Australian Rally Champion, Harry Bates, has confirmed that he’ll drive a Skoda Fabia Rally2 evo in next month’s Rally New Zealand.
The regular Toyota driver has been given a dispensation by Toyota Australia to run the car, as the Japanese manufacturer doesn’t currently have a car eligible for the WRC2 category.
The surprise news comes after months of planning from Bates and his Canberra-based team.
It means that Bates will go head-to-head with Hadyen Paddon in his Hyundai i20 N Rally2 and Shane van Gisbergen in an older model Skoda Fabia R5.
His entry in the rally is being supported by suspension giants, Pedders.
“As a driver, you’re always looking for the next opportunity, so for this to be happening is truly a dream come true,” Bates said.
“I’m a competitor and I love a new challenge, so for me, it’s super exciting to be up against talented WRC regulars and the likes of highly respected Kiwis such as Hayden Paddon, Shane van Gisbergen and Ben Hunt in their home rally.
“It’s been months of hard work for our small team to get to this point, and I am so fortunate and humbled to have the help and support from people in Australia as well as overseas.”
Bates has won the Australian championship only once, but he is unbeaten since the end of 2018, with only COVID-19 lockdowns preventing him from being a three-time champion.
The Toyota GR Yaris AP4 that he regularly drives is ineligible for the WRC2 class in New Zealand, and while he could still have entered the rally in the car, there were doubts that the car would make it back to Australia for the next national championship round in mid-October.
The Skoda Fabia that he will drive is currently in Germany and was one of the very few Rally2 cars available worldwide.
“The car is currently in Europe and will soon be on its way to New Zealand for the tests and rally itself,” Bates added.
“We are planning to test the car after it arrives, in late August. Those tests will hopefully take place in early to mid-September, as well as a pre-event test.”
It will be the first time that Bates and his co-driver, John McCarthy, have competed internationally and their first experience of the famed NZ gravel roads.
“It will be my first time driving on Pirelli tyres, and that is one of the main reasons for the early tests that we will complete.
“I will be learning about a new car, but I am confident that I will be able to learn it quickly and get a set-up that suits me. “
Bates’ father, Neal, a four-time Australian Rally Champion, competed in Rally New Zealand once, in 1997.
On that occasion, he drove his Group A Toyota Celica GT-Four to sixth place.
Rally New Zealand begins with a stage at the Auckland Domain on Thursday night, September 29.
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