TOYOTA GAZOO RACING AUSTRALIA SECURES 1-2 FINISH IN THRILLING ADELAIDE HILLS RALLYINISH IN THRILLING ADELAIDE HILLS RALLYst

**Lewis Bates and Anthony McLoughin win fourth Adelaide Hills Rally in five years**
**Harry Bates and Coral Taylor finish second to set up showdown in final ARC round of 2026**
**TOYOTA GAZOO Racing wins FIA World Rally Championship at Rally Italia Sardegna**

Toyota has capped off a hugely successful weekend in rallying, with TOYOTA GAZOO Racing Australia (TGRA) claiming the top two places at the Adelaide Hills Rally in the Australian Rally Championship (ARC), while Elfyn Evans and Scott Martin took out the Driver’s and Co-driver’s titles in the final round of FIA World Rally Championship (WRC) following the Rally Italia Sardegna.

The 2026 local ARC season is now set for a climactic finish following an action-packed Adelaide Hills Rally, with Lewis Bates and Anthony McLoughlin continuing their successful run at the event to claim their fourth victory in the past five years.

The weekend of racing saw Lewis and Anthony battle it out with TGRA teammates Harry Bates and Coral Taylor, who led all comers in Heat 2 to finish second overall for the round, setting up what will be a spectacular showdown at the final round of the ARC season, The Middle of Everywhere Gippsland Rally in Victoria.

Heat 1, spread out across Friday night and Saturday, began with a sign of the competitiveness to come with Lewis and Harry finishing equal first in the opening stage.

Harry hit his straps early on Saturday with victories in three of the day’s first four stages, before Lewis found his pace to take out four of Heat 1’s last five stages. The strong finish saw Lewis and Anthony take out Heat 1, 4.7 seconds ahead of Scott Pedder and Glenn Macneall, and 9.7 seconds ahead of Harry and Coral.

Heat 2 saw Harry and Lewis battle it out for top honours again, with Harry putting in a consistently strong performance across the day including seven out of nine stage wins to finish 19.9 seconds ahead of Lewis.

Lewis and Anthony were nevertheless able to secure the overall round victory to continue their winning form at the Adelaide Hills Rally and set up an exciting finale to the season next month.

Toyota’s rally success over the weekend wasn’t just limited to the ARC, with TOYOTA GAZOO Racing World Rally Team (TGR-WRT) securing the WRC manufacturer’s title for the seventh time in eight years with the top four placings in the Driver’s championship.

Driving his GR Yaris Rally1, Welshman Elfyn Evans won his first Driver’s championship alongside co-driver Scott Martin in a wild final day of racing, with success finally coming for Elfyn who had previously finished runner up in the WRC driver’s championship five times, including in three consecutive seasons from 2023 onwards.

The TGR-WRT GR Yaris Rally1 won 12 of 13 rally rounds in the 2026 season, with 48 wins in total since its introduction in the 2022 season. With new homologation regulations to be introduced in 2027, a new vehicle will be launched for the upcoming WRC season.

The final round of the 2026 ARC season will take place from November 20 – 22 at the Gippsland Rally.

ADELAIDE HILLS RALLY RESULTS:

HEAT 1:

1^st: Lewis Bates

3^rd: Harry Bates

HEAT 2:

1^st: Harry Bates

2^nd: Lewis Bates

OVERALL:

1^st: Lewis Bates

2^nd: Harry Bates

CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS:

1^st: Lewis Bates & Anthony McLoughlin, 456

2^nd: Scott Pedder & Glenn Macneall, 416

3^rd: Harry Bates & Coral Taylor, 381

4^th: Jackson Long & Damien Long, 297

5^th: Josh Redhead & Ray Winwood-Smith, 175

…ends/