He usually laughs off comparisons with his father but Canberra driver Harry Bates' next outing is going to give Australia's rally faithful a sense of deja vu.
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The 23-year-old rally driver will honour his father's legacy on the track when takes to the Toyota 86 racing series in Sandown in a car dressed in the colours made famous by Australian rally legend Neal Bates.
Bates has been invited to compete in the next leg of the Toyota 86 series in Melbourne on September 14-16, trading in the dirt for the tarmac.
"Dad made his name in rallying and so it was natural that I would enter that field but he has always been a very versatile driver, having competed in circuit racing in Supercars and at Bathurst many times," Bates said.
"I had my first experience in circuit racing in the 86 last year at Sydney Motorsport Park and while some of the skills needed are different, particularly in the really tight wheel-to-wheel action of the 86s, I am really looking forward to having another go.
"It's a highly competitive series and I managed a best result of 11th in Sydney, so I'll be hoping to improve on that. I'm really looking forward to competing in dad's old Celica livery - the car will look really great."
