Aussie Taylor Gill prepares for last FIA Rally Star test

Aussies Taylor Gill and Dan Brkic will tackle their final FIA Rally Star test in Germany this weekend before returning home to take part in the ARC finale in Canberra.

It’ll be a big change of scenery for the pair after living and working in the Baltic and racing across Europe over six testing rounds in San Marino, Austria, Slovenia, Estonia, Spain, and now Germany.

The duo have done pretty well for themselves in some testing environments, such as some tricky asphalt rally’s which were a first for the pair, coming away with FIA Rally Star wins at San Marino and Rally Saaremaa, and have engaged in some good battles with the talented Romet Jurgenson.

With four of the six drivers drivers getting a fully funded season in the Junior WRC paddock next year, Gill and Jurgenson are likely to continue their growing rivalry onto a bigger stage, as the WRC junior field compete on the World Rally Championship calendar at Sweden, Croatia, Sardinia, Finland and Greece.

Gill’s Ford Fiesta Rally3 getting set-up in the service park at der Lausitz-Rallye

On returning home, Gill and Brkic will swap their Ford Fiesta Rally3 for their ARC Production Cup championship winning car, which weighs in at 200 kg heavier than what he’s been racing.

The 20 year-old from NSW says that returning home makes him think of how lucky and unexpected his situation is.

“The thought of doing so many rallies so consistently puts a bit of a smile on my face. I feel extremely fortunate in my situation and grateful for the opportunity,” Gill said.

“If someone had told me at Canberra last year that the next time I’d be there, I would be living abroad and competing in European rallies regularly, I wouldn’t have believed them – I’m definitely pinching myself about the whole situation.

“I have learned so much in the five or six European rallies I have done this year – It’s felt so cool being part of a big professional team, with other drivers, bosses and people taking care of everything – all I have to do is turn up and focus on driving.

Gill and Brkic will jump back into the Subaru WRX on their return to the ARC

“I love being part of the Rally Star program as it’s very different to being a privateer entry, but I do sometimes miss being able to go to events with friends and family.

“It’s going to be nice to come back to my roots and drive in the Subaru. A nice change of pace, and we’re really excited to be able to compete in Canberra.”

But before Gill briefly resumes his ARC career, he’ll take on the Lausitz-Rallye north of Dresden with ten stages covering 139.3 km across changing wet and dry gravel conditions on Friday  for stage 1 and 2 (1530 – local time) and Saturday (Stages 3-8).

You can keep track of Gill’s progress during the Lausitz-Rallye via this link.

For more of the latest motorsport news, pick up the latest issue of AUTO ACTION or subscribe HERE

Latest podcast: When Ford wins, you win!

Have we finally reached parity in Supercars with two Ford wins on one weekend, or was it just the nature of the track? It’s a no-holds-barred discussion with Auto Action’s Andrew Clarke, Bruce Williams and Paul Gover. #Supercars #F1 #AutoAction

Listen to our latest podcast episode here or on your podcast app of choice.