bathurst Predictions:
Well what better way to kick off season NO.26 for Battery World Aussie Racing Cars Super Series Australia, then returning to the mountain for our first time back in over two years!
Since we we're last out at Bathurst, the grid has without a doubt noticeably changed, but this weekend we have a stacked 24-car grid with many well-known names, & past champions.
In 2024, we saw the Thrifty Bathurst 500 set the tone for what was a cracking year of racing all across the country!
So without further ado, here is Battery World Aussie Racing Cars host & expert analyst - ‘Jai Eccles’ predictions for the Top 10 as this year’s opening round commences:
P1 – Kody Garland
“Kody is our defending champion from 2025 and will kick off his 8th season in Aussie cars this weekend, he’s got the experience that not many other drivers in this field have, and will simply be my pick heading into Round 1.”
P2 – Jack Boyd
“Coming off momentum and speed in 2025 is Jack Boyd, he’s an extremely talented racing driver, being faultless and consistent across all rounds last season, had the backing of Johnson Craill Racing Enterprises in 2025, but looks to kick off season 2026 solo, running under the banner of Boyd Racing this weekend.”
P3 – Scott Andriske
“Scotty will be one to watch in the championship fight this season, and will lead the charge as the main factory driver for team Riske Racing, he’s shown that consistency across rounds is the way to go over the past few years, and will be one to keep an eye on throughout the longevity of this year’s championship.”
P4 – Diesel Thomas
“This 17-year old has the world at his feet, and is without a doubt the next big thing in Australian motorsport, in 2026 Diesel will be jumping in between Porsche Carrera Cup, Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge, TA2 Muscle Cars, Legend Cars Australia & Aussie Racing Cars, and will have the backing of TFH Racing + Corish Motorsports, to guide him into the championship fight for 2026, will be one to watch by far, but will have keep the P plates this season too!”
P5 – Anthony Di Mauro
“Di Mauro is one that’s certain to find speed at Bathurst, and may be one of our drivers that will strike first in 2026, he’s got the backing off multiple time Aussie car champ – Joel Heinrich, as his engineer for the season, and has been all in on his preparations heading into his 5th Aussie car campaign, Di Mauro will be coming out swinging in round, 100%."
P6 – Cody Mackay
“What a massive off season it’s been for Mr Mackay, with many changes coming into 2026! As Cody’s original team - Cody Mackay Motorsports, has been completely rebranded over the off-season, into what we see now as Chicane Motorsports, a (two-car team) that includes Super2 driver Ayrton Hodson, Cody without a doubt will definitely be there or there abouts, but has eyes set on the pointy end of this years field.”
P7 – Josh Thomas
“Josh Thomas, brother to Diesel Thomas, isn’t just your normal race car driver, but your driver that loves to put on a show for his friends & family, he too will be balancing duties this year, racing Porsche Carrera Cup, Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge, TA2 Muscle Cars, Legend Cars Australia & Aussie Racing Cars, in which Josh is coming off some tremendous amounts of speed in Adelaide, winning on debut a few weekends ago, in TFH Hire Legend Cars Australia, for TFH Racing at The Bend.”
P8 – Ayrton Hodson
“Making his Battery World Aussie Racing Cars series debut this weekend is Ayrton Hodson, lining up alongside Cody Mackay for Chicane Motorsports and Big Little Home Enhancements, Hodson is locked in with Matt Stone Racing in the Dunlop Super 2 Series in 2026, but looks to find more seat time in between events this year, though he is a “rookie”, I expect he'll be fast out the gates this weekend.”
P9 – Scotty O’Keefe
“Well he’s back and back for another year, as Scotty O’Keefe returns full time in 2026, representing the MSS Group & Motorsport 25 for another season, and he’ll have his eyes on that Masters series title this year, but will look to get past defending champion Cody Mackay before he is crowned champion first..."
P10 – Oscar Pedersen
“Last but not least, to round out my T10 predictions for Round 1 of the 2026 season, my pick, last season’s Corish Motorsports rookie, Oscar Pedersen, as he sets his standards high this year, and expects to be a front runner inside the T10 throughout the season, he’ll line up alongside teammates in Diesel Thomas, Rossi Johnson, Les Corish, and Andrew Corish for Corish Motorsports this weekend, as the five car team kicks off what’s going to be a massive year!”
Either way - we’ll be on track six times this weekend, kicking off with Friday practice at 10.25am, before moving into qualifying, and then setting the tone for 2026, with four races to play out across the course of the weekend!
And you can catch it all LIVE from the screens of Fox Sports, Kayo, SBS & the Hi-Tec Oils Super Series YouTube page, from the 3rd – 5th April as a part of the 2026 Hi-Tec Oils Bathurst 6 Hour.
Proudly brought to you Jai Eccles and Battery World Australia
