LEWIS BATES AND ANTHONY MCLOUGHLIN CELEBRATE FIRST ARC WIN OF 2026 AT RALLY TASMANIA

Author: Bill Robertson Toyota Parts  Date Posted:7 September 2026 

**Lewis Bates and Anthony McLoughlin win exciting 2026 ARC Rally Tasmania**
**First win of 2026 sees Bates and McLoughlin rocket to top of 2026 ARC standing**
**Harry Bates and Coral Taylor finish weekend early with incident late on Saturday**

TOYOTA GAZOO Racing Australia (TGRA) has recorded its third victory in four rounds of the 2026 Australian Rally Championship (ARC) season, with Lewis Bates and Anthony McLoughlin taking top honours at Rally Tasmania.

The exciting and hard-fought win was the first of the season for Lewis and Anthony, who last tasted victory at the Rally of Canberra in early 2025.

It was a tough weekend for TGRA teammates Harry Bates and Coral Taylor, who were forced to retire after a round-ending crash late in the day on Saturday.

Lewis and Anthony signalled their intent from day one, winning three stages out of seven to take a narrow lead of under one second in a hotly contested day of rallying. Competition came from both Harry and Coral, and Scott Pedder and Glenn Macneall who both secured two stage wins each.

Lewis and Anthony carried their strong form into Sunday, building on their narrow overnight lead with a commanding start which included winning the first four stages of the day to set up their victory.

Pedder and Macneall tried their hardest to reel in Lewis and Anthony with wins in the following two stages, but the TGRA pair proved too fast in their GR Yaris Rally2, with the final two stage wins of the round, including the Power Stage – their sixth Power Stage victory of the year.

The win has rocketed Lewis and Anthony to the top of the ARC championship standings, 12 points clear of Pedder and Macneall, and 70 points in front of Harry and Coral in third.

With two rounds to go, Lewis and Anthony will be looking to secure their second ARC championship after first tasting success in 2022 behind the wheel of the GR Yaris AP4.

The penultimate round of the year will take place from October 2-4 at the Adelaide Hills Rally, previously a happy hunting ground for Lewis and Anthony who scored three consecutive wins from 2022-24.


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