Belinda Riseley [00:00:02]:
Hello Taylor and welcome to the most coaching podcast.
Taylor Gill [00:00:05]:
Hello. Thanks for having me on.
Belinda Riseley [00:00:07]:
I'm very excited because I've never had a Junior World Rally champion before. So can you tell us a little bit about you and your career to date?
Taylor Gill [00:00:18]:
Yeah. My name is Taylor Gill, I'm 21 years old from the east coast of Australia and I'm currently living in Finland and have been competing in Europe since 2023 with the support of the FIA Rally Star program. So yeah, this year I'm competing in the Junior World Rally Championship and we won the first round in Sweden so it's all kicked off quite well.
Belinda Riseley [00:00:39]:
Fantastic. But let's go a few steps back. How did you even get started in rallying?
Taylor Gill [00:00:45]:
Yeah, basically my dad was into sort of motorsport and particularly rallying when I was a kid or even before I was born. He was competing both as a co driver and as a driver in you know, small, small level state rallies in New South Wales and that sort of thing. And he also lived in New Zealand when he was a teenager and was sort of linked around possum born when that in that sort of era, let's say. So yeah, that was how he sort of got into it and then it kind of rolled onto me. You know, I remember my, my seventh birthday. My presence consisted of a helmet and a race suit and boots and gloves and a neck brace and a brand new shiny go kart and it all kind of took off from there. So yeah, that was sort of how I got into motorsport in general and race go karts until I was 12 years old. And then basically when I was 12, that was when I started to do small events with, with cars because that's basically the minimum age to start doing, you know, motorcarners, carnocrosses, that sort of thing.
Taylor Gill [00:01:37]:
So yeah, then it's all kind of snowballed from there with motorcarners, karna crosses and then when I was 14 started doing autocrosses and rally sprints and then when I was 16 started started rallying.
Belinda Riseley [00:01:48]:
Fantastic. And for those who don't know a lot about the sport of rally, can you tell us a little bit about it? I think sometimes people only think about the crashes and it's crazy, it's in the woods, but there's a lot more to it. So can you tell us about it?
Taylor Gill [00:02:05]:
Yeah, it's a simple sport in essence. You know, the idea is to get from A to B as fast as possible, but it's very, very complex behind that. You know, a rally, a world championship rally for example is normally Three days long, sometimes four days long. But the rally week starts normally on the, for us, normally it's on the Monday before the, the weekend we'll have like a pre event test. The Tuesday and the Wednesday is spent driving around all the stages, all the roads that will compete on in the rally, making the pace notes. So we do a two pass reconnaissance over the two days where basically we'll drive through in a normal road car, speed limited to 60 or 80 kilometers an hour, and make the pace notes. So on the first pass I'll basically describe the road to my co driver Dan. As I see it, he writes it all down.
Taylor Gill [00:02:49]:
On the second pass he'll read it back to me and we'll make some corrections and adjustments and that sort of thing and we record the whole thing as well. So then we can go back and re watch all the stages on the, on the video and check the notes and everything. And then yeah, basically the rally starts. You have a centralized service path where we all, you know, leave from and where we come back to in the middle of the day normally. And yeah, basically we drive out and we might do a loop of three stages for example, and then come back to the service park and have a 30 minute service and then do another three stages or the same three stages again sort of thing. But one of the coolest things that I guess people don't understand so much about rallying because you only see the videos of the flat out the crashes on stage action, is that the cars are all registered, we have number plates, we have indicators, everything you need to drive on the road. Because in rallying we have to drive using the public roads to get from stage to stage. So it's one of the really cool elements of the sport.
Taylor Gill [00:03:42]:
And it's also what makes the days really long because when we're in Greece, for example, we might have to drive up to 150km just to get from one stage to the next. So it's long days and there's a lot of elements that have to roll together to have a successful rally. So it's pretty satisfying when it does come together.
Belinda Riseley [00:03:59]:
And so who's the boss, the driver or the co driver?
Taylor Gill [00:04:03]:
I guess it depends on the situation. But the, the key thing is that the driver and co driver have to work in really like perfect unison when we're in the stage. But also in the recce and in the lead up to the event, you know, we have different roles I suppose in the lead up to a rally. The co driver, you know, for me, my co Driver Dan is doing all the work, you know, with the maps and preparing and so he knows where we have to go and what's the most efficient way to get around and all that sort of things. For me, the lead up and preparation for an event is more focused on, on the stages that we're going to have to drive in anger and trying to, you know, put some of those stages into, into the memory of my brain a little bit and try and understand the roads, understand, you know, some of the challenges we could face. And also doing our research on the previous editions of the rally of, you know, where are common places where people have had accidents or been caught out or there's a rough section and that sort of thing. And then yeah, when you get on the rally it's really important to have, you know, a strong working relationship. I suppose it's almost gets compared to a marriage sometimes.
Belinda Riseley [00:05:05]:
Well, yeah, that's what I was gonna ask. Like how do you foster relationship or how do you even find a co driver? Like do you just get stuck together? Is it a matter of like a trial and error, hire and fire? How do you find the right co driver that speaks the same language? Like obviously different personality types, different communication styles? Obviously communication is key. Do you do training together? Like do you do a key strength, find it for you?
Taylor Gill [00:05:34]:
Yeah.
Belinda Riseley [00:05:34]:
Or suggest like a referrals. Tell me about that. I'm so excited.
Taylor Gill [00:05:38]:
Yeah, yeah, it's a bit of a, it can be a bit of a trial and error thing, you know, like, like I said, you really have to gel with the person. Dan lives here with me in, in Finland. We both live in the same apartment, so that makes it quite easy to work together because not only are we working together in the rally car, we're also working together day to day living together and everything like that, which kind of fast tracks our ability to work well together. But I've also had previous co drivers before Dan, when I was rallying in Australia. And everyone has their strengths and weaknesses, but ultimately as a driver you need to have full confidence in the co driver and as soon as you start to lack that, then the speed just disappears, basically. So of course there's an element of you have to be able to get along, but I wouldn't say you have to be best friends with your co driver. You have to be able to get along, work well together and if you get along, if you get along really well, then it's a bonus, let's say.
