Toyota withdraw from Australian Rally Championship

[aussiefan]

Bad news for the ARC. Let's hope Neal and Simon can get another deal sorted soon.

http://www.rallysportmag.com.au/home/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3405&Itemid=2

http://www.rallysportmag.com.au/home/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3406&Itemid=2

[raybak]

So there's no manufacturer support for the ARC this year. Will be very interesting to see who is going to enter what?

Tristan and I are running 4 rounds in his EVO, we are doing ROC, Rally QLD, Rally SA and Coffs.

Ray

[mjh]

Can't say I'm surprised. With pretty p*ss poor promotion of the series and after Britek pulled put in 08 leaving no other manufacturer team to compete with on equal terms it was hard to see what the point was for Toyota staying in a one horse race (no disrespect to the privateers in the series).

Still it has sealed my decision not to waste any money traveling to spectate any ARC rounds this year. I'll stick with the Vic State championship and a trip to the WRC later in the year.

[Tom206wrc]

What will become the Toyota S2000s ??? :confused:

For sale to privateers ??? In Australia ??? South Africa ?? Europe ???

[mjh]

What will become the Toyota S2000s ??? :confused:

For sale to privateers ??? In Australia ??? South Africa ?? Europe ???

Neal Bates built them, I would be surprised if he and Simon didn't continue running them without factory support i.e. a much slimmed down operation.

[HaCo]

After Ford now Toyota as well... :(

[TKM Jnr]

So there's no manufacturer support for the ARC this year. Will be very interesting to see who is going to enter what?

Tristan and I are running 4 rounds in his EVO, we are doing ROC, Rally QLD, Rally SA and Coffs.

Ray

Lets go for the outright title Ray :D

[Camelopard]

Neal Bates built them, I would be surprised if he and Simon didn't continue running them without factory support i.e. a much slimmed down operation.

Wasn't that how Neal ran things before? I wonder if Neal or Toyota own the trucks and support equipment, certainly it wasn't expected, last time I talked to Brien he was still busily preparing another shell.
I agree with you mjh, I would be very suprised if Neal didn't do the Championship.

Simon seems to get such a kick out of driving, he would probably do it for free! :) I also know he gets a real buzz out of driving the trucks to and from events as well.

[raybak]

Bates will run his cars, most likely with Caltex livery.

He is in a good position in that he owns all his gear and the cars. His workshop is also quite busy as well.

Ray

[Mirek]

I hope they'll use Toyotas in WRC Rally Australia. There is PWRC there as well and that could be very interesting comparission :)

[mjh]

]I hope they'll use Toyotas in WRC Rally Australia. There is PWRC there as well and that could be very interesting comparission :)

http://rally.com.au/events/canberra08/results/

If you toggle the competition between 'International Rally of Canberra' and 'National Rally of Canberra' you can compare the APRC group N (and Wilkes in the 2WD Honda on leg1!) with the Toyota S2000s of Bates and Evans. The Marius Swart Polo S2000 was out for ROC last year too.

[Mirek]

Yes, I know. I was folowing the event but anyway I hope for Toyotas in WRC rally Australia ;)

[Rally Hokkaido]

Any news on Honda Australia's plans to run two R3 Civics?

[mjh]

http://www.rallysportmag.com.au/home/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3408&Itemid=2

Maybe Neal and Simon won't contest the full championship? : (

[GigiGalliNo1]

Any news on Honda Australia's plans to run two R3 Civics?

Nope

http://www.goauto.com.au/mellor/mellor.nsf/story2/93305869C5C20D35CA25754D000E5CF1

[mjh]

Maybe I was overly optimistic about Neal and Simon's plans ....

'The Australian Rally Championship has been left in tatters by the withdrawal of the last official factory team in the series and top-name drivers Neal Bates and Simon Evans.
Toyota withdrew its support from rallying yesterday, ending all involvement in Australian motorsport. It was part of a move by Toyota to cut non-essential costs.
It followed Ford and Holden in slashing its spending on motorsport but took it to the next level, trumping its rivals' multi-million dollar cuts on their V8 Supercar programs with a total withdrawal.
The decision ends 20 years in the Australian Rally Championship, the speedway support of national champion Brooke Tatnell, a program of drag racing and even support of the youth-focused Australian Drift Championship.
The biggest casualty is Bates, who won three national rally titles for Toyota and provided the cars to give Evans two more.
"I'm devastated by it. I only got the news last night (Tuesday)," Bates said yesterday. "I'm sad but I feel privileged to have had the success we have had from all sorts of cars, from the original Celica through to the latest Corolla we designed and built at our vase in Canberra. The worst thing is that people are going to lose their jobs and this is like a family."
Bates and his co-driver Coral Taylor still plan to compete in the opening event of this years ARC, Rally Tasmania next month, and the team's home event in Canberra in March.
He is also hopeful of finding buyers for Corolla rally cars.
"I want to keep going, but I don't plan to send myself broke," Bates said. "We've already had a few possibilities come along today, but there is a huge difference between a possibility and a signed deal."
Evans' plans are unknown, although he has rallied before in Subaru cars and has offers to compete in the China Rally Championship with his co-driving wife Sue. '

Paul Gover, Herald Sun (Melbourne) January 29 2009.

[Incrimn8r]

Will be an interesting year for all concerned. I hope this is just a short term thing though. It won't be the same without the higher budget teams paying for the extra marketing.