Four-time Australian Rally Champion Bates and co-driver Coral Taylor are looking to extend the lead they gained at the last round in Western Australia and are excited to help the event introduce its new partner to the large crowds expected for round four of the series.
Held in conjunction with a round of the Asia-Pacific Rally Championship (APRC), Bates and the other ARC crews will tackle what are arguably the toughest roads of any round in the Championship.
Bates, who won the opening round in Tasmania and has featured on the podium at the last two, knows the forest roads around Imbil on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast are technically challenging and will bite hard if he and Taylor are not at their best.
“Firstly, it is great to team up with Red Devil Energy Drink for Rally Queensland,†Bates said.
“I know Coral and I will need all the energy and concentration we can muster this weekend as Rally Queensland is an extremely tough event.
“This rally has a lot of challenging stages including Big Borumba and Phat Lady which are both more-than 33 kilometres long, so drivers and co-drivers will be tested to the limit.
“It is great for the sport that a new sponsor like Red Devil Energy Drink has put its faith in the ARC and I think the local crews will be more than a match for the visiting APRC crews, even if we are not competing directly against each other.â€
Red Devil Energy Drink Australia director, Rod Shanley, believes rallying is the perfect platform on which to build the brand’s presence in Australia.
“Red Devil hasn’t been in Australia long and Rally Queensland will be our first big event,†Shanley said.
“We are particularly excited to have this chance to team up with Neal Bates Motorsport and current champions Neal Bates and Coral Taylor to really help get our brand out there. It means a lot to have our brand alongside the leading team.
“Overall, we see rallying and Red Devil as the perfect partnership and I want to wish all the competitors the best for this weekend’s Red Devil Energy Drink Rally Queensland.â€
Red Devil is produced in the Netherlands and sold in 60 countries.
The company has supported motorsport throughout its 14 year history and has been involved in the World Rally Championship, Formula 1 powerboats, touring cars, motorcycles and open-wheel racing.
Bates and Taylor claimed victory in last year’s event and will be hoping to repeat the result when action commences in the Red Devil Rally Queensland on Friday morning.
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