Canberra automotive expert and rally legend Neal Bates is helping to pave the way for up-and-coming drivers to make a name in the motorsport industry.
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Mr Bates was 24 in 1989 when he was given the opportunity to be part of a Toyota "Star Search" competition which launched his career. Although he had been rallying before he won the competition, the exposure was pivotal to his career, he said.
"If someone was able to get the opportunity I had out of this series, I would be over the moon," Mr Bates said.
The introduction of the pro-am Toyota 86 race series, announced at the Clipsal 500 in Adelaide, will provide a unique opportunity for amateur race drivers throughout Australia. The televised series will run in conjunction with V8 Supercars in 2016, with the proposed first round set to take place in Adelaide next year. It will include five professional drivers to act as mentors for the emerging talent.
"It's something that has been missing from motorsport in Australia, because everything is so expensive now it is beyond people's reach," Mr Bates said.
Neal Bates Automotive in Canberra has been given the task of developing the cars and coming up with the package that everyone will use for the one-make races.
"The whole idea is to have 30 cars out on the grid which are all exactly the same in speed, and then it just comes down to the driver," he said.
"There is not a lot done to the cars. The whole package will only be somewhere around $16,000-$17,000 for the race components. If you look at Wakefield Park [near Goulburn] for example, they're probably four seconds a lap faster than what a standard [model] is."
Mr Bates said the announcement two weeks ago proved incredibly popular. He has since received a deluge of phone calls asking about the series, and expects the team at Neal Bates Automotive will prepare about half the cars on the grid.
He expects a number of Canberra drivers will take up the challenge.
"My son Harry is very interested in doing it; he's starting to rally this year as well. I tried to find other forms of sport for him, but motorsport seems to be in the blood," Mr Bates said.
"When you look at the opportunities for young people, it's an opportunity for people to compete at a reasonable price, with a high-profile level and that is something that appeals to him."
Mr Bates would not be drawn on the names of the five past and possibly present professional drivers set to be announced to take part in the series. He said he would test some of the cars at Wakefield Park in the coming weeks.
