CAMS Australian Rally Champion Harry Bates has switched gravel for tarmac this weekend as he races in the Toyota 86 Series at the 2019 Penrite Oil Sandown 500.
The Toyota Gazoo Racing driver is one of 33 drivers entered in the series for this weekend’s race meeting, which is one of the support categories for the Virgin Australia Supercars Championship.
It’s not the first time Bates has competed in the Toyota 86 series on the national level, with the 24-year-old having raced at Sandown last year and Sydney Motorsport Park in 2017.
His best performance in the series came during his 2017 stint where he finished 11th out of 33 entries, a position he finished in at the end of the round, while last year saw him finish the weekend in 22nd out of 34 drivers.
With the event already underway, Bates has made a solid start to the weekend, finishing both practice sessions in the top 10 ahead of Friday afternoon’s qualifying session.
The series will then have three races across the rest of the weekend with two races taking place on Saturday and the final on Sunday morning.
Click here for more information on the Penrite Oil Sandown 500.
