Australians move up the Italian leaderboard

At the foot of the Dolomites, Australians Taylor Gill and Dan Brkic made important steps forward at the beautiful Rally della Marca on Saturday. 

While the opening rally of their program delivered some trouble, this was a cleaner rally which enabled them to be more consistent in their Turbocar Citroen C3 Rally2 and secure eighth overall.

Despite battling technical dramas with the car on Friday’s shakedown stage, they began the rally itself with a car crucially back at 100%, and the learning continued.

It showed, too, as their times improved drastically through the day’s action.

Although Gill knows there’s still plenty of work to do to get the C3 fighting at the front, the 22-year-old is working hard to find the optimal performance.

“It certainly wasn’t an easy weekend, but the stages were really enjoyable with a bit more character compared to the previous event in Domodossola,” Gill shared. 

“On paper, the result and stage times improved from our last outing, but ultimately we want to be fighting closer to the front and need to continue working on the solutions to make that happen.

“The car has the potential; it’s just about unlocking it, and I am still learning with every kilometre on these unique Italian roads.”

After a half spin and losing brakes on the long Monte Cesen stage, they really kicked into gear from then on. By stage six, the penultimate of the rally, they were setting times well inside the top 10, edging out many local drivers who have grown up on the twisty, narrow roads.

“I believe in myself and in the package that once everything clicks we can fight at the front,” Gill added.

“Now our attention is firmly on Rally Finland. It’s been almost 12 months since my last full event on gravel, so we’ll use our pre-event test to get back in the groove. 

“I’m sure it will be tough to match the pace of the regulars in WRC2, but that’s what we are here for.

“Dan and I need to continue to show what we can do on the big stage, and the work doesn’t stop.”

Rally Finland begins in just over two weeks, with the next Italian rally scheduled for September at the Rally 1000 Miglia.

Taylor Gill and Daniel Brkic’s 2026 program is supported by: Ferratum, PowerPlay, Accent Benchtops, FlowTech Australia, Hissi Keskus, Premier Pools, WOLF Sports, Dogbox Oy, Lithiumax, RallySchool Australia, Curiositi, The Oil Warehouse, M31 Consulting, Punkahajun Kilpi Oy, RallySport Magazine, and Ice Cube

The pair's Italian rallies in 2026 would not be possible without: Pintarally Motorsport, Turbocar Sport, Gruppo Intent, Romagna cavi, Mezzoli Agostino, CLC&C, Officine-at.it, PE.SO., Inventive, M.B. Noleggio ponteggi, Abela design, SyAtec, VSE Service