Harry Bates and Coral Taylor began their start to the 2026 EROAD Australian Rally Championship season in dominant style, taking both heats at Accent Benchtops Rally Queensland to secure maximum early championship points.

Heat 1 on the Saturday laid the blueprint for the weekend for the pair, with Bates and Taylor guiding their Toyota GR Yaris Rally2 to victory after winning five of the eight stages finishing 17 seconds clear of Scott Pedder and Glenn Macneall in their Skoda Fabia RS Rally2.

Teammates Lewis Bates and Anthony McLoughlin rounded out the podium, claiming three stage wins and the Saturday Power Stage to bank important bonus points.

Rising talent Jackson Long impressed on debut in a Skoda Fabia R5 to finish fourth, while Troy Dowel and Bernie Webb edged out Josh Redhead and Ray Winwood-Smith in a tight battle for fifth.

Dowel and Webb’s result also secured them the East Coast Cup win for the heat, while Redhead and Winwood-Smith claimed honours in the WOLF Sport Cup.

Heat 2 on Sunday followed a similar sequence of events, with Bates and Taylor again setting the stage pace.

Despite starting third on the road, the pair dominated the morning, winning all four stages to build a commanding lead.

Pedder and Macneall did well to reduce the margin throughout the day, but Bates and Taylor responded by taking the final two stages, including the Power Stage, grabbing another 17-second victory.

“It was a really strong start to the season – two heat wins and one Power Stage win,” Bates said post-rally.

“We felt comfortable in the car from the beginning, and especially today we were able to push on and build a solid lead this morning, which was great. So yeah, very happy.

“It’s definitely exciting to get that first win on the board for the year and now focus on the rest of the season. If you look at the ARC, it’s so important to keep collecting points along the way, and we’ve taken almost maximum points this weekend. That’s a great feeling to start the season, and our pace looks promising for what’s ahead.

“It’s a good confidence boost for next week. I’m heading to Portugal next week for a WRC round, then coming straight back for Rally WA – so three rallies in five weeks, which is pretty cool.”

The podium remained unchanged from Saturday, with Pedder second and Lewis Bates third.

Dowel and Webb backed up their Saturday performance with fourth place and secured the East Coast Cup bragging rights for the weekend, while Redhead and Winwood-Smith again took WOLF Sport Cup honours.

Attention turns to Western Australia next month with the ARC Plant Hire Forest Rally taking place on 23-25 May.