Lewis Bates and Anthony McLoughlin have taken a major step towards the 2026 EROAD Australian Rally Championship title, after securing victory at the Adelaide Hills Rally, while Toyota GAZOO Racing Australia teammates Harry Bates and Coral Taylor claimed Heat 2 honours.

The championship leaders produced a consistent weekend to finish second in Sunday’s Heat and secure the overall event victory, extending their advantage at the top of the standings with just one round remaining.

The Adelaide Hills Rally began with a thrilling opening heat on Saturday, with Lewis Bates and McLoughlin, Scott Pedder and Glenn Macneall, and Harry Bates and Taylor all taking turns at the front.

There were six lead changes across the 12 stages, with the battle ultimately going down to the final two stages. Bates and McLoughlin won both the penultimate stage and Power Stage to move back into the lead and secure Heat 1 by just under five seconds from Pedder and Macneall, with Harry Bates and Taylor a further five seconds behind.

Wet and slippery conditions made for a challenging opening day, with several crews falling victim to the conditions.

Clayton Hoy and Brad Jones were among the major incidents after crashing into a bank on Saturday, while Tony Sullens and Julie Barkley also retired after a wrong-foot at the same location.

Sunday brought improved conditions, but there was early drama for Pedder and Macneall when they hit a post just 300 metres into the opening stage.

Their Skoda Fabia Rally2 was sent down an embankment and suffered steering damage, forcing the pair to spend valuable time recovering the car before eventually rejoining.

Despite finishing more than 30 minutes behind their championship rivals, Pedder and Macneall continued to the finish and collected valuable championship points, remaining firmly in contention for the title.

At the front, it was Harry Bates and Taylor who dominated the second heat. The pair won seven of the nine completed stages, including the Power Stage, to claim a commanding 20-second victory.

Lewis Bates and McLoughlin finished second to secure the overall event win, while Jackson Long and Damien Long produced an impressive performance to finish third in Heat 2 and claim the final spot on the overall podium.

“Super stoked to win the event. It was a really challenging event from Friday night, actually, with the rain coming for the second pass of the super special,” Bates said.

“I don’t know if I’ve ever driven in such slippery conditions, and then the rain throughout the whole event made it really challenging. We did it from car one on the road as well.”

Across the field, Josh Redhead and Ray Winwood-Smith secured maximum WOLF SPORTS Cup points across the weekend. Bradley Clements and Naomi Povey claimed overall Classic Cup honours.

Glenn and Bec Campbell also marked their return to the ARC after two years away with victory in the 2WD Cup.

The result leaves Bates and McLoughlin on 465 championship points, 41 points clear of Pedder and Macneall.

Harry Bates and Taylor remain third and are now 80 points behind the leaders heading into the final round.

The 2026 EROAD Australian Rally Championship will conclude at The Middle of Everywhere Gippsland Rally from 20-22 November.