TOYOTA GAZOO Racing to debut new Racing Australia team

Toyota GAZOO will debut its new Racing Australia team at this weekend's Australian Rally Championship (ARC) season finale at Coffs Coast.

Harry Bates, currently second in the ARC standings after five rounds, will be behind the wheel alongside co-driver John McCarthy.

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Toyota GAZOO Racing Australia will then officially enter the 2019 championship, with a second car to be driven by Bates' brother, Lewis.

The duo's father, legendary four-time ARC winner Neal Bates, will serve as team principle.

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"Our long history with Toyota in Australia has been a great one for me personally with its support helping myself and Coral Taylor, my long-term co driver, to four Australian titles," Neal Bates said.

"I am immensely proud that Harry and Lewis can continue our very strong partnership with the brand and we as a team have the opportunity to run under the Toyota GAZOO Racing banner that is growing across the globe."

Harry Bates is in contention to win the 2018 ARC at Coffs Coast, sitting 57 points behind championship leader Eli Evans.

Toyota GAZOO Racing was launched in 2015 to join Toyota's World Rally Championship (WRC) and World Endurance Championship (WEC) teams together.

Its WRC team has the chance to claim the title in the season finale, also hosted in Australia, with Estonian driver Ott Tanak in third place.

"Toyota has always recognized the value of participating in motorsport as a means of developing ever more durable, reliable and exciting cars," chief marketing officer Wayne Gabriel said.

"Australians have long had an enthusiastic appetite for motorsport and performance cars and we are committed to delivering the excitement they offer through initiatives like the new rally team we are launching today.

"Harry Bates is a very talented driver who comes from Australian rallying royalty with his father, Neal, having won four Australian titles driving his legendary Celica GT-Four in the 1990s and then the Corolla S2000 in 2008."

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