The team recently completed the final stage of an extensive off-season development program with a two-day test in Queensland.
He said most of the development work over the summer had focused on improving the handling and lateral grip of the Corollas.
“The changes we’ve made are mostly about making the car more stable and easier to control. They should also improve reliability over the course of a rally,” he said.
Bates is confident the locally developed 2005 TTR Corollas are now capable of matching the pace of the Group N factory models in the Globalstar Australian Rally Championship.
“We said from the outset that TTR was on a three year plan. The first year was about development, the second was about podiums and the third is about winning the championship. With the improvements we’ve found over the off-season, I’m confident we’re on schedule,” he said.
TTR engineers are confident the Corolla will retain its reputation for reliability.
“Last year, Simon and I had only one mechanical DNF (did not finish) for the year between us, which is a pretty amazing achievement,” he said.
The team will also benefit from the addition of a hydraulic park brake actuator, which will make the Corollas more competitive on tighter stages.
“On some of the rallies last year, especially Queensland, we lost a heap of time to the opposition because we didn’t have a handbrake. At times we were having to do three point turns,” Bates said.
“Again it’s a feature that our competition has enjoyed for some time. These developments should level the playing field,” he said.
The team has also made cosmetic changes to the appearance of the Corolla, updating the nose to that adopted by the production Corollas as part of a mid-cycle upgrade last year.
Two new cars have been built for Bates and Simon Evans, while TTR’s development driver Ben Barker will drive the Corolla built for Evans late last year, which was only used in the last two rounds.
Barker’s 2004 Corolla is now a dedicated TTR test car.
Sydney driver Martin Lintott has bought Bates’ 2004 car and will contest the full ARC season as TTR’s first customer entry.
All three TTR Corollas will ride on Michelin tyres and continue to rely on Caltex lubricants.