Tickford Racing CEO Tim Edwards says Zak Best is on course to be the next Cameron Waters, Chaz Mostert, or Thomas Randle.

Yesterday, the Supercars squad confirmed Best will return to the team for another tilt at the Dunlop Super2 Series in 2022 as well as a second Bathurst 1000 co-drive.

The Benalla-born driver was second only to Triple Eight Race Engineering’s Broc Feeney last year, claiming one race win on the streets of Townsville and a further two podium finishes.

For Edwards, Best is poised to follow in the footsteps of some of the championship’s star drivers.

“We’re always looking for the next generation of talent, whether it’s a Cam Waters, a Chaz Mostert, a Thomas Randle, et cetera, and Zak’s certainly placed himself on that trajectory,” said Edwards.

“He’s continually proving his ability and raising his potential, so we’ll look to continue developing him across this year, and with any luck we’ll continue to achieve some great results on the track.

“Zak was incredibly impressive last year, so we’re very happy to be continuing with him in our programme this season.

“His progression across 2021 was fantastic, and of course his performance at Bathurst was outstanding, especially given that he got the call only six weeks before the race.”

Edwards was buoyed by the 20-year-old’s pace as a co-driver given his relative inexperience at The Mountain.

In the end, he and team-mate Jack Le Brocq finished 15th in the #5 Ford Mustang.

“Statistically he drove one of the best races among the co-drivers, which is remarkable considering he was the only driver making his Bathurst debut,” said Edwards.

“He certainly showed that he’s a driver on the rise, so we’re delighted to be continuing with Zak in 2022.”

Best’s first event of the season will be in support of the Repco Supercars Championship at Sydney Motorsport Park come March 4-6.