Aussies Taylor Gill and Daniel Brkic are set for their third WRC2 start this season in Finland. Image: Supplied
Following podium performances in Junior WRC in 2024 and ‘25, Finland was earmarked early as a key event on the Aussie’s part-time WRC2 schedule.
The pair have contested two WRC2 rounds to date, coming away fourth in class in Sweden, and ninth in Croatia.
“Being on the entry list at Rally Finland for the third year running is a surreal thing – it still feels too good to be true,” Gill said.
“It was always a part of the plan [to do Finland], but when we’re dealing with the sort of money that a WRC round costs, it was always going to be decided on an event-by-event basis, and we’re so grateful to our personal sponsors and supporters for getting this one over the line.”
Gill resides in the Finnish village of Vääksy when not in Australia, so has familiarity with the landscape.
However, the WRC2 field features seven fast Finns, including Toyota Gazoo Racing team principal and 18-time WRC rally winner Jari-Matti Latvala.
Gill’s prior experience in Finnish conditions should help, however several of his competitors have contested the event up to 10 times, so the crew remains behind in terms of total experience.
“We’ve taken a liking to the Finnish stages over the past two years in the Fiesta Rally3, so we take confidence from that, but tackling it in a faster Rally2 car will be a whole new ball game – we’ll have to step up,” he added.
“Yes, we’re lacking in experience, but at the end of the day we all have to write our pace notes and commit to them in the rally, and Dan and I are confident that our approach can give us the best chance to produce a good result.”
Gill remains realistic about his goals heading into the event, and noted that setting expectations for Finland is “tricky” with the level of competition.
“Ideally, we want to be in and around the top five, but there’s arguably 15 or more drivers who could find themselves there,” Gill said.
“We’ll be having a push for sure. The goal for this year has been to prove ourselves, and when we’re competing in a high-quality field like this, it’s a great chance to show what we’ve got.
“We’ll need to bring our A-game, but the competition is the reason we go rallying, and I can’t wait to get into the battle.”
Gill and Brkic will start the rally as the 13th WRC2 car on the road, competing across 316km of Finnish roads.
Rally Finland is Round 10 of the World Rally Championship season, and will be held from July 30-August 2.