During the concluding round of the 2024 Bosch Motorsport Australia Rally Championship (ARC), Harry Bates and Coral Taylor seized the lead on the first day of the Buckby Motors Rally Tasmania, achieving an impressive five stage wins in Burnie, Tasmania.
The Toyota Gazoo Racing Australia contingent benefitted from the late retirement of Scott Pedder and Glenn Macneall in SS7, who faced radiator issues, which allowed Bates and Taylor to assume the outright lead, bringing them closer to clinching the Possum Bourne Memorial Trophy.
Check the day’s standings at the Subaru Results Hub.
The Buckby Motors Rally Tasmania featured a remarkable roster with 50 entries, marking it as one of the most fiercely contested events of the 2024 season. Four teams entered the weekend harbouring hopes of claiming the 2024 ARC Championship, all within a mere 108 points of each other as the season finale approached.
Scott Pedder and Glenn Macneall made a strong start to the weekend by securing wins in the opening two stages, placing them in outright first position. Not far behind, Harry Bates and Coral Taylor closely followed, claiming victories in SS3 and SS4.
As the morning stages progressed, the top five competitors remained tightly packed, separated by only 17 seconds heading into SS5. Pedder maintained the lead, closely shadowed by the Bates brothers, Alex Rullo, and Eddie Maguire, intensifying the championship race.
The competition between Harry Bates and Pedder saw them exchanging stage victories throughout the day. However, in SS7, the momentum shifted when Bates and Taylor took the outright lead, while Pedder fell back by almost 15 seconds. The Pedders Suspension and Brakes team dropped to seventh place after sustaining radiator damage, ultimately forcing the retirement of their #2 Skoda Fabia at the end of SS7 despite their crew’s best efforts to fix the leak.
This turn of events allowed Harry Bates and his co-driver Taylor to secure the outright lead, finishing ahead of their closest rivals, Lewis Bates and Anthony McLoughlin, by nearly 25 seconds.
In the final two PWS Super Special Stages, Bates and Taylor showcased their dominance, decisively clinching victory in the Tasmanian opener, positioning the Toyota Gazoo Racing Australia team favourably for the final six stages scheduled for tomorrow.
“It was a solid afternoon for us. The stages were as we anticipated, reasonably well swept. Although there had been some rain, it didn’t affect the surface much, so everything felt nice. Being at the top at the end of day one is a great feeling,” Bates reflected.
“We adhered closely to our plan today, which was rewarding. We focused on maintaining a steady rhythm, not pushing past our limits, and it has resulted in a comfortable lead, so we are very pleased.”
Clayton Hoy and Erin Kelly delivered a commanding performance in the MainFix Production Cup on Saturday, leading every stage confidently, except for SS8, where they briefly faltered due to a suspected puncture in their Mitsubishi Lancer EVO 6. They finished in seventh place overall, securing vital points in the Cup standings.
In the ARC Junior Cup, Molly Spalding and Matthew Dillon initially led from SS1 to SS3 but ultimately fell to Mitch Garrad Motorsport’s Mitch Garrad and Taylah Murphy, who clinched victory in the subsequent stages, positioning themselves as strong contenders for the Junior Cup title, aside from SS6 which saw Jaidyn and Lucy Gluskie snag a stage win.
Jack Monkhouse and Neill Woolley emerged as the fastest in the Trenching Systems Australia 2WD Classic Cup, overcoming Tom Clarke and Ryan Preston who faced retirement due to a collision with a tree in SS3.
In the ARC 4WD Classic Cup, sole entrants Josh Redhead and Ray Winwood-Smith withdrew after SS4 due to mechanical difficulties with their Mitsubishi Lancer EVO 3. They later rejoined the rally during the PWS Super Special Stages, albeit with additional time penalties.
Competing solo in the Subaru WRX Challenge, Cup leaders Glenn Brinkman and Scott Beckwith also faced mechanical challenges early on but managed to rejoin the race later in the afternoon.
The action is set to continue on Sunday in the forests of Burnie, Tasmania, with another six stages remaining in the Buckby Motors Rally Tasmania. The first stage of the 2024 Bosch Motorsport Australia Rally Championship finale is scheduled to kick off just after 8 am, as teams aim for crucial points to bolster their championship standings.
Compiled by SportArena.com.au.
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