The Toyota Gazoo Racing Narooma Forest Rally delivered two days of fast, competitive action as Harry Bates and Coral Taylor commanded the stages to secure overall victory and further strengthen their 2026 EROAD Australian Rally Championship title push.

Driving the Toyota Gazoo Racing Australia GR Yaris Rally2, Bates and Taylor were the benchmark crew throughout the weekend, winning both Heats and claiming seven stage victories across the 12-stage event.

Their consistency saw them finish 13 seconds ahead of Scott Pedder and Glenn Macneall in the Pedders Rally Team Protected by Famous Insurance Skoda Fabia Rally2, while Toyota Gazoo Racing Australia teammates Lewis Bates and Anthony McLoughlin completed the overall podium.

Saturday’s opening Heat set the tone for the weekend as Harry Bates and Taylor won four of the six stages to establish a 7.5-second victory.

The result also saw Bates make championship history by surpassing Simon Evans’ long-standing record for the most ARC Heat victories.

Pedder and Macneall briefly closed the gap after taking victory on the day’s third stage, but Bates responded immediately with back-to-back stage wins to maintain control.

Although Lewis Bates and McLoughlin claimed maximum Power Stage bonus points on Saturday, they were unable to challenge for the Heat victory.

Sunday followed a similar script, with Harry Bates once again stamping his authority on the event by winning the opening three stages.

Pedder mounted a late charge to reduce the margin midway through the day, but Bates answered with another pair of impressive stage wins before sealing both the Heat and the overall rally victory with a dominant final Power Stage performance.

While Harry and Taylor secured the overall event honours, Lewis Bates and McLoughlin again demonstrated their Power Stage strength by claiming bonus points for the fifth time this season.

Jackson Long and Damien Long continued their impressive form to finish fourth overall in the Skoda Fabia R5.

Josh Redhead and Ray Winwood-Smith rounded out the top five in the WINPART Group Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 5 despite overcoming gearbox and battery issues during Saturday’s Heat. Their performance also earned them victory in both the WOLF SPORTS Cup and East Coast Cup.

Jarrod Keyte and Chris Stilling enjoyed a consistent weekend to finish sixth overall and secure second place in both Cup competitions, while Shane and Sylvie Garner claimed Classic Cup honours after a drama-filled Sunday, pushing their Subaru across the finish line.

ARC debutants Lucas Read and Isaac Ellis bounced back from an early crash on Saturday to finish every stage on Sunday and claim ARC Junior Cup honours after overnight leaders Jaidyn Gluskie and Mitch Garrad were forced to withdraw.

The EROAD Australian Rally Championship now heads south for Round 5, the Subaru Wilderness Rally Tasmania, on 14–16 August in Burnie.

Full rally results can be found on the website.