Harry Bates is racing the clock to finish building his new car in time for the National Capital Rally launch this week as he sets his sights on winning the Australian championship.
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Bates, dad Neal and brother Lewis have been locked in their workshop in Hume stripping weight and making adjustments to a new R5 Toyota Yaris for the upcoming season.
The 18-month project is nearing completion and comes after Bates renewed his partnership with sponsor Netier, who have been backing his rally campaigns since he joined the national circuit.
"I've had a love-hate relationship with the car I'm passing down to my brother," Harry said.
"So this time I'm very excited to have a new car, especially because I've personally done a lot of the testing and development of this Yaris. To have a new car that's been built from that is going to be a pretty cool feeling.
"And a nice reward for the hard work that everyone has put in. The challenge of building it from scratch ... everything on the car was built and made in Canberra.
"That's a pretty cool thing and we're hoping this car will be a bit lighter than the old one. We've got two new gear boxes coming ... if we can make this new car 10 kilograms lighter, we'll consider that a success."
The Neal Bates Motorsport crew has been working to transform the car from a $6000 purchase to a $400,000 machine capable of lifting Harry to the top of the rankings in Australia.
Harry Bates finished third in the Australian championship last year after winning two of six rounds. Bates recently won the Colin Bond Award, which recognises the best versatile driver in Australia.
"We finish the season in November and don't start until late March or early April. So it's a long break, but that's the time where you can get car development and preparation done," Bates said.
"We did have some success last year, but we also had our troubles. At the National Capital Rally last year we were sitting second and going well, but then we had some issues with a blown turbo.
"A couple of things like that meant we weren't quite in the hunt for the championship, but we're hoping we've put those reliability issues behind us.
"It will be super tough competition wise, but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't going for the win."
The National Capital Rally, which is a round of the Australian rally championship, will be held in Canberra on May 11 at Uriarra Forest. Canberra driver Adrian Coppin has also secured a sponsorship deal, signing up with Abode Hotels.
Meanwhile, Cameron Hill has enjoyed a strong weekend at in the Carrera Cup at the Australian grand prix, finishing fourth in two of three races in Melbourne.