Belinda Riseley [00:06:31]:
All right, so now you said that you're roommates, right? And so we know there's always like, roommate issues, like when the toilet paper runs out or if there's not enough milk and. Or the toilet seat thing. How do you guys rectify all those issues, obviously, being teammates as well?
Taylor Gill [00:06:51]:
Yeah, I mean, you've just got to communicate and be honest with each other. Like, ultimately, when we're in the rally car, we have full trust in each other. We have to have full trust in each other. So, you know, if we can't trust each other at home, around the house, and how are we ever going to trust each other in the heat of the moment in the rally car when the pressure's on? So, you know, there's not a lot to it. Sometimes you just got to have the hard conversations and, you know, get things done.
Belinda Riseley [00:07:13]:
Wow. Conversations. How do you have those, Taylor? How do you do? Yeah, how do you address it? Like, obviously, if one of you make a mistake and it could be like, as you can see, like, quite timely and quite critical, you know, even life defying in rallying. So. Yeah, how do you guys address all of that? And have you ever really.
Taylor Gill [00:07:41]:
Nah, not. Not really. Fortunately, you know, there's always small things and, you know, even when, for example, we won the rally in Sweden, but we still spent, you know, an hour debriefing, picking up little things that we could have done better, we should have done better. Maybe we could do this differently. This worked, this didn't work. There's always stuff to take away. You know, fortunately, I mean, I can't remember any times where anything's gone majorly wrong. But you always have, you know, little, little things here and there that pop up.
Taylor Gill [00:08:07]:
And it's also an, you know, having an understanding of it is a high pressure environment. And it's so unbelievably rare that everything goes perfect. You know, you never come out of a rally weekend and think, that's it. We couldn't have done anything better. There's always. There's always something that comes up and, you know, you just got to be able to, I guess, document that and work it into the routine moving forward.
Belinda Riseley [00:08:30]:
So this is your life? Pretty much.
Taylor Gill [00:08:32]:
Pretty much, yeah. There's not much else that goes on.
Belinda Riseley [00:08:37]:
All right, well, you did mention, Taylor, you're part of the FI Rally Star program. So can you tell us a little bit about that and how get involved in it and then like, what the kind of steps or opportunity it opens up for you?
Taylor Gill [00:08:49]:
Yeah, basically, the Rally Star program is like a once in a lifetime opportunity, sort of. The idea came for the program in like early back half of 2019, early 2020. And then the program was obviously sort of halted because of COVID and basically it was like, it's like a talent detection program that ran worldwide. So they ran basically a final in every, every continent. And I was fortunate enough to win the Asia Pacific final. So I was sent there as a, basically as a wild card by Motorsport Australia. There is a few different ways you could qualify. You know, they did sim challenges.
Taylor Gill [00:09:24]:
There was also some like slalom challenges and that sort of thing. Yeah, I was fortunate enough to go as a wild card. I had to go to India to do a three day final basically. And it was like three days of just people critiquing and writing down and documenting every move you made. Basically we did, yeah, obviously we were driving, we were driving crosscuts, a little single set of buggies which were really difficult to drive. But I think that's kind of the idea because, you know, if you can adapt to one of those, then. Exactly, yeah. So, you know, that was, that was a big part of it.
Taylor Gill [00:10:01]:
We also did like some fitness testing. We had to do a beep test. They tested our reactions, we had to sit down, interview style thing, I suppose. And yeah, then they basically at the end of that picked, picked one driver and fortunately that was me. So it was quite an intense three days and it's probably the most pressure I've ever felt in my sort of driving career, I suppose. Oh no.
Belinda Riseley [00:10:38]:
Are you there? Hello?
Taylor Gill [00:10:48]:
Make a mistake and there's like five or six.
Belinda Riseley [00:10:52]:
It keeps cutting in and out.
Taylor Gill [00:10:59]:
Yeah, can you hear me?
Belinda Riseley [00:11:00]:
Yeah, sorry, seconds. Yeah.
Taylor Gill [00:11:08]:
Where do you want me to pick up?
Belinda Riseley [00:11:14]:
I think we're carrying all of that, but we'll do. I'll just move on to the next question if maybe I'll just cut that bit. So Taylor, like you're talking 21 and you're living in Finland by yourself or did your parents go with you? Is this your first international trip, living by yourself? They even speak English there. I don't know.
Taylor Gill [00:11:35]:
Yeah, fortunately the English level in Finland is quite good, so that's been really helpful. But yeah, basically it was just, you know, Dan and I moved over in March 2023 and so I was only 20 at the time, I suppose 19 even. And yeah, basically just packed my life into two suitcases and come over here. Fortunately, we had some really good connections in Finland that helped us organise things. Like we had an apartment basically organized before even arriving. So we were able to sleep in the same place since day one. And that made things Quite a lot easier. But for me, I mean people have asked quite a lot about do I get homesick and miss home and of course I miss home and I miss the people and you miss your family and friends and that sort of thing.
Taylor Gill [00:12:19]:
But you know, at the same time I was so wide eyed by the adventure to come, you know and like you've sort of touched on. I've basically living my dream, still am. So that is kind of what gives me the excitement and the motivation to keep going because of course you have days where it's a bit boring and all you want to do is, you know, be with your friends and be with your family and that sort of thing and you know, you get the FOMO kicking in. But it always comes back to the fact that I'm you know, living 14 year old Taylor's absolute dream. So it's pretty cool like that.
Belinda Riseley [00:12:50]:
And is this your full time job? Like do you classify yourself to be a professional motorsport athlete or are you working part time or what are you doing over there during. I mean you mentioned Monday, Tuesday, but you're not racing every single weekend.
