In their Toyota GR Yaris Rally 2, they finished the day 7.8s ahead of Toyota GAZOO Australia Racing teammates Harry Bates and Coral Taylor (GR Yaris AP4). However, the Bosch Motorsport Australia Rally Championship points leaders were penalised 1.0min for a parc ferme breach which dropped them to fourth.

“It’s been a really good feeling from Stage 3 today onwards and we felt at one with everything,” Lewis Bates said after a few niggling issues beforehand.

“It’s been an amazing day. We had a really good run in there to be honest with you and it’s a nice way to finish off the day.”

Pedders Suspension & Brakes’ Scott Pedder and Glenn Macneall were second on corrected time after an emphatic start. They had victories on the first two stages in their Skoda Fabia R5 as the Toyota crews struggled.

Bates and McLoughlin trailed Pedder/Macneall, and Eddie Maguire and Zak Brakey (Skoda), after three stages despite winning the third. Then Bates/McLoughlin won Stages 4 and 5 which elevated them to the front.

Bates and Taylor took out Stage 6 which on corrected time, pushed them up from ninth to sixth and subsequently they improved another two places by the end of Stage 8, the last for the heat.

Maguire and Brakey finished the day third ahead of Bates/Taylor while Alex Rullo and Steve Glenney (Hyundai i20 Rally 2) was ahead of Steve Maguire and Ben Searcy (Skoda), Peter Rullo and Steve Glenney (Skoda) and Jamie and Brad Luff (GR Yaris AP4).

Bodie Reading and Mark Young won every stage of Production Cup in their Subaru Impreza WRX STi. They finished ninth overall and over 2mins ahead of class rivals Joshua Wiedman and Nick Reid (WRX) who were 11th outright behind Tony Sullens and Kaylie Newell (Peugeot 208).

Jaidyn Gluskie and Lucy Gluskie (Subaru RS) headed Junior ARC Cup from Mitch Garrad and Taylah Murphy (RS), and Peter Dimmock and Paul Bennet (Datsun 260Z) topped 2WD Classic Cup.

Heat 2 on Sunday will be over another eight stages in South Australia’s Adelaide Hills and Fleurieu Peninsula regions.