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New GR Yaris Rally2 coming to Australia

By Thomas Miles

Date posted: February 21, 2024

The new factory built Toyota GR Yaris Rally2 car will join the 2024 Australian Rally Championship season with the Bates brothers.

Reigning champions Harry Bates and Coral Taylor will be armed with the new weapon at the season-opening Rally of Canberra in April.

This will be the only one in action in the capital with the sister Toyota entry of Lewis Bates and Anthony McLoughlin getting a new set of wheels in round 3 at Rally Queensland on June 28-30.

The new GR Yaris Rally2 car is Toyota’s first factory built car homologated for WRC2 and was first revealed to the world at the 2022 Rally Japan.

After more than 15,000km of development, the new Toyota made its WRC debut at this year’s Rallye Monte Carlo in January.

Stephane Lefebvre was the highest placed Toyota driver in fifth, while at Sweden Toyotas filled four of the top five WRC2 spots led by Sami Pajari.

The new GR Yaris Rally2 replaces the Toyota Yaris GR AP4 that has dominated ARC.

The GR Yaris Rally2 machine will replace the existing Australian-designed and built GR Yaris AP4, which won back to back ARC driver and manufacturer titles.

Harry Bates is confident the new car will continue to be a force down under.

“Right from the start, we knew we had a winning car but a COVID-interrupted season that first year meant no championship was awarded,” Harry Bates said. 

“But we came back blitzing the field in 2022 with Lewis and Anthony taking the ARC title ahead of myself and Coral in the final round, before we turned the tables on them last year to take the season win.

“With the new factory GR Yaris Rally2 car, we’re confident we’ll be able to maintain that edge.

“We’ve watched how the car has performed since its first outing in the second-tier World Rally Championship (WRC2) at Monte Carlo in January and in Sweden this month and can’t wait to get behind the wheel of the new car in our home-town rally in Canberra in April.”

Don’t forget the latest issue of Auto Action available via subscription here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ – the only place you’ll get to read the full story. For more of the latest motorsport news, subscribe to AUTO ACTION magazine.

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