TOYOTA GAZOO Racing Australia will once again have a major presence in the EROAD Australian Rally Championship (ARC) for the 2026 season, as the manufacturer looks to add to its most successful program in Australian motorsport.
The reigning Manufacturer Champions will once again partner up with Neal Bates Motorsport for the season with three-time ARC champion Harry Bates and 2022 champion Lewis Bates to lead the charge.
Both the Bates brothers will be behind the wheel of their Toyota GR Yaris Rally2 cars and will be looking to jump back up to the top of the ARC standings having fallen short to New Zealand star Hayden Paddon last year.
Paddon’s victory ended a dominant streak from the TOYOTA GAZOO Racing Australia stable, which had seen one of its drivers win the title every year since 2019 and the last champion outside of the Japanese manufacturer being 2018 winners Eli Evans and Ben Searcy in their Skoda Fabia R5.
In addition to the Bates brothers, Neal Bates Motorsport will also run Troy Dowel for the full 2026 season and Irishman Richie Dalton a part time campaign – both of whom will run their respective Toyota GR Yaris AP4s.
Following his second place in 2025 where he enjoyed a maiden round win in Canberra, Lewis Bates was looking forward to another big year in the hopes of going one better.
“We are really looking forward to the 2026 ARC season. Last year was a strong season for our team, and although we didn’t get the driver championship like we wanted, we managed to win the manufacturers championship which was exciting for Toyota.
“Hopefully 2026 is a successful year for us. I am really keen for Anthony and myself to get our second ARC title, and that’s our only goal for the year.
“I feel like we had a consistent season last year. It had its ups and downs and challenges, but I feel like we learned a lot and I’m confident going into this year that it’ll be a good fight and we can come out on top.”
Toyota Australia Chief Marketing Officer Vin Naidoo was looking forward to a big year in the ARC.
“We are excited to continue our involvement in the Australia Rally Championship alongside Neal Bates Motorsport and can’t wait to see what the team achieves in the 2026 season.
Toyota has closely followed the progress and development of both Harry & Lewis Bates, and their achievements have been remarkable.
Looking ahead to 2026, we’re excited to see what the season brings and look forward to the championship kicking off in April.”
ARC Championship Manager Adrian Coppin was excited to have TOYOTA GAZOO Racing Australia locked in for another year.
“It’s exciting TOYOTA GAZOO Racing Australia continues to show support in the ARC by getting behind the Neal Bates Motorsport outfit again for the 2026 season,” Coppin said.
“We look forward to seeing them at every round this year and wish them all the best for a strong and successful campaign.”
The 2026 EROAD Australia Rally Championship begins with the Accent Benchtops Rally Queensland in Gympie on 17-19 April.
