GRC takes the podium at the ARC Forest Rally
Officially titled “The Make Smoking History Forest Rally”, the free event marked the 39th Forest Rally and the biggest ARC field for WA since the nineties. Your TOYOTA GAZOO Racing correspondents were on track to capture the action and find out how the GR Yaris AP4 would handle the crests, corners and steep embankments of Nannup’s forested locale.
First: Getting up close and personal at the Bunbury Foreshore.
Second: Tinkering at the Service Park in Nannup.
Day one: Friday
The event’s ceremonial start drew a solid crowd as the sun set slowly over the Blair Street Foreshore in Bunbury. Together with a mix of local enthusiasts, their families, and friends, we got up close to the 66 entrants’ rally cars, all parked proudly on the grass. Their custom liveries were uncharacteristically clean but wouldn’t be for long.
Closest to the starting point were three GR Yaris AP4s, all built by Neal Bates Motorsport. Twin red and white ones for the TOYOTA GAZOO Racing teams and an inky black one for Luff Motorsport, a family team from the ACT.
The TGR team were suited, booted and ready to rally. While Coral Taylor went over her pacenotes and Harry Bates chatted to brother Lewis and co-driver Anthony McLoughlin, we wanted to know the story behind the Luff’s black sheep. Chatting to its drivers Jamie and Bradley, we learned that the brothers also have silver and red in their DNA – their grandfather opened Toyota dealership Yass Motors over 30 years ago. So it made sense when Jamie told us: “We got a full car, stripped it to a bare shell then handed it to the Bates boys… then we did all the panel and paint ourselves.”
First: A contemplative moment for Anthony McLoughlin.
Second: Coral Taylor crunching the numbers.
As the cars began to depart the foreshore, the crowd dispersed to their own vehicles, ready to make their way to the Bunbury Speedway for the first stage of Heat 1. It was about a fifteen-minute drive and night had set in by the time we arrived. All the cars did four runs of the Shannons Bunbury Super Stage; Harry and Coral topped the first two while spectators watched from the bleachers, munching hot chips, and getting familiar with the competitors, cars and categories for the weekend ahead.
Anthony McLoughlin and Lewis Bates in the hot seat.
Kicking up dirt in the GR Yaris AP4.
Day two: Saturday
The rally re-started at 8:30am the next day. There were seven more stages for Heat 1, all about an hour out of Bunbury in the forests surrounding Nannup. The service park was in the town’s impressive sports centre complex.
The spectator points were well-selected, providing safe corner views with tall karri and jarrah trees towering like leafy giants over the track. “It’s almost like the whole region is just built for rallying”, Harry Bates reflected later at the GRC members’ day in Neerabup.
First: Talking tactics with Lewis Bates.
Second: Rugged tracks in the Wild West.
We arrived at the first location to find a mid-size crowd lining the parameters in their sunglasses and caps. Some of the more organised spectators had parked their cars in prime viewing spots and were now sitting in camping chairs atop their vehicles, soaking up the morning sun.
As we waited for the zero cars to pass, the announcers gave us a quick history lesson: “(Coral Taylor’s father) Norm Fritter did many ARC rounds in a GT-Four… and Coral becomes the person with the highest number of entries in a WA ARC that isn’t local. If she gets on the podium, she’ll have the highest number of wins in the WA Forest Rally.”
“And Neal Bates has a record number of finishes (in the ARC Forest Rally). His cars have always been blindly reliable.”
Harry Bates buckles up.
We ask one of the spectators what they think of the GR Yaris AP4: “It’s a pretty good piece of kit.”
Moving to the next spectator point near Milward Road, plenty of early birds were comfortably set up at prime vantage points, reclining on their picnic blankets and chairs.
Those closest to the warning tape copped the most dust as the cars ripped past, turning up such a cloud that you could barely see them speeding off into the distance. Fluoro-vested officials kept a close eye to ensure everyone was complying with the safety advice. A drone operator was given a friendly cease and desist. Kids pottered around and played, some excited and others unaware they were witnessing an important event in Australian motorsport history.
