Bates Halfway To Taking Corolla Home

Newcastle Herald

Saturday June 28, 2008

GR

FORMER Australian rally champion Neal Bates has come out firing this season, stamping his authority on the 2008 title at the season's halfway point.

Toyota Corolla driver Bates and co-driver Coral Taylor are now three from three in the six-round championship after a win and a third in last weekend's two-heat Coates Rally of Queensland, going down to Subaru privateers Eli Evans and Michael Guest in Sunday's second heat after puncturing a tyre on the second-last stage.

The win by Evans, brother of reigning champion and Bates' Toyota teammate Simon Evans, meant he and Bates were on a tie for the overall round win but victory went to Bates after he was awarded a bonus point for winning the most special stages of the rally.

For Bates it was a bittersweet weekend. Simon Evans and co-driver wife Sue, crashed out during Saturday's heat. Taken to hospital for observation, they were later released with only minor injuries.

"I'm absolutely over the moon," Bates said after being awarded the win. "We got a puncture on the second-last stage and the spare I put on for the next stage wasn't the right one. And on the last stage we also had a slow puncture.

"It was an unbelievably tough rally. Anyone who got through to the end would feel like they've really done a rally."

After a couple of ordinary seasons at Ford Fiesta, Michael Guest has shown the move to a Subaru has done him no harm with two stage wins last Sunday including the final 35-kilometre Phat Lady stage.

Guest now sits in fourth place in the championship with 123 points, trailing Bates (217), Eli Evans (156) and Spencer Lowndes (132). Simon Evans holds down fifth spot with 112 points.

© 2008 Newcastle Herald

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