Special Stage: Thoughts from the Australian Rally Championship test day

RallySport Magazine’s Luke Whitten was at the pre-season test day for the Australian Rally Championship and spoke to many of the drivers before their season begins. Each driver shared their impressions on proceedings and just what they were targeting from the all-important test day just a week and a half before the opening round. We speak to the likes of Hayden Paddon, Harry Bates and Scott Pedder as they prepared for some of their runs along the Canberra test road. 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 week’s episode of The Brad Jones Racing Run Down, the driver of the #96 Macauley Jones and BJR general manager Chris Westwood run through all the washup from the opening round of the 2025 Supercars season at Sydney Motorsport Park. They talk about the teeny-tiny margins in qualifying and how miniscule moments are the difference between the top 10 and P-nowhere, Macca’s thoughts on Dunlop’s new durable Soft tyre and the new refuelling churns, the rollercoaster weekend for their Super2 runners, and plenty more! Become a BJR Member in 2025 >> https://www.bradjonesracing.com.au/bjr-memberships Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Australian Rally Champion, Harry Bates, will face the toughest challenge of his career in 2025. Former WRC star, Hayden Paddon, is entering the ARC for the first time, and we asked Bates just how he’s going to tackle the season given his new rival’s entrance. Bates shares that he's prepared to increase his speed and work harder than ever in search of another title. We also talk with Bates about the World Rally Drivers’ Alliance and the week’s news on the RallySport Magazine website. 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

Joining the RallySport Magazine team on this week’s podcast are drivers who are at different points in their journeys. The experienced Hayden Paddon joins the pod to talk about all the news surrounding his 2025, including the Australian Rally Championship, the Race of Champions and the Otago Rally. There’s also an interview with young Max McRae who shares an insight on his unfortunate injury and just how he’s found the start of the 2025 British Rally Championship season. Each conversation is intriguing to listen to, and their goals for the calendar year are clear. 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

It was a huge week for rallying in Australia. Hayden Paddon was announced to compete full time in our national championship, while two of our own won at Rally Sweden. Fresh from the snow, Taylor Gill joins us on the podcast to tell us all about his victory, including just what it’s like to be at the front in not only the Junior WRC but also the WRC3 category. Also on the podcast is Brendan Reeves, whose WRC experience from a decade ago provides a fascinating insight into some of the challenges Taylor has had to face not only this weekend, but also throughout his entire overseas efforts thus far. Some of those challenges include gathering the budget for more testing and events to supplement his existing program. The importance of this is discussed in detail. 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 week’s episode of The Brad Jones Racing Run Down, the driver of the #96 Macauley Jones and BJR general manager Chris Westwood are joined by BJR owner Brad Jones. There’s a bit to unpack around the Triple Eight-to-Ford news! Brad talks through what it was like when BJR switched from Ford to Holden in 2009, along with what T8’s switch means for GM, for the sport, for Ford teams and for BJR. He also sheds light on the homologation process for the incoming Toyota Supra and what it means for Supercars’ existing models. They also discuss the team’s new Super2 lineup, the new format for the Sydney 500, the Bathurst 12 Hour, and plenty more! Become a BJR Member in 2025 >> https://www.bradjonesracing.com.au/bjr-memberships Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Rally Sweden runs this weekend, and it marks 20 years since Australian Chris Atkinson made his Subaru World Rally Team debut. We welcome him to the podcast to discuss what it was like to join the most famous team and begin his WRC journey in the famous frozen forests. He shares some stories about that first event and gives his thoughts on the upcoming event and how he thinks Australia’s Junior World Rally Championship driver, Taylor Gill, will fare. Listen to stories from the entirety of Chris’ career on our DustTrails Podcast: https://bit.ly/4aW2Cbc 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

It seems like an age since we had an Australian rally to talk about, but that doesn't mean there's a shortage of news. On this week's Special Stage Rally Podