Bates and Taylor Secure Historic Narooma Forest Rally Victory

Harry Bates and Coral Taylor have claimed a historic victory at the Toyota Gazoo Racing Narooma Forest Rally, securing their second win of the 2026 EROAD Australian Rally Championship season.

The Toyota Gazoo Racing Australia pairing delivered a dominant performance across the weekend, winning both heats and sealing overall event honours by 13 seconds over championship rivals Scott Pedder and Glenn Macneall.

Teammates Lewis Bates and Anthony McLoughlin completed the podium, finishing third overall and adding valuable championship points by claiming victory in the Power Stage.

Bates was in commanding form throughout Sunday's stages, taking the opening three tests before extending his lead during the afternoon loop to secure both the Heat 2 and overall event wins.

Jackson and Damien Long finished fourth overall, while Josh Redhead and Ray Winwood-Smith rounded out the top five and claimed honours in both the WOLF SPORTS Cup and East Coast Cup.

Further down the order, Jarrod Keyte and Chris Stilling secured runner-up honours in both Cups, while Nathan Stokes and Ian Wheeler celebrated their best ever ARC result together.

In the Classic Cup, Shane and Sylvie Garner claimed overall honours after another consistent performance, while ARC debutants Lucas Read and Isaac Ellis took victory in the ARC Junior Cup.

Following a successful debut in the forests surrounding Narooma, the EROAD Australian Rally Championship now heads to the Subaru Wilderness Rally Tasmania on 14-16 August for the next round of the 2026 season.