The ARC’s Guide to the 2026 ARC Plant Hire Forest Rally

The 2026 EROAD Australian Rally Championship (ARC) heads west this weekend for the second round of the season, with the popular ARC Plant Hire Forest Rally to take over the pictueresque forests of Western Australia for another thrilling edition.

Taking place across 22-24 May in Busselton and Nannup, the ever-popular  event will see Australia’s best crews tackle the iconic ball-bearing forestry roads and technical stages of the Forest Rally as the battle for the top rally prize in Australian continues following an exciting season opener in Queensland last month.

More than 30 crews are entered for the highly anticipated event in what is quickly shaping as one of the strongest ARC entry lists in recent years, with 13 top-spec cars featuring Toyota, Skoda, Hyundai and Ford machinery all represented.

Leading the charge once again is Toyota Gazoo Racing Australia pairing Harry Bates and Coral Taylor, who arrive in Western Australia fresh off victory at the Accent Benchtops Rally Queensland and following Bates’ recent Rally Portugal debut. The pair will again be joined by Lewis Bates and Anthony McLoughlin in the team’s second Toyota GR Yaris Rally2.

Pedders Rally Team Protected by Famous Insurance returns with its two Skoda Fabia Rally2 entries for Scott Pedder/Glenn Macneall and Jackson Long/Damien Long, while Swedish internationals Tom Kristensson and Andreas Johansson make their ARC return for the first time since this event in 2025 aboard another Skoda Fabia R5 as they look to build on their podium from last year.

Western Australian stars Alex Rullo and Peter Rullo also return to ARC competition for the first time this season in their IntelliSpatial Fleetcare Hyundai i20 N Rally2 cars, while ARC Plant Hire’s Eamonn McNabb and Shane Farrell will fly the flag for Ford in their Fiesta Rally2.

The talent runs deep on this year’s entry list with WOLF Sport Cup field is equally competitive as the outright competition, with local young gun Thomas Loughton leading a strong contingent of West Australian crews looking to build on a solid performance last year, including Keith Hamilton and Frank O’Shea.

Toby Price and Ben Searcy headline the Subaru WRX Challenge, as the former returns to the event where he won his class on debut.

View the full entry list.

KEY DETAILS

Serving as the second round of the 2026 ARC season, the ARC Plant Hire Forest Rally will officially begin on Friday night with the Rally Show and the Ceremonial Start before crews tackle two days of competition across Saturday and Sunday.

ARC crews will cover approximately 495 kilometres across the weekend, including nearly 190 competitive kilometres over 12 special stages.

Saturday’s itinerary features six stages of 100km of competitive action, while Sunday’s remaining six stages will make up approximately 90km.

Galvaniize Insurance Rally Central will once again serve as the central hub of the rally, with fans able to see crews and teams working on the cars throughout the weekend at the Nannup Recreation and Community Centre.

Saturday’s action begins with the first loop at 8:45am AWST, before crews return for afternoon runs through the same stages from 1:15pm AWST onwards. Sunday’s stages begin from 9:05am AWST, with the rally to conclude following the podium ceremony at 3:15pm AWST in Nannup.

STAYING IN THE LOOP

Fans will once again be able to follow all the action from the ARC Plant Hire Forest Rally across a range of broadcast and digital platforms throughout the weekend.

Friday’s Shakedown will be streamed live from 11:55am AWST, while Saturday’s Ellis South 1 stage (SS2) and Sunday’s Lewana 1 stage (SS8) also broadcast live.

FOX SPORTS and Kayo Sports coverage will feature Ferndale 2 (SS6) on Saturday afternoon and Lewana 2 (SS10) on Sunday afternoon.

Fans can also stay up to date with live results via the Subaru Results Hub, while rally.com.au and the ARC’s social media channels will provide interviews, highlights and updates across the weekend.

SPECTATORS

The ARC Plant Hire Forest Rally remains one of the best spectator events on the ARC calendar, with a number of free accessible viewing locations available across both days of competition.

Saturday’s spectator opportunities include viewing points at Uranium Road, Spur Road and Ewarts Road, while Sunday’s action can be viewed from Dorant Road/Cundinup-Kirup Road, Radiata Road and Gorge Road.

Fans will also be able to enjoy the Friday night Rally Show and visit the Galvaniize Insurance Rally Central throughout the weekend, with the Nannup Service Park offering plenty of opportunities to get close to the cars and crews between stages.

With a stacked entry list, strong manufacturer representation and fast forest roads set to test crews across the weekend, the 2026 ARC Plant Hire Forest Rally is shaping up to be another spectacular chapter in this year’s Australian Rally Championship.

All tickets are free for fans to claim and can be registered for here.

Click here to view the Spectator Guide.