The Bosch Motorsport Australia Rally Championship heads to its final round of 2024 this weekend with Buckby Motors Rally Tasmania.
Our series of ARC experts give their predictions ahead of the finale and the last-round Championship battle.
Nathan Quinn
2017 ARC Drivers’ Champion
Winner: Eddie Maguire and Zac Brakey
Eddie Mac come on you got to get this one, and I reckon it would be a nice change. Winning this event is the best he can do to win the Championship too, pending the placings of Harry, Lewis and Pedder. His consistency is exceptional but what better time then his home event to live up to “if you ain’t first, you’re last”.
Runner Up: Scott Pedder and Glenn Macneall
It’s really tough top four this event. I think Pedder will put everything on the table. Probably enough to win but I’ll just leave him here for now.
Podium: Harry Bates and Coral Taylor
Harry has it all to loose so I hope for his sake he is good at math. That way he can figure out exactly how slow he needs to go to claim another championship.
Dark Horse: Lewis Bates and Anthony McLoughlin
Lewis. Hard to not include him on the podium. He has good speed, he also has a good Championship position. A lot of work for him to claim honours but I’m sure it would be as equally satisfying to give Toyota a 1-2 for drivers.
Galvaniize Insurance Power Stage: Harry Bates and Coral Taylor
It is really hard to go past Harry and his attention to detail on any Power Stage. Sure a longer test this time but he has the experience and the patience to put the time down.
Surprise Packet: Steve Maguire and Ben Searcy
Steve Mac. It’s just as much their backyard as Eddie’s. A full year under their belt in the Skoda, I’d expect a decent push a perfect way to find some speed to set the tone for next year.
Production Cup: Clayton Hoy and Erin Kelly
Hoyboy. Fast, smooth and on equal terms this rally. Doing roads the competition hasn’t done previously.
Championship: Harry Bates and Coral Taylor
It’s great to see how tight the points at the top of the table. But if I were Drake and needed to make some $$ back on the Tyson/Paul fight bet, then I would back Harry.
Greg Rust
ARC TV Presenter
Winner: Lewis Bates and Anthony McLoughlin
The mojo is back in the tank. The only way to play it is to go all out… and they will!
Runner up: Harry Bates and Coral Taylor
There’ll be a focus on the big prize. It’s been a nice blend of speed and smarts this year. No reason to do anything different.
Podium: Eddie Maguire and Zak Brakey
Eddie mightn’t have had a hit out on these roads for a while but expect him to capitalise on the growth he’s enjoyed this year.
Dark Horse: Steve Maguire and Ben Searcy
Steve keeps improving. Now for the chance to show that at home.
Galvaniize Insurance Power Stage: Scott Pedder and Glenn Macneall
We’ve been reminded of his speed again this year and he’ll sign off the season with a big statement.
Surprise Packet: Cody Crocker and Greg Folletta
The former ARC & APRC stars will rekindle some of the old magic.
Production Cup: Bodie Reading and Mark Young
Bodie in his home state, with Cody Crocker applying huge pressure.
Championship: Harry Bates and Coral Taylor
A title is the sum of many parts. The consistency they have brought to just about every outing will be something of a hallmark in the final analysis.
Garry O’Brien
Speedcafe.com
Winner: Harry Bates and Coral Taylor
They will go all out to ensure victory for the round and the championship in the best possible manner
Runner-Up: Lewis Bates and Anthony McLoughlin
Third in points, a big result in Tassie will go a long way to enhance their overall standings.
Podium: Scott Pedder and Glenn Macneall
Round winners this, this crew as been at the forefront of the challengers to the Yaris pair.
Dark Horse: Eddie Maguire and Zak Brakey
On home turf for the finale, this crew will want to shine and put their best foot forward.
Galvaniize Insurance Power Stage: Lewis Bates and Anthony McLoughlin
Always quick in the double points final stage, Lewis will just outpoint his brother.
Surprise Packet: Alex Rullo and Steve Glenney
The victory in the recent Adelaide Rally Festival, albeit not at the level of the ARC in intensity, more miles is a good thing.
Production Cup: Bodie Reading and Mark Young
The absence of Molly Taylor from the last event and this one, has paved the way for Reading to keep on winning.
Championship: Harry Bates and Coral Taylor
They have a healthy points advantage for the final round, which even without a win, should get them back-to-back titles.
Dean Herridge
ARC TV Presenter
Winner: Lewis Bates and Anthony McLoughlin
With nothing to lose and a win his best chance to have a shot at the title, I’m picking Lewis for the win. He had another stellar performance in Adelaide and now has confidence on his side. The traditional strong season finish of Lewis Bates coming up.
Runner-Up: Eddie Maguire and Zak Brakey
Similar to Lewis, his best shot to be in running for the Championship is to win. Eddie has had a consistent season however hasn’t quite had the front running pace, however I’m backing him to lift and fight for stage wins at his home event.
Podium: Harry Bates and Coral Taylor
I’ve only placed Harry third in the hope of an exciting final round. Realistically he’s the short priced favourite and doesn’t need to do anything silly in this final event, despite this he’ll be in the mix as he’s been quick all year and Tassie will be no different.
