Harry Bates and Coral Taylor kicked off their 2026 EROAD Australian Rally Championship season with an impressive performance, clinching both heats at the Accent Benchtops Rally Queensland and securing maximum points early in the championship.
Saturday’s Heat 1 set the tone for the weekend, with Bates and Taylor steering their Toyota GR Yaris Rally2 to victory after dominating five out of the eight stages, finishing an impressive 17 seconds ahead of Scott Pedder and Glenn Macneall, who raced in a Skoda Fabia RS Rally2.
Teammates Lewis Bates and Anthony McLoughlin completed the podium, securing three stage wins along with the Saturday Power Stage, earning them valuable bonus points.
Impressive newcomer Jackson Long shone in his debut, finishing fourth in a Skoda Fabia R5. Meanwhile, Troy Dowel and Bernie Webb narrowly outpaced Josh Redhead and Ray Winwood-Smith in a closely contested battle for fifth place.
Dowel and Webb’s strong finish also earned them the East Coast Cup for the heat, while Redhead and Winwood-Smith claimed the WOLF Sport Cup title.
Heat 2 on Sunday unfolded in a similar fashion, with Bates and Taylor once again setting the pace.
Starting third on the road, the duo excelled in the morning, winning all four stages and establishing a significant lead.
While Pedder and Macneall worked to close the gap throughout the day, Bates and Taylor responded effectively, clinching the final two stages, including the Power Stage, to secure another 17-second victory.
“It’s been a fantastic start to the season with two heat victories and a Power Stage win,” Bates said after the rally.
“We felt comfortable behind the wheel from the outset, and particularly today, we managed to push ourselves and create a solid lead this morning, which is fantastic. We’re definitely pleased with our performance.”
“It’s definitely thrilling to get our first win of the year under our belts, and we can now direct our attention to the rest of the season. In the ARC, accumulating points consistently is crucial, and we’ve managed to maximise our points intake this weekend. It’s a great feeling to initiate the season this way, and our pace bodes well for what lies ahead.”
“This gives us a solid confidence boost for next week. I’ll be heading to Portugal soon for a WRC round, then immediately returning for Rally WA – so it’s three rallies in five weeks, which is quite exciting.”
The podium remained unchanged from Saturday, with Pedder in second and Lewis Bates in third.
Dowel and Webb replicated their strong Saturday performance, finishing in fourth place and retaining the East Coast Cup title for the weekend, while Redhead and Winwood-Smith again took home the WOLF Sport Cup award.
Eyes are now set on Western Australia, with the ARC Plant Hire Forest Rally scheduled for 23-25 May.
Compiled by SportArena.au.
Fanpage: SportArena.au.
LiveScore – Live Sports Results & Odds.
