Gill dreaming big ahead of World Championship finale

On his first season in the world’s premier rally series, 20-year-old Gill took his maiden WRC victory last time to in Finland – regarded as the ‘Finnish Grand Prix’.

Driving an M-Sport prepared Ford Fiesta Rally3, Gill and his co-driver, Dan Brkic, have performed superbly over the first four rounds of the JWRC, and a second win this weekend in Greece would see them potentially become Australia’s first ever World Rally Champions.

They sit second in the highly-contested junior series, just 12 points behind their rival and team-mate, Romet Jurgenson from Estonia. With double points on offer in Greece, it’s all to play for on this ‘all or nothing’ event.

Of the four rallies so far this year – in Sweden, Croatia, Italy and Finland – four different drivers have tasted victory, and 10 drivers are still a mathematical chance to win the title.

It’s a fact not lost on the Newcastle driver, who’s gearing up for what promises to be the toughest event of the season.

“There’s no doubt that we have everything to play for in Greece this weekend,” Gill said.

“Yes, we have a chance to win the championship, but first and foremost our goal is to get through the rally as cleanly as possible and without any errors.”

Greece’s Acropolis Rally is the roughest of the season and could well be the hottest too. Temperatures in the low 30s are predicted over the three days of the rally, putting even greater strains on cars and crews.

“Of course we were thrilled with our win in Finland, but the celebrations from last month are well and truly behind us now,” Gill added.

“Greece will be a whole new challenge, and one that Dan and I have prepared as well as possible for.

“We know the roads will be rough, the weather will be hot and the conditions will be unrelenting, so playing the long game will be a key this weekend.”

Having the Greek classic as the final round of the championship puts a real fly in the ointment of the leading crews, who have shown their class and speed throughout the four hard-fought rounds so far.

With three tough days ahead and double points on offer, a simple mistake or an unexpected mechanical failure could ruin your hopes, and this is not lost on Gill.

“Being the fastest won’t necessarily ensure victory.

“We had some puncture issues on the super smooth roads in Finland, so who knows what we can expect in Greece. This rally will be a case of driving smoothly and conservatively, while trying to keep the speed and momentum up as much as we can.”

Gill and Brkic will started 47th of the 72 cars in the Acropolis Rally field, but more importantly, they’ll be the second JWRC crew on the road, right behind their main rival Jurgenson.

Regardless of this weekend’s result, Taylor Gill has put his name on the world rallying map in 2024 and his future looks bright.

Victory, or even a podium finish, in Greece would simply be the icing on the cake.