Dark Horse: Scott Pedder and Glenn Macneall
I’ve been backing Scott for the win nearly all season and his stage wins and pace justify it however the last two rounds have been difficult for the former champ. Finding the balance between outright pace and consistency has been the challenge. You can never discount SP and history shows it’s likely to be a win or nothing, therefore maybe a dark horse isn’t a bad fit.
Galvaniize Insurance Power Stage: Alex Rullo and Steve Glenney
The Power Stage master this season has been Harry with four wins and one second place, however Tassie has the monster of all Power Stages! It’s the longest stage of the season let alone a Power Stage!! 43.3km!! Will this shake the order up? The winner of this stage will have to make no mistakes and be consistently quick throughout. The outright leaderboard heading into this final stage of the year will dictate what the front runners need to do and how they’ll feel for the power stage. So let’s go for someone quick who has nothing to gain or lose – Alex Rullo.
Surprise Packet: Steve Maguire OR Clayton Hoy
Two people sprung to mind for this event! One is Steve Maguire, I just feel like we might see something special this weekend. Nearly a season now under his belt with the Skoda, building momentum and confidence, so a big finish on home soil is in the making! The other is Clayton Hoy, this guy is naturally fast and may upset a few people in outright terms despite being in a production Evo.
Production Cup: Clayton Hoy and Erin Kelly
For the reasons also above it’s hard to go past Clayton Hoy. In my opinion he’s one of the most underrated drivers in the country, he was very impressive in the recent Working Dog Rally and I’ll think he’ll be hard to beat. Bodie will be strong however he has the title to think about. I’m also excited to see my old mate Cody Crocker back this weekend and although I think it would be unfair to think he could just rock back in and win Production after 15 or so years out of the seat, class is class so I’m backing the 3 x ARC Champ for a cheeky stage win.
Championship: Harry Bates and Coral Taylor
Four teams with a mathematical chance for the title and as we know in motorsport anything can happen, however if I had to put my money down, you just couldn’t go past Harry. It will be a nervous weekend for Harry as he just tries to make sure he doesn’t slip but he’s also experienced enough to also take nothing for granted and knows what its take to get the job done.
Taylor Gill
Australian Junior WRC Driver
Winner: Scott Pedder and Glenn Macneall
The man’s only got one option this weekend and that’s flat out. I think this being a totally new rally could play into his hands as well.
Runner-Up: Harry Bates and Coral Taylor
I think Harry will play the clever game this weekend, he knows what he needs to do.
Podium: Eddie Maguire and Zak Brakey
The local boy who I’m sure will have some knowledge of the stages, hopefully he can use this to bring home a great result at his home event.
Dark Horse: Cody Crocker and Gregory Foletta
You don’t win three Australian Championships and four Asia Pacific Championships without a bucket load of talent and whilst it may take Cody some time to come up to speed, I have no doubt he’ll surprise a few.
Galvaniize Insurance Power Stage: Harry Bates and Coral Taylor
They may play the weekend smart but I’m sure they’ll be keen to round the year up in style on the Power Stage.
Surprise Packet: Tim Auty and Callan Randall
Another local boy who’s showed great speed in Tassie before, I think he could rock a few boats if the car proves reliable.
Production Cup: Clayton Hoy and Erin Kelly
We know Clayton’s fast and on roads that will really suit his car, if all holds together I think it’ll be a successful trip across the Tasman for Clayton.
Championship: Harry Bates and Coral Taylor
It’s not his first rodeo anymore…
Jess Dane
Former ARC TV Presenter
Winner: Harry Bates and Coral Taylor
I think they’ll be aiming to finish the season on a high. They’ll want to cross that Power Stage finish line and celebrate over the roof of their Yaris as both rally and championship winners.
Runner-Up: Lewis Bates and Anthony McLoughlin
Coming from a win in South Australia, this duo will be feeling confident. I just can’t help but feel that Harry and Coral will be too hard to beat when they set their minds to taking all the spoils to round out a big season.
Podium: Eddie McGuire and Zak Brakey
The Tasmanian locals might have an advantage over their competition. It would be fantastic to see Eddie and Zak round out an impressive season with another strong result to secure second in the Championship.
Dark Horse: Steve Maguire and Ben Searcy
You’ve got to back the locals, right?! This year probably hasn’t delivered the results they know are possible in the Skoda R5 but hopefully a big year of learning can be rounded out on a high.
Galvaniize Insurance Power Stage: Scott Pedder and Glenn Macneall
I reckon this Galvaniize Insurance Power Stage is going to be a thriller! As much as Harry and Coral will be wanting to clean sweep the weekend, I think Scott’s competitive edge, in a comeback season that perhaps hasn’t returned the results he knows he can achieve, will come in full swing to take the final honours on the table.
Surprise Packet: Richie Dalton and Mac Kierans
We’ve missed Richie being a staple of the ARC! He’s still been getting the kilometres in behind the wheel though so I’m looking forward to seeing what he can deliver this weekend.
Production Cup: Bodie Reading and Mark Young
I keep coming back to the locals, but it was the pair’s impressive performance at Rally Tasmania last year that really put them on the map. Hopefully they can finish their second ARC season in a similar fashion.
Championship: Harry Bates and Coral Taylor
While last year’s Championship felt like it could’ve been decided by a coin toss, this year’s odds are stacked heavily in this pair’s favour thanks to a season of consistency and level-headedness.