Bates and Taylor turbocharging their way to the finish line.
About halfway through the fifth stage of the day, Harry and Coral experienced a hiccup that caught over a million views online. “We came to a very simple left-hand junction, but I turned in slightly too early and took too much bank on the inside, and we ended up rolling the car… we rolled straight back onto our wheels and lost about two or three seconds with the roll,” Harry said.
“The only thing that cost us time (and really cost us the win in the end) was the fact that the bottom came up, so I had to drive the rest of the stage with a gap which I managed to do reasonably well. But the bigger problem was we actually crushed the intercooler pipe, so we had no boost for the rest of the day.”
Harry and Coral closed Heat 1 with a strong 43-second win, off the back of six stage wins. Lewis Bates and Anthony McLoughlin claimed second place, with Nathan Quinn and Ray Winwood-Smith just one tenth of a second behind Harry for the final stage, placing them third overall at the end of the second day.
If you’re not coated in dust after they pass, you’re not close enough.
Day three: Sunday
Heat 2 commenced on Sunday, with five stages remaining to conclude the championship.
The drive to the first spectator point took us through the small, sleepy townships of Donnybrook, Kirup and Mullalyup. The roadside was dotted with orchards (one with an apple-headed mascot), olive groves and vineyards. Autumn leaves provided the occasional flame-like flourish between rolling green paddocks; all were glistening with crisp morning dew. A scarecrow in high-vis greeted us silently.
We were looking for the Ridge spectator point, but we ended up on the other side of it where event staffer Peter Marshall was perched atop his 4x4, keeping a watchful eye on a handful of photographers and local spectators, occasionally communicating via his radio.
“You’ve come to a great spot,” he called down to us, pointing to a high vantage point overlooking the track.
Peter had been competing in motorsport since the age of 17, but these days his passion is helping organise events, training learners to drive safely and passing on his love of motorsport. As we chatted, a low growl came from inside the cabin of his vehicle. “That’s Chubb, he’s a good dog.”
Named after the security company, Chubb is a chunky boy; part staffie, mastiff, rhodesian ridgeback and rottweiler. Once he could see we were friendly with his master, he became very sweet. We patted his big boof head and gave him a good scratch behind the ears.
First: Coral Taylor set for speed.
Second: A glimpse of red, white and black through the trees.
By around midday, the time difference between Bates and Quinn was just 2.06. “Getting hot at the top” we overheard one of the rally officials marvel.
With Harry and Coral leading on time, it was looking like their victory. Until we got back to the service park, where Coral told us there had been a penalty. The officials were still deliberating, but it was a surprise for the team who’d been setting the pace all weekend.
First: Lewis and a crew member in conversation at the service park
Second: The GRC crew service the A P 4 between stages.
As the champagne was brought out and a crowd gathered around the podium, we learned that a one-minute penalty for an early check-in had been confirmed. Their strong lead meant Harry and Coral still made the podium, with Lewis Bates and Anthony McLoughlin claiming second place. Nathan Quinn and Ray Winwood-Smith placed first, having won Heat 2 (after placing third in Heat 1).
Ultimately, the TOYOTA GAZOO Racing teams were still thrilled with the weekend.
“I really haven’t had a rally like that since Tasmania last year, which was in June… for everything to work in the car, this weekend was amazing. And we love coming over here,” Harry said.
“Coral and I won 11 out of 17 stages and we were the quickest car there on the weekend. But we got a bit of a penalty for an early check-in. Rallying’s a pretty fickle sport and you have to be on time at every stage. You can’t be one minute early or one minute late – you have to arrive on your minute.”
Would they have won without the penalty? “It was a minute penalty, and we were only 47 seconds behind Lewis, so yes.”
Congratulations to all the entrants of the 2023 Forest Rally and thank you to the event organisers and Motorsport Australia for another epic event.
If you want more details about the Australian Rally Championship or are interested in attending, head to the ARC website. Make sure to check out the Toyota Australia YouTube channel to keep up to date with TOYOTA GAZOO Racing round recaps.