Taylor Gill [00:13:04]:
Yeah, yeah, I wish I was racing every single weekend but it's quite a unique sort of a scenario because you know the Junior World Championship is only five rallies so it's only basically five weeks of the year. We're trying to organized to do some other stuff around that and there's always a few little bits and pieces that come up. But yeah, around that. Basically I'm working as a mechanic for a rally team just in the same village that I live in here. So that's all kind of tied in with the connections and guys who have helped set us up in Finland and they have a couple of rally cars also a Fiesta Rally 3 which is the same model of car that I race. So that's quite handy for me to be able to get my hands dirty on that. And it's a nice thing as well because in Australia I was an apprentice mechanic and I basically quit that to move overseas. But you nice to still get my.
Taylor Gill [00:13:49]:
Get my hands dirty.
Belinda Riseley [00:13:50]:
Yeah, of course. And it's such a great skill to have as most athletes, no matter how your vehicle actually performs. So Taylor, what has been the biggest challenge of competing in the Junior World Racing Rally Championship?
Taylor Gill [00:14:07]:
Probably just the step up in the level of competition, you know, and how meticulous you have to be to get all the pieces of the puzzle in place to bring a good result out, I suppose. You know, when I was competing in Australia of course I was still learning. And you know, it's no real secret that the level, not only in Australia, but in a lot of national championships around the world, the level of competition is nowhere near as high as in the World Championship. You know, it's almost easy for me to forget that in the Junior World Championship it's the fastest junior drivers in the world, you know, so it's a big, it's a big step up I suppose. And you know, this is my second year competing in the championship and last year I really found that I had to, you know, up the level and up the commitment and you have to take more risks and you have to put the work in behind the scenes to, you know, bring out the good results because otherwise it doesn't just happen for you, you know. So that's probably the biggest, you know, single, single thing that's stood out, I suppose.
Belinda Riseley [00:15:01]:
Yeah. What would you say would have been the most like memorable rally or stage so far? Any wild story?
Taylor Gill [00:15:08]:
Oh, there's always, there's always something that comes up. I mean some of the stages we did in the Acropolis Rally in Greece last year were just unbelievable. So rough, so rocky. I mean you would consider it a four wheel drive track in, in Australia. It's incredible. You know, the roads that we drive, drive on in some of these rallies and also the long days, you know, I drove the car 140km on the freeway doing you know, 120, 130k's an hour in the flogging down rain with a broken rear control arm and the wheels tucking in and out and you know, the car handling all over the place. It's 1am, it's raining, I'm tired, I've fallen asleep. It's like that sort of thing is quite, quite crazy.
Taylor Gill [00:15:45]:
But also, you know, we did Rally Finland last year and that was our first win in the junior wrc. So that was a huge moment and there was quite a few Aussies there to, you know, to celebrate with us. And it was very emotional at the finish line. It was such a hard fought rally. You know, we kept, kept having things come up, it kept getting knocked back down, we had flat tires, we had the radiator blocked with mud at one point and the car went into limp mode and just so much sort of happened and we, in the end we won the rally by only 2, just over 2 seconds after 300ks of racing. So like it's, you know, it's such a cool sport. There's so much that happens, there's so many adventures and also Just the difference in the rallies. You know, I've just come off Rally Sweden, which is on snow.
Taylor Gill [00:16:27]:
Our next one is in Portugal. It's rough, twisty gravel. We go to Greece, which is super rough gravel. Finland, also gravel, but crazy fast, high speed, hard packed. And then the last round of the year is on tarmac. So you really have to be quite adaptable to all the different services and conditions.
Belinda Riseley [00:16:44]:
Yeah, so you just mentioned that training, like competing at different terrains. What does your physical training look like and your mental preparation going into each of the events, especially only during five races per year. So I'll just take one step back, but like. Yeah, so what's your physical training line? To go racing into the snow, obviously to multiple, like dry condition?
Taylor Gill [00:17:09]:
Yeah, I guess it does vary a little bit depending on, on the rally, but generally speaking, I'm sort of exercising five to six times a week and you know, doing. I, I really enjoy running. So especially when I'm in Australia, I do a lot of running. Five again, five or six times a week, you know, running and, and also going to the gym and that sort of thing as well. I guess probably an advantage of coming from Australia is that I don't really struggle so much with the heat and the hot rallies and that sort of thing. I don't feel, feel like I have to work extra hard or do heat training before a hot rally because I'm quite accustomed to that already and I've done the hottest rallies I've done, have probably still been in Australia. So from that sort of thing, it makes it a little bit easier compared to. I know some other guys who, you know, get in the sauna and sweat it out and have to train like that before a hot rally to, to get used to it.
Taylor Gill [00:17:54]:
And yeah, on the mental side, I, I work with a sports psychologist and have done for 12 months now and it's been a really big help for me because, you know, as people know, like, motorsport is so much in your own head and especially rallying when there's so much going on, there's so many thoughts and emotions that can swirl around your head, especially in the lead up to an event, when you only do five rallies in the year. You know, my next rally is not for two months now and I'm basically gonna have two months thinking about it every day, you know, so a lot can, a lot can build up in your, in your own mind. And it's good to have, you know, techniques to be able to kind of get rid of that and make sure you don't take extra, extra baggage in the car with you.
Belinda Riseley [00:18:33]:
So obviously I can see you and I know you're like that, you're quite petite, like, you're not a muscular, like, you're like a motorsport athlete. So how do you go in the snow? Looky. Are you. I'm looking so cold.
