Behind the wheel of the Toyota Gazoo Racing GR Yaris Rally2, the pair won 11 of 15 stages over two days of action, taking a convincing victory in the Gympie forest.
The Toyota crew led home Pedders Racing Team duo Scott Pedder and Glenn Macneall by more than 15 seconds on both days, with the second Toyota pair of Lewis Bates and Anthony McLoughlin rounding out the podium.
“It was a really strong start to the season – two heat wins and one Power Stage win,” said Bates.
“We felt comfortable in the car from the beginning, and especially today we were able to push on and build a solid lead this morning, which was great. So yeah, very happy.
“It’s definitely exciting to get that first win on the board for the year and now focus on the rest of the season.
“If you look at the ARC, it’s so important to keep collecting points along the way, and we’ve taken almost maximum points this weekend.
“That’s a great feeling to start the season, and our pace looks promising for what’s ahead.
“It’s a good confidence boost for next week. I’m heading to Portugal next week for a WRC round, then coming straight back for Rally WA – so three rallies in five weeks, which is pretty cool.”
The second Pedders Racing Team entry of Jackson Long and father Damien did not have quite as smooth a weekend as their teammates.
Making the step up to outright competition this season, the pair finished day one in fourth position, but differential issues in the R5-spec Skoda Fabia on day two saw them slip to eighth.
Off-road racer Toby Price and co-driver Ben Searcy finished day one on top in the Subaru WRX Challenge standings but slipped to second place at the end of day two behind Jeff David and Grant Geelan.
The EROAD Australian Rally Championship will return next month on May 23-25 for the Forest Rally in Western Australia.
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