Bates will head into Sunday’s finale with a 27-point lead after a second-place finish behind Cameron limited the damage.

The fight now appears a race in two after fellow hopeful Kai Allen slipped out of third place with a mistake at the hairpin in the closing stages, dropping to seventh in the race and 84 adrift in points.

Allen’s mistake appeared to hand Jarrod Hughes the final podium spot, only for Cameron McLeod to nab the position with a bold outside move at the Senna Chicane on the final lap.

Cameron’s win from second on the grid came after beating pole-sitter Bates at the start and holding his nerve through two Safety Car restarts.

The first Safety Car was called on just the second lap to retrieve Matt Chahda’s Commodore from Turn 6, after he’d been turned around by Mason Kelly and left sitting precariously at the blind corner.

AN EARLY SAFETY CAR!

Chahda gets caught up at the back of the pack.#Super2 pic.twitter.com/98pgaUXGtn

— Dunlop Series (@Dunlop_Series) November 16, 2024

Max Vidau went left and nosed his Mustang into the tyre wall, while Thomas Maxwell opted for the right-side and clipped the nose of the Chahda Commodore – damaging both cars.

The race restarted on lap five but there were less than two green flag laps before the second Safety Car as Vidau crashed at Turn 8 and was left stranded prior to pit entry with broken suspension.

Cameron eventually led Bates to the flag by just under a second, the latter surviving multiple close calls with the Turn 8 wall as he fought to stay in touch.

McLeod ended up leading home a train of cars consisting of Hughes, Rylan Gray, Jobe Stewart, Allen and Jordyn Sinni – who ceded a place to his Eggleston teammate on the final lap.

There were no Super3 competitors after the only entry, a Ford Falcon FG of Tony Audino, was withdrawn on Friday with engine issues.

Sunday’s title-deciding 40-minute race will begin with Cameron on pole from Bates and Allen.

Results: Dunlop Series Adelaide 500, Race 11