Taylor Gill [00:18:45]:
Yeah, it is cold, to be fair. It's a weird sort of a sensation actually, because in the car we have to run like the heaters, the blowers, the windscreen, the misters and that sort of thing to stop the windows fogging up. But that means it can get quite warm in the car still. So from that side, it's no real different. When you're actually doing the driving and competing, you're still sweating and it's, you know, okay, it's not as hot as racing in 40 degrees in the, in the Greek mountains, but it's, it's warm enough in the car. And then you just have to be mindful, you know, one sort of thing or technique I suppose that I've used in, in Sweden is as soon as I get out of the car after a stage, you normally stop, you take your helmet off, you check the tyre pressures and everything before you have to drive maybe 30 or 40 kilometers to the next stage. And I would get out of the car and put my jacket on straight away, even though I'm sweating and hot. You put the big jacket on because you know that five minutes down the road when it, when you stop sweating, you cool down and the wind chill starts to come in through the roof vent, you know, it's going to get, it's going to get cold.
Taylor Gill [00:19:44]:
So it's not an easy event from, from that side. There's also little things like it's cold, so you forget that you, how much water you need to drink and that sort of thing because you're not really thirsty. So it can be really easy to get dehydrated at a rally like that. There's a few small things, you know, so long as you're aware of it and on, you know, on the ball, then it's, it's not so bad. But when you go to a rally like that for your first time, then it's quite an experience.
Belinda Riseley [00:20:06]:
Now, Taylor, I'm going to ask an awkward question, but I feel like the question needs to be asked, the toilet question, like when you gotta go, do you go? Or like, what's the protocol? Or do you have something special in the car? Because after six hours and 12 hours.
Taylor Gill [00:20:22]:
So it's been, yeah, I guess I mean, fortunately, if you have to go in a stage, then it's. That's quite a big problem. But normally before and after, every stage is just a quick way on the side of the road.
Belinda Riseley [00:20:32]:
I mean, you're not a female. So for me here, I'm like a pregnant. Like, not a pregnant, but like, you know, had babies in my pellet.
Taylor Gill [00:20:40]:
Yeah. Fortunately, it's not too much of an issue. But I mean, without going into too much detail, it has caught me before where I've been a bit sick between. Between two stages and had to knock on someone's front door once. So that was a bit of an awkward, awkward scenario. Yeah. But fortunately it doesn't happen too often.
Belinda Riseley [00:20:58]:
No, but I feel like we don't talk about that stuff because it's to prove, even with like, anything like, any event, like, sometimes, like the anxiety of, like, you know, being a, a main final or like, you know, the, the last race of the championship, you get that anxiety and then they're racing. It's like, do you go, well, like, what do you do? And I feel like a taboo thing that we don't talk about. Anyway, we'll move forward from that. Like, we know motorsport is expensive. How have you approached securing sponsorship and building relationships with partners being in Finland? And then we're going to talk about how, like, you've built up, like, what does sponsorship look like?
Taylor Gill [00:21:42]:
Yeah, yeah, it's always, you know, it's a tricky thing or it's not a. Not an easy thing to, to build up. You know, I mean, firstly, I'm quite fortunate with the, The Rally Star program, basically are paying and investing for me to be here and do this championship. That gives me the, the platform, I suppose, and the opportunity to, to compete overseas in general. And then, yeah, I have lots of, or a few, quite a few loyal Australian companies that have come on board and been, you know, good personal supporters. And without that support, I mean, it's basically impossible to try and do any extra driving or extra testing and that sort of thing. And. And also I've had some Finnish people, Finnish friends and companies that have been supporting me a little bit last year.
Taylor Gill [00:22:21]:
And also we're sort of piecing together some of those deals for this year as well to help us get a few more ideas across the line for this year. So, you know, for me, I mean, the biggest probably lesson I've learned is you just never burn your bridges and you never know, you know, you never know who's out there watching. And I mean, no one likes to, you know, Pick up the phone and ring and ask for money and ask for sponsorship and that sort of thing. But it's. And I don't like it either, but it's one of the things that's got to be done if you want to make a career from. From the sport. So, yeah, like, like I touched on a second ago. I mean, it's not an easy thing to do, but it's.
Taylor Gill [00:22:51]:
It's got to be done.
Belinda Riseley [00:22:53]:
Yeah. And tell us a little about Finnish motorsports. Like, I don't know very much about it. Like, is it a big community in motorsports? Is there many tracks there, like, overall, like from all the different kind of genres of motorsports or.
Taylor Gill [00:23:07]:
Yeah, motorsport in general is big in Finland, but rallying in particular is massive. It's basically the national sport. I would say it's been like the equivalent of the cricket in Australia. You know, it's huge. There's rallies every weekend and they always, they're always fully subscribed. 170 cars all over the place. Summertime, winter time, they absolutely love it. You walk, you go down to the supermarket and people are wearing rally merchandise.
Taylor Gill [00:23:33]:
Everyone knows about the sport. When the WRC round comes here, Rally Finland, it's the, like, the biggest event of the year. It's absolutely huge. So I guess that's part, you know, it's part of one of the reasons why we push to move here and live here, because it's opened up opportunities for us as well, you know, even just little things to be able to go at to test days, go for rides in the car and the connections and everything. It's, you know, it's almost like a, like the hub for motorsport in Europe.
Belinda Riseley [00:23:59]:
Wow, that's so exciting. So I know the US fans are crazy. Their religion is that the same over there. And like, what do you do, like, the fan engagements and sponsorship activations over there with the fans, are they a little bit more polite? Are they like us or they're like Aussie ones?
Taylor Gill [00:24:16]:
Yeah, they're quite polite. I mean, Finns are known for being pretty quiet, I suppose, but yeah, there's a big culture for rallying over here, like I tucked on a second ago and, you know, they love getting out in the forest and spectating and finding all the places for all the cars to crash so they can pull them back onto the road and that sort of thing. It's quite a unique sort of thing. But it's really wild when you compete here and even just walking around the service park, you know, where the cars are based and getting worked on during a rally week, there's so many spectators and so much fan engagement. I suppose people know who you are and it's really, really cool. They follow it super closely.
