Bates and Taylor to continue ARC partnership in 2024

The 2023 Australian Rally Champions Harry Bates and Coral Taylor have announced that their driver/co-driver union will continue into 2024, with a new Toyota GR Yaris Rally2 car also a possibility.

Bates and Taylor took out the championship on the very last stage of the season at the National Capital Rally to overcome his brother Lewis Bates and co-driver Anthony McLaughlin in a thrilling end to the season.

For Taylor (a 36th rally race winner and a five time champion after taking out four titles with Harry and Lewis’ father Neal Bates) it was the 62-year-old co-driver’s first season alongside Harry – whilst for Harry it was his second ARC title after taking his first in 2019.

2023 could also have been the last year for Harry Bates in the Toyota Yaris GR AP4, with a move to the globally used Toyota GR Yaris Rally2 a possibility

With an upgrade to a new Toyota Rally2 car also a possibility, Bates confirmed that Taylor was indeed locked away for another ARC campaign, as well as confirming his mechanic Sam Elliot.

“We’re in talks about whether we will be in the Toyota Yaris GR AP4 next year or in new cars,” Bates told Rusty’s Garage podcast.

“Toyota globally has the Toyota GR Yaris Rally 2 and it is our intention to get into those at some point, but we have no plans yet.

“As far as my side of the stable, I will still have Coral in the co-driver’s seat next year which I am looking forward to. She is going around again vying for a sixth title, which will be pretty cool.

Bates and Taylor took Canberra in a thriller to clinch the 2023 ARC crown, giving Taylor her fifth ARC title

“Certainly, my number one mechanic will still be Sam (Elliot), who has been the number one mechanic for my car since 2016, so he is another guy I have a longstanding partnership with, and we have now collected two championships together which is a cool thing.”

The two-time champion also gave an insight into the emotional relief for both of them that the championship win afforded them.

“For Coral and I to be standing there together waiting in anticipation for that moment – we were both overcome with slightly different emotions,” Bates told Rust.

“For me, it was probably a mixture of relief and elation that we had done it. For her, it was emotion straight away.

“She has obviously been around the sport for a long time and probably never thought that she would be in the position again to win an ARC.

“Her last win came in 2008 with my dad and here she is, 15 years later, achieving her fifth ARC championship – it’s pretty staggering.

“She is 62-years-old, yet still so capable in the car, perfect on the notes, such a top co-driver, and a great friend to have in the car. We had a great year and achieved what we wanted to achieve.”

The 2024 season gets underway where 2023 left off at the National Capital Rally on April 5-7.

Click here to read the story on NSW Rally Champion Richie Dalton, who took out the championship in Canberra alongside Dale Moscatt in the Craig Breen tribute liveried Toyota.

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