Introduction
Neal Bates (born 19 March 1965) is an Australian rally and racing car driver. Throughout his career Bates has been associated with Toyota in the Australian Rally Championship and for 19 years his Neal Bates Motorsport outfit ran Toyota's official rally program in Australia. Bates claimed four drivers' titles in this time and helped Toyota win four manufacturers' crowns.
Bates' navigator/co-driver since 1993 has been Coral Taylor.
Bates long-time partnership with Toyota also brought the first of many circuit racing opportunities, a drive in a star search program in Toyota's Australian Touring Car Championship team. This led to a number of touring car racing opportunities with the factory Toyota Corolla teams as well as V8 Supercar teams including Paul Weel Racing, Glenn Seton Racing and Gibson Motor Sport.
Career results
| Season | Series | Position | Car | Team |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | World Rally Championship | 56th | Toyota Celica GT-Four | Neal Bates Motorsport |
| 1991 | Australian Rally Championship | 2nd | Toyota Celica GT-Four | Neal Bates Motorsport |
| 1992 | Australian Rally Championship | 4th | Toyota Celica GT-Four | Neal Bates Motorsport |
| 1993 | World Rally Championship | 45th | Toyota Celica GT-Four | Neal Bates Motorsport |
| 1993 | Australian Rally Championship | 1st | Toyota Celica GT-Four | Neal Bates Motorsport |
| 1994 | Australian Rally Championship | 1st | Toyota Celica GT-Four | Neal Bates Motorsport |
| 1995 | World Rally Championship | 27th | Toyota Celica GT-Four | Neal Bates Motorsport |
| 1995 | Australian Rally Championship | 1st | Toyota Celica GT-Four | Neal Bates Motorsport |
| 1996 | Australian Rally Championship | 2nd | Toyota Celica GT-Four | Neal Bates Motorsport |
| 1997 | World Rally Championship | 26th | Toyota Corolla WRC | Neal Bates Motorsport |
| 1997 | Australian Rally Championship | 3rd | Toyota Celica GT-Four | Neal Bates Motorsport |
| 1997 | Australian Super Touring Championship | 13th | Toyota Camry | Phoenix Motorsport |
| 1997 | Australian GT Production Car Championship | 13th | Porsche 993 RSCS | |
| 1998 | Australian Rally Championship | 2nd | Toyota Corolla WRC | Neal Bates Motorsport |
| 1999 | Australian Rally Championship | 2nd | Toyota Corolla WRC | Neal Bates Motorsport |
| 1999 | V8 Supercar Championship Series | 31st | Ford AU Falcon | Ford Tickford Racing |
| 2000 | Australian Rally Championship | 2nd | Toyota Corolla WRC | Neal Bates Motorsport |
| 2001 | Australian Rally Championship | 2nd | Toyota Corolla WRC | Neal Bates Motorsport |
| 2001 | Australian Nations Cup Championship | 13th | Porsche 996 GT3 | Tekno Autosports |
| 2002 | V8 Supercar Championship Series | 43rd | Ford AU Falcon | 00 Motorsport |
| 2003 | Australian Rally Championship | 8th | Toyota Corolla Sportivo Turbo | Neal Bates Motorsport |
| 2003 | V8 Supercar Championship Series | 65th | Ford AU Falcon | ICS Team Ford |
| 2004 | Australian Rally Championship | 6th | Toyota Corolla Sportivo Turbo | Neal Bates Motorsport |
| 2005 | Australian Rally Championship | 6th | Toyota Corolla Sportivo Turbo | Neal Bates Motorsport |
| 2006 | Australian Rally Championship | 2nd | Toyota Corolla Sportivo Turbo | Neal Bates Motorsport |
| 2007 | Australian Rally Championship | 2nd | Toyota Corolla S2000 | Neal Bates Motorsport |
| 2008 | Australian Rally Championship | 1st | Toyota Corolla S2000 | Neal Bates Motorsport |
| 2009 | Australian Rally Championship | 3rd | Toyota Corolla S2000 | Neal Bates Motorsport |
| 2012 | Australian Classic Rally Championship | 1st | Toyota Celica | Neal Bates Motorsport |
| Sporting positions | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Robb Herridge | Australian Rally Champion 1993, 1994 & 1995 | Succeeded by Possum Bourne |
| Preceded by Simon Evans | Australian Rally Champion 2008 | Succeeded by Simon Evans |