Belinda Riseley [00:24:53]:
Wow. So I'm going to go touch base about social media then and content creation because we've been focusing that inside the most sponsorship club and we're saying like it's always kind of like the crushes that gets the most likes and shares and obviously that's kind of like your world unfortunately. And like that environment. What do you feel is right in social media? And do you do your own social media? Does the car have a camera? Tell us about how you go about doing your social media creation.
Taylor Gill [00:25:26]:
Yeah, I mean it's probably not most drivers favorite thing in the world, doing the social media side of things, but I mean it's one of the things that's got to be done when I'm competing. I don't do it. I have a good friend of mine who does my social media for me because it's basically, it's impossible to try and do it and do it properly when you're in the middle of competing. But we also, yeah, we have the camera in the car which is recording all the stages. And you know, fortunately at these world championship rallies we get so much footage given to us from the organizers. Also our rally star program has a guy who follows us around basically the camera non stop. So he films all the action as well. And yeah, then it all gets cut together into reels and posts and that sort of thing.
Taylor Gill [00:26:06]:
But you know, for me then obviously between the events, trying to come up with the ideas can be tricky as well. But you know, I always find posting little bits of onboard footage is engaging. That's what people like to see, you know, when we're driving the car on stage and I guess when we're in the main environment of competing, but also, you know, behind the scenes footage is always, always cool. And I mean I always approach it in the way of what I would want to watch or what would make me bored. So why would I not want to post that versus why I would want to post something that's kind of how I sort of work around it when I'm doing it myself.
Belinda Riseley [00:26:40]:
Yes, it definitely needs to be a purpose. And now my recommendation to you is that I want to know more about the Finnish fans and the community over there that you've just been speaking of because I haven't seen any of that on the social. So I'd love to know more about that. And I think like, even from Australian sponsors perspective, they'd love to know too, because, like, the sheer fact that you just said, like, this is like Australian cricket is like, amazing. So if people are looking to come forward with you, like, just knowing that that demographical reach and the fans that are interested in rallying driver over them. So that's what I like. Thanks.
Taylor Gill [00:27:18]:
No worries.
Belinda Riseley [00:27:20]:
Okay, thanks. Now, Taylor, what has been some of your biggest challenges? Obviously, being a young driver, moving to Finland, obviously, you don't have that family support. You have Dan and you have the race team, which has been fantastic. But apart from that, what are some of the other challenges we spoke about? They speak English there, which is fantastic.
Taylor Gill [00:27:40]:
But.
Belinda Riseley [00:27:40]:
Yeah. That you face in your journey of going across.
Taylor Gill [00:27:44]:
Yeah. Probably the biggest challenge has come, you know, especially when we first moved over here. And it's the stuff that people don't see as. Well, you know, things like, first of all, when you're in Australia and you live at home, if you need to buy something, you know, say you need to buy a. You want to buy a cheap toaster, you know, that you just run down to Kmart and you can get one. Seven bucks, whatever, you've got a toaster. We're sitting in our apartment here going, okay, we need to buy a frying pan, but where do we go? Like, it's. That's the sort of tricky thing.
Taylor Gill [00:28:11]:
Or, you know, the first few times we went grocery shopping, you spend hours in there trying to translate everything to make sure you buy ham instead of turkey or whatever, stuff like that. Yeah, exactly. Yeah, yeah. And, you know, stuff like buying a car was a relatively straightforward process because we had a friend that sorted a lot for us. But then, you know, trying to organize the insurance for it was a real nightmare because we're foreigners. Trying to get bank accounts when you're a foreigner is a nightmare. You know, trying to get bank accounts is difficult, is a difficult thing. And I don't think it really matters what country you're in.
Taylor Gill [00:28:46]:
It's always a tricky thing. And also then the big applications of trying to secure, like, residence permits so that we're allowed to stay, because there's quite strict rules about only being able to stay for 90 days, etc. That's probably where the biggest challenges have come from. Of course, on the sporting side, there's also been big challenges, but it's almost a whole different kettle of fish. Sometimes the life side of it can be more stressful because it's a bit more in the unknown. And fortunately, I've had Dan to Support me quite a lot because he's lived out of home since he was 16, basically, so he's been really supportive on that side. If I came over by myself, then maybe it would be a bit more. Bit more difficult.
Taylor Gill [00:29:25]:
But, you know, now that we've kind of got it sorted, I mean, it feels more like home here than when I'm in Australia because, you know, the last. Since 2023, this is where I live. This is my bedroom, this is my bed, this is my apartment. I've got my own car here. This is. This is where I'm based.
Belinda Riseley [00:29:40]:
And that's right, because you've got your brand now, you've got your identity, like prior to that, prior to being 19, you're still, like, learning who it was and what you want to be. And when I grow up, I want to be X. And now you are being X. Taylor, do your family get across there often or do you get home often or. It's not really, yeah, a thing yet.
Taylor Gill [00:30:01]:
Probably not as often as. As I would like. I mean, of course I would, you know, love to go home, you know, all the time and see friends and family and that sort of thing. But, you know, it's. First of all, it's expensive to fly backwards and forwards. And also, you know, when I'm here, I'm fully focused on the. On the job at hand and on the upcoming rallies. You know, fortunately, I've been quite lucky that my family and especially my father has come to a few rallies last year also in 2023.
Taylor Gill [00:30:26]:
And, yeah, the plan is that they'll come to a couple this year as well. So it's really nice to have the family support. And also last year we had a few friends come over for, especially the rally in Finland and also when we went to Greece, which was the championship decider. And it's, you know, it's really nice to have familiar faces around. I mean, people, some people have probably the stance that it can be a distraction having family and friends there when you're trying to race. And, you know, I can sort of see where that sits. But for me, having familiar faces, people that are from the same country, the same culture, there's no language barrier. There's no, you know, people that know you so well, your best mates, family.
Taylor Gill [00:31:03]:
I mean, it doesn't get much better than having them there supporting you.
Belinda Riseley [00:31:07]:
No, I agree 100%. So that leads me to the question, do you have a special somebody there?
Taylor Gill [00:31:14]:
No, not at the moment. Not coming over to the events, no.
Belinda Riseley [00:31:18]:
What about Dan? Does he have A special somebody over there too?
Taylor Gill [00:31:23]:
No, it's just the two of us here. So yeah, it gets a bit boring sometimes.
Belinda Riseley [00:31:30]:
You know, like the girlfriend of the partner, like the housemate with. It all gets a little bit complicated.
Taylor Gill [00:31:36]:
Yeah, it does gets a bit complicated, but not of that scenario yet.
Belinda Riseley [00:31:41]:
Fantastic. Good to hear. And so when you're not mechanically not at a racetrack, what do you like to do over there? What are some of the hobbies and interests have you? Or do they have a funky like cricket thing, sport that they do over there?
Taylor Gill [00:31:56]:
I mean they do have a few things like that. But to be honest, I've been asked this question before and my life's pretty boring. Like it's pretty much gym, work, sleep and if I'm not doing any of those three things then I'm normally watching rally videos. So I'm pretty, I guess narrow minded in that, that sort of regard. But it's a weird sort of a thing because, you know, it is also nice to have time off or time, you know, not thinking about rallying. But for me when I'm in Australia that's probably more the time where I like to tune out a bit. Yeah, exactly, yeah. When I'm in Finland and there's not so much else to do so I'm passionate about it.
Taylor Gill [00:32:34]:
So I, you know, I prefer to just keep watching the videos, watching on boards, studying for the next event, you know, whatever it is. There's always something, something rallying related and it always revolves back to the rally.
Belinda Riseley [00:32:46]:
You boys. Do you cook? Taylor, do you cook?
Taylor Gill [00:32:50]:
No. That's quite a simple, simple answer. On the cooking side, I'm not very good. Dan fortunately looks after most of that, so it's been quite helpful. But I mean obviously I'm doing other jobs around the house and, and that sort of thing and we have a system worked out, let's say.
Belinda Riseley [00:33:12]:
Beautiful. That's the communication style thing.
Taylor Gill [00:33:15]:
Yeah, exactly. Yeah.
Belinda Riseley [00:33:17]:
Well, you mentioned that you've got five rounds so talk to us about where the five rounds are in 2025.
Taylor Gill [00:33:23]:
Yep. So the first round was in Sweden. That was a couple of weeks ago. Next we go to Portugal, which will be a nice rally actually. Roads look probably similar to Australia in some regards. Big gum trees on the side of the road and that sort of thing. From Portugal we go to Greece, which will be super rough, really rocky terrain. We did the rally last year and it's really, really crazy, demanding, mentally, physically hot.
Taylor Gill [00:33:45]:
It's a really, really tricky event. After Greece we go to Rally Finland which we also did last Year and I touched on before and it's super fast, high speed, wide roads, jumps, crests. Really, really tricky to drive and get the maximum out of the car and quite scary, to be honest, in places. It really keeps you on your toes. So that's a tricky one I'm looking forward to. And the year finishes with the Central European Rally, which is a tarmac event actually based in Germany, but has stages in Germany, in Austria and in the Czech Republic. So tricky tarmac event in the sort of autumn time, so it gets a bit cold and wet and can be, you know, difficult conditions. But it'll be an event we have to try and do well at because that'll be our championship decider.
Belinda Riseley [00:34:30]:
Now, Telly, you just mentioned some amazing travel places. Do you have time and do you travel before and after each of it? Like you said, there's only like five weeks and you're kind of there like the week before, but then do you stay for like two weeks and I don't know, rest and relax, recover, see the side and how much, yeah, travel have you been able to do in the last few years?
Taylor Gill [00:34:52]:
Yeah, I have done a bit and there has been a couple of rallies where I've arrived a couple of days earlier or stayed a couple of days or after Grace last year, you know, my mum and dad were there and we stayed for a couple of weeks after the rally, which was really nice. And you know, for example, I had to stop over in London after one rally. So I stayed with some friends in London for a few days and got to see the city and that sort of thing. So, yeah, it is cool because I'd always sort of wanted to, you know, travel and especially travel Europe, especially when I was a kid growing up watching Formula one, you see these places like Monaco and Spa and, you know, Italy and you want to travel to these sort of places. And it was always a bit of a, a dream for me to do that and to be able to not only compete in Europe but also see the sites and be a mechanic, which I enjoy doing as well, is really, really cool. So, yeah, I have been fortunate to, you know, to travel. Probably not saying as much as I would have liked to, of course, but there's always, there's always more to say. So, yeah, we'll get to a couple of new countries this year and hopefully be able to explore a bit more.
Belinda Riseley [00:35:50]:
So when you travel on your, the travel cards and it says occupation, do you now put professional race car driver?
Taylor Gill [00:36:00]:
No, not really. It's probably one of those scenarios where it would be easier to just write down that I'm a builder or something, but. Yeah, exactly. It depends what I have to write down. Sometimes it's rally driver, sometimes I write down that I'm a mechanic.
Belinda Riseley [00:36:16]:
Oh, really? And what do you think needs to happen for you to actually say I'm a motorsport professional athlete?
Taylor Gill [00:36:26]:
I guess the biggest situation is that I am quite similar to Formula 1 and even I think Super 2 in Australia and that sort of thing is that we don't get paid in these lower support categories. So, you know, we have to find ways to, you know, earn a living around that, you know, hence why I work as a mechanic and that sort of thing. So maybe the day that I get a paycheck from a professional team and all I've done is drive and, you know, get paid for that, then, then I'll start writing down the full professional.
Belinda Riseley [00:36:54]:
Yeah. So what is the big plan? What's the big goals over the next couple of years?
Taylor Gill [00:36:59]:
Yeah, the goal is to, to keep pushing up towards the Rally one category, which is the, you know, the top category in the World Championship. We have a big regulation change coming in 2027 and hopefully that can sort of work into our favor and open more seats. But ultimately this year in the Junior World Championship is basically like a do or die season for me because basically if I win the championship this year, I will step up to the WRC2 category, which is the next step up, which is exciting, but we have to win the championship. If we don't win the championship this year, then the Rally star program ceases, let's say. So then it would be probably back to Australia after that. So, yeah, I guess all the pressure comes onto this year and we're pouring everything in it to make that happen. And fortunately we started in the best possible way by winning the first round.
Belinda Riseley [00:37:41]:
Yes, fantastic. But you also do have your supporters club that people can get on board and help financially secure your goals and your dreams. What, what is, what is it exactly? And how can people get on board?
Taylor Gill [00:37:54]:
Yeah, basically the supporters club is something we set up at the start of last year for general fans and people that want to support and get involved, you know, financially. And it's quite an open book. You know, we started $150 and then, yeah, we have also people that pay more than that and support us on to more of an extent and that sort of thing. So it's been a really good way for people to engage with us and also for me to give something back to these supporters and we're sending out regular updates and exclusive content and that sort of thing. You can sign up by heading to my website, which is just taylorgillmotorsport.com supporters.
Belinda Riseley [00:38:31]:
Fantastic. Now we're getting in some of the fun facts again. If you could drive any race car anywhere in the world, what would it be and at what track?
Taylor Gill [00:38:44]:
I would probably drive a Toyota GI Yaris Rally 1 car, Onempoya, which is a legendary rally stage in Finland. Fortunately, I got to drive the stage last year in my Rally 3 car, and it's super difficult, but that would probably be the drain.
Belinda Riseley [00:39:00]:
Wow. Okay. Don't have that one in my bank, so that's fantastic answer. But, yeah, I just want to know, like, what do you do for, like, reaction training? I'm just kind of like, thinking, going through the motion. Do you do a lot more like, is it something that you do every single day or is it, again, something, because you have been born into the sport, that you're kind of naturally faster reaction or like.
Taylor Gill [00:39:25]:
Yeah.
Belinda Riseley [00:39:26]:
Are you doing Blaze pods? Are you doing.
Taylor Gill [00:39:30]:
Yeah, yeah, I have the Blaze pods. So they're. They're quite helpful. But I think also there is probably an element of. Because I've been doing it for so long, my reflexes are naturally good, I suppose. So, yeah. Fortunately, it's, of course.
Belinda Riseley [00:39:45]:
What do we get? What are we out?
Taylor Gill [00:39:47]:
What was. What was the question? Sorry, I missed that.
Belinda Riseley [00:39:50]:
30 seconds on the Blaze pods. Six. Six pods.
Taylor Gill [00:39:53]:
Oh, six, six pods. I'm not sure. I think maybe like four pods. If you line up. Four pods. One, two, three, four. 30 seconds. In Sweden, I got like 74.
Belinda Riseley [00:40:03]:
Beautiful. All right.
Taylor Gill [00:40:04]:
In 30 seconds. So that was. I think that was not too, too bad. I think it was like an average reaction time of 0.27 or something.
Belinda Riseley [00:40:14]:
Wow.
Taylor Gill [00:40:15]:
Can always. Can always be better, though.
Belinda Riseley [00:40:16]:
Yeah, correct. Of trying to. And like, my kids are doing, like, the bottle flip things and like, they do funny kind of like reaction stuff other than the Blaze pods. I mean, they're 12, though. Do you do other things other than Blaze pods for reaction testing?
Taylor Gill [00:40:34]:
Not. Not so much, no. I have one of those little, like, reflex balls that you can drop and it bounces in any direction or whatever. But, you know, apart from that, which I'm not. I don't do that so frequently. It's more of a. It's more of a fun thing when I'm getting bored. But, you know, apart from the Blaze pods, which, again, I.
Taylor Gill [00:40:53]:
I do use, but not so much. It's not like I'm doing them every day. Yeah. That's, that's really the extent of it when it comes to the reaction training.
Belinda Riseley [00:41:02]:
So how do you warm up for a race?
Taylor Gill [00:41:07]:
Normally, the morning of each competitive day, I do a warm up with the team physio, Polish guy, Marek, who helps us out quite a lot. So I'll do like a 10 or 15 minute warmup with him and then. Yeah, but obviously it can be tricky because, you know, I can warm up with him, but then I might have to drive 100km to get to the first stage. And there's an hour and a half, two hours, you know, between doing the warm up and actually starting the competitive driving. So normally, you know, before I put my helmet on, I just like to move my legs, move my arms and, you know, get in the car and, you know, just even, just like twist and loosen up my back and that sort of thing. Nothing too extreme, but, you know, enough to just get warmed up and get all the juices flowing, I suppose. And it's always a bit of an exciting thing when you, before the first stage of the rally, you might stop two K's before you get to the start line so you can check your tyre pressures and put your helmets on. And normally all the cars are sort of stopped in the same sort of area and you can hear all the cars idling and you can feel the tension and that in itself kind of starts to get you warmed up.
Taylor Gill [00:42:09]:
So, yeah, it's a pretty cool, cool feeling.
Belinda Riseley [00:42:11]:
And your category, the Gini World Championship, is that streamed online? Like, can Australians watch it over here?
Taylor Gill [00:42:22]:
Yes, sort of. It's a bit of a tricky thing because Rally tv, which is basically the program that is run by the championship promoter, they live stream every stage for all the top category cars. And there's normally one or two stages where they live stream the junior cars as well. And then in Sweden, they also live streamed on YouTube, stuff like the start ceremony, there was a press conference, they streamed, and also the finish, you know, the finish line of the podium and that sort of thing. So it's a tricky thing and it can be. Rallying in general is a tricky sport to follow as well, but yeah, fortunately it seems to be getting better and better and easier and easier, but it's still not an easy, easy thing to follow.
Belinda Riseley [00:43:00]:
Yeah, you think they'll be utilizing the drones a lot? Do they do drones?
Taylor Gill [00:43:05]:
Yeah, they do drones, but also the helicopter is more the, the main thing, not so much on our steering your cars, but on the top level cars. Always the helicopter shots are the go to.
Belinda Riseley [00:43:15]:
Yeah, that's pretty cool though. Like it's so different to like circuit or speedway, like.
Taylor Gill [00:43:22]:
Yeah, exactly, yeah, fantastic.
Belinda Riseley [00:43:25]:
So Taylor, what would you have told your 14 year old self if you were starting out again? What did you going forward to pursue your motorsport career in rally?
Taylor Gill [00:43:40]:
Oh, it's a big question. I mean the obvious answer that comes first to your mind is just to never give up and never stop believing, let's say. Because when I was 14, I had this really strong passion and dream to go to the World Rally Championship. And then as I probably started to get a little bit older and started to realize the money and how much it costs and that sort of thing, then it probably started to dwindle away a little bit. And then, you know, fortunately Rally Star came in at the right time and picked me up, you know, and if it wasn't for that, then I wouldn't be over here. But it's, it's also crazy for me to think that at the start of 2022, my eyes were probably more set on the Australian Rally Championship and trying to win that or trying to be the youngest person to win, that was sort of my, the primary goal at the front of my mind. But you know, as soon as I got the opportunity with Rally Star, then you really had to take the ball and run with it. And yeah, going back to, I guess the original question, you probably just, you know, relax and just everything will, you know, within reason, everything will fall into place.
Taylor Gill [00:44:43]:
You have to work for it and you have to make it all happen for you and you have to build the connections and make the phone calls and put in the time and put in the effort. But if you do everything then you have to trust as well that it's, you know, it'll come round.
Belinda Riseley [00:44:57]:
Hard hitting question now. Pineapple on pizzas.
Taylor Gill [00:45:02]:
Oh, absolutely. Only pineapple on pizzas.
Belinda Riseley [00:45:04]:
I think so too.
Taylor Gill [00:45:06]:
100%, yeah. I'm a Hawaiian or nothing. Correct.
Belinda Riseley [00:45:09]:
Are the pizzas good over there?
Taylor Gill [00:45:13]:
It depends where you are, but actually I talked myself up a little bit here, but I think I make quite a good homemade pizza here, so. I enjoy a homemade pizza, but it depends actually because I'm probably going to upset some Italians here, but I'm yet to have like a really good pizza in Italy, so that's quite a. That's something I'm still searching for.
Belinda Riseley [00:45:34]:
All right, well we'll go back to Finland though, like what's their main food over there? And.
Taylor Gill [00:45:42]:
Talk about food probably. I don't really think Finland has like a main, like a primary signature dish. They love their seafood over here and I'm, I, I'm not having seafood, so. Not for me, actually, generally speaking, I'm a really picky eater, so that doesn't really, doesn't play into my strength so much. But, yeah, as far as like the national dish of Finland, honestly, I couldn't, Couldn't tell you what it is.
Belinda Riseley [00:46:11]:
All right, well, there's some research for you and I look forward to seeing that on your social media accounts, actually find your or follow your journey. Like, what's the best social media platform?
Taylor Gill [00:46:23]:
Yeah, Instagram and Facebook are the main ones and I also have a YouTube page where I'm posting some footage and I make like a, basically like a rally review video after every rally where I sit on the couch and talk about how it went and show some footage and that sort of thing. So, yeah, they're probably the, the main three social medias to follow me on.
Belinda Riseley [00:46:43]:
And to sign up or to engage in or to find out more information about your supporters club.
Taylor Gill [00:46:50]:
Yeah, you can head to my website, www.taylorgillmotorsport.com supporters. Basically, you fill in like a Google form and then we'll send you an email with the payment details. And yeah, then we send you, you get a hat and a lanyard and keyring and a few other little bits and pieces. So, yeah, it's a really cool way for fans to support us.
Belinda Riseley [00:47:11]:
Fantastic. And do you have any last words for any aspiring motorsport athletes? Any category, anywhere in the world that is wanting to basically pursue their dreams?
Taylor Gill [00:47:25]:
You have to work for it. You know, there's boring days and days where you don't want to watch footage or don't want to look at data or, you know, you'd rather stay in bed or whatever, but you have to work for it. You know, I've always seen as well, it's quite easy to see. When you compete, for example, in the Junior World Championship, it's always pretty obvious which drivers are putting in the work and which drivers are doing their homework properly. And the drivers that aren't are normally the ones that are sitting on the side of the road somewhere. So that's probably the biggest thing. You have to work for it and you have to really want it.
Belinda Riseley [00:47:55]:
I'm so inspired. I want to come. I'm like, sammy, I want to know more. Taylor, thank you so much for being today's guest. As I said, I've got a lot out of it. I'm really inspired about your journey and I look forward and wish you all the very best for the rest of the 2025 race season.
Taylor Gill [00:48:14]:
Thank you very much. It's a pleasure to be on here and speak with you.
Belinda Riseley [00:48:18]:
Yeah. And so Tam, all of Taylor's links will be in today's show. Notes, please. Race over and if you can support his supporters club, that would be fantastic. Continue. Olivia and the rally dream. When was the last time Australia had a rally champion?
Taylor Gill [00:48:36]:
Australia has never had a champion in the, in the World Championship in any category. So, you know, there's been a few guys and girls that have done the, the Junior World Championship and Chris Atkinson was the last full time driver we had in the, in the wrc. So yeah, hopefully we can be the next one.
Belinda Riseley [00:48:54]:
I remember his car blue and the blurry yellow or green whichever way you look at it. But yes, no, I remember that car too well. We hope it's going to be you, Taylor. I'm so excited again. So thank you once again. I'd love to have you on another 12 months and hopefully you have been successful in your pursuit this year and has taken a step up. Anyway, all the very best and good luck.
Taylor Gill [00:49:18]:
Thank you very much. Appreciate it. Cheers.
