Le rally Rally Sweden is full of great stories, and that of Taylor Gill and Daniel Brkic is certainly one of them. The Australian duo finished fourth in the WRC2 Rally Sweden, their first time competing in the category. Gill and Brkic move up to Rally2 after a successful season in Rally3, which they finished third in the Junior category. WRCHowever, while the top speed is clearly there, financial resources are lacking for a crew that therefore has to struggle all the time to add races to its calendar.
This is the case in Croatia, where the two Oceanian drivers will take part in the fourth round of the Rally2 World Championship, with a Toyota They rented a GR Yaris Rally2 for the occasion. The budget for the rental, entry fee, and maintenance of the car for the entire weekend was secured, but only just. The two men therefore didn’t hesitate to arrange transport themselves, in order to minimize costs and arrive at the starting line in the best possible condition!
The solution was obvious: a camper van, a trailer, and a road trip of nearly 3,000 km starting in Finland, where the car was located. The duo crossed Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, the Czech Republic, Austria, and Slovenia, before arriving in Italy at the Delta Rally headquarters, which would be entering their Toyota. After a day of testing on Monday to get used to the car on asphalt, they headed to Croatia, this time by ferry, as the Balkan country faces Italy.
“It’s the cheapest solution, and that’s obviously the most important thing. Normally, we would pay someone to bring the car there and fly to the rally, but this is the most efficient solution: bringing the car ourselves.”, Gill said. “Dan and I are very invested in what we do, so it’s simply part of what needs to be done. If we want to remain competitive in the WRC and continue to participate in these events with the Rally2 car, these are the kinds of measures we have to take.”
It took Gill and Brkic five days to complete the entire road trip, and most importantly, to arrive safely with the car in impeccable condition. The two men took the opportunity to make a detour through M-Sport Poland, which produces the Ford Fiesta WRC3s used in Junior WRC. Seeing the bright side, the Australians were able to discover a part of Europe they knew very little about, except through rallies.
“It’s been quite an adventure. The organization took a lot of work, and it all started practically as soon as we got back from Sweden. The itinerary was set before we left Finland, and so far, everything has gone smoothly and without stress. It’s been great, and we’ve stopped to discover different things along the way. We spent a few hours at M-Sport Poland, which was really nice. It’s been a great trip and a fun way to experience the European countryside. We’re Australian, so we’re used to long car journeys.”
It remains to be seen what kind of performance Taylor Gill and Daniel Brkic can achieve this weekend on terrain they will be discovering in Rally2, but which they already know. They notably finished second in the 2014 Rally Croatia in the Junior WRC. That was the last time the WRC visited Zagreb before the rally reverted to the Rally2 format. ERC in 2025, and that the nerve centre moves to the seaside, near Rijeka.
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