Motorsport News Podcast

Australian motorsport legend Peter Brock not only had an incredible career in circuit racing, but he was also adept on gravel. He won the Round Australia trial in 1979, but also had some entries in the Australian Rally Championship and was a regular in some classic events. Peter Whitten recalls some of his memories from Brock’s rally career, which was mostly behind the wheel of a Holden; what else? We also discuss Rally Chile and welcome Taylor Gill to briefly discuss his goals for his third WRC rally in a row. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Surprisingly, the Australian Rally Championship's 2027 opening round, Rally Queensland, has been scheduled on the same weekend as the world-famous Otago Rally in New Zealand. It has generated significant debate on social media, and we now debate it ourselves. Was it a bad move? What are some of the external factors? Where will we place our attention on that busy weekend? Remarkably, the Flinders to Fleurieu Rally postponement was quickly superseded, but we talk about the reasons for that, and also speak of the huge WRC successes of Hayden Paddon, John Kennard, Taylor Gill and Daniel Brkic in Paraguay. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Join the Special Stage Rally Podcast team as they break down the happenings in rallying! In this episode, they pay tribute to the late Alex Fiorio, reflecting on his legacy and impact on the sport.  They dissect an incredible weekend at Rally Tasmania that blew the Australian Rally Championship title fight wide open. Plus, we look at Taylor Gill’s South American double header, and there are differing opinions on Hyundai’s third-driver WRC strategy and where Hayden Paddon should fit into the puzzle. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this week’s edition of Special Stage, we dive deep into the world of Rally Finland, featuring conversations with Australians Taylor Gill and Daniel Brkic. From their pre-event tests to the challenges faced during the rally, we talked with them all through rally week and understand the ins and outs of what it takes to do a round of the World Rally Championship. Learn about their processes, their struggles and the atmosphere around arguably the biggest rally in the world. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Who are some of the drivers who were unlucky in their careers? Who perhaps could have made it but didn't? It's a pub conversation we bring to the Special Stage Rally Podcast this week, with some common names and a few from left field. Reminisce with us as we turn back the clock. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Brent ‘Boomer’ Harvey is accustomed to performing under the pressure of 100,000 screaming fans at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. However, the contrast between that and a closed forest road, while strapped inside a rally car, presents a completely different challenge. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this masterclass episode of Special Stage, we look at driver development and hear from Brendan Reeves, who’s helped many drivers get to the next level. Geared toward drivers who already have a few events under their belt but want to safely push the limits, this episode covers the habits required to get further up the leaderboard. We dive deep into the psychological and technical fundamentals of the sport and break down the basics of tyre pressures, cornering, braking, car balance and plenty more. It’s one not to miss. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this packed episode of Special Stage, we gear up for a massive weekend of action as we preview the upcoming Narooma Forest Rally and the iconic Acropolis Rally. We look at the Experts Cup Rally in WA and speak about some popular roads returning in Tasmania. Plus, make sure you stay tuned until the very end of the episode for an exclusive news tease that’s earmarked as potentially the biggest news story of 2026. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode of Special Stage, we take a trip down memory lane to look back at the controversial 2009 edition of Rally Australia in Kingscliff and reflect on the history of Greg Carr’s iconic Lancia. We wrap up all the action from the Bega Valley Rally, alongside a review of the weekend's Jimna Rallysprint in Queensland. Looking ahead, we also preview the 50th Anniversary Nissan Nightmoves event and cast our eyes to Europe as Australian star Taylor Gill prepares to drive a new Rally2 machine. Special Stage is produced for the Motorsport Podcast Network by RallySport Magazine >> https://rallysportmag.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this episode, host Luke Whitten is joined by Tim Wilkins and Ray Winwood-Smith for a long-overdue chat about their amazing adventure at the Classic Safari Rally. Taking place in Kenya at the end of last year, the gruelling endurance event is the stuff of rallying legend, and these are the first Aussies to do it in a long time. Tim and Ray give their account of what it actually takes to tackle one of the toughest historic rallies on the planet, and it’s a fantastic conversation packed with awesome stories. Special Stage is produced for the Motorsport Podcast Network by RallySport Magazine >> https://rallysportmag.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Western Australia’s Forest Rally was won by Scott Pedder, but many competitors will be rueing costly mistakes from a chaotic weekend. Luke and Matt Whitten give their thoughts on the rally weekend and ask many questions that arose from the action. Why were there so many crashes? Is it best to drive on a puncture? Who is the championship favourite? All are discussed in detail on Special Stage. Special Stage is produced for the Motorsport Podcast Network by RallySport Magazine >> https://rallysportmag.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On Special Stage this week, we welcome Hayden Paddon to the podcast to break down his World Rally Championship season so far. We dive into his 2026 campaign, getting a firsthand understanding at how his year has unfolded and what he’s been up to behind the wheel both on and off the events. With the Australian Rally Championship heading to Western Australia this weekend, we also briefly touch on the Forest Rally. Having taken the outright win there last year, Hayden shares his thoughts on the famously tricky ball-bearing gravel and what the ARC crews can expect. Special Stage is produced for the Motorsport Podcast Network by RallySport Magazine >> https://rallysportmag.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Australian champion, Harry Bates, drove at one of the most famous rallies of all at the weekend and Luke Whitten spoke with him about the experience. Bates is asked about the early discussions that brought this event together, how the preparation was, and just how he found competing at Rally de Portugal. We also speak about the roads themselves in detail. Yes, they’re ’technical’, but what does that actually mean, and is there any comparison to Australia? Special Stage is produced for the Motorsport Podcast Network by RallySport Magazine >> https://rallysportmag.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On Special Stage this week, we're joined by Australian rally star Taylor Gill to break down his season so far. We dive into his recent performances in Sweden and Croatia, and get all the details on his newly announced Italian drive, where he'll be behind the wheel of a Citroën. With the WRC action continuing this weekend at Rally de Portugal, we also discuss the highly anticipated return of fellow Australian Harry Bates to the WRC2 category. Taylor shares his firsthand insights and expectations on how Harry will handle the tough Portuguese gravel. To wrap things up, we shift our focus to the top tier of the World Rally Championship, laying out our predictions for who will conquer the iconic stages of Portugal this weekend. Special Stage is produced for the Motorsport Podcast Network by RallySport Magazine >> https://rallysportmag.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this episode, the RallySport Magazine team give a firsthand account of the action at Rally Heartland – one of the toughest events in the country. Glenn Brinkman took the outright win in an iconic Ford Escort RS Cosworth, while Toby Price secured the state championship victory. It was a gruelling event that rewarded patience and reliability over flat-out speed that we see so often in today’s rallying. We discuss the dusty conditions and some truly ‘Safari-like’ sections of the rally, which made for some absolutely spectacular images. To wrap things up, we briefly chat about the World Rally Championship for a discussion on the Canary Islands WRC round where Toyota were dominant. Special Stage is produced for the Motorsport Podcast Network by RallySport Magazine >> https://rallysportmag.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After a week away, Special Stage is back and it covers a vast array of events and topics. The RallySport Magazine team unpack the Rally Queensland street stage, the Otago Rally and the upcoming WRC round on the Canary Islands. In addition, we talk about a recent S1 Rallysprint – an event type for the budget-conscious that is growing around the country. Special Stage is produced for the Motorsport Podcast Network by RallySport Magazine >> https://rallysportmag.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Kris Meeke and Mads Ostberg are joined by Pasi Hagstrom, Toby Price, Alex Rullo and the New Zealand Rally Championship stars at this weekend’s 50th Anniversary Otago Rally. We take a look at the detailed book that’s been released and give an insight into RallySport Magazine’s VIP tour, which begins on Thursday evening. Then we review Wednesday’s testing action and give our thoughts on what we might see when stage times start rolling in on Saturday morning. Rally Queensland’s entry list, along with Croatia Rally starts for Hayden Paddon and Taylor Gill, are also discussed on this bumper edition of Special Stage. Special Stage is produced for the Motorsport Podcast Network by RallySport Magazine >> https://rallysportmag.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For years, a distinct middle ground has been missing from the New Zealand rally market. The newly announced GR Yaris Rally Cup NZ aims to fill that void, offering a one-make platform to bridge the gap between grassroots club cars and outright Rally2 and AP4 machinery. On this episode of the Special Stage Rally Podcast, we sit down with Tony McConachy and Paul Fallon from Rally Race Group (R2G) to get the inside story on the new series’ creation. McConachy and Fallon explain the significant international interest the category is already attracting from competitors in Australia, Indonesia, and the United Kingdom. Special Stage is produced for the Motorsport Podcast Network by RallySport Magazine >> https://rallysportmag.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Continuing our co-driver theme on Special Stage, Luke Whitten catches up with Dan Brkic to talk about his WRC2 debut at Rally Sweden. Brkic breaks down the step up to Rally2 machinery, explaining how the co-driver's to-do list grows significantly in a much faster car. The episode offers a detailed look into the reality of a privateer WRC2 campaign, and is a fascinating discussion with one of Australia’s top co-drivers about doing it the hard way and the work required to progress toward the peak of the sport. Special Stage is produced for the Motorsport Podcast Network by RallySport Magazine >> https://rallysportmag.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this episode of Special Stage, Luke Whitten sits down with Australian co-driver Rhianon Gelsomino, who returns to the podcast after three years to discuss her recent co-driving adventures in the United States. We look at the current rally landscape in the US, specifically examining the more budget conscious limited 4WD class and what it takes to win there. As always with Gelsomino, listeners are treated to several valuable co-driving insights. It is an honest conversation about life in the sport and the unique challenges that come with competing at the top level in a growing rally nation like the United States. Special Stage is produced for the Motorsport Podcast Network by RallySport Magazine >> https://rallysportmag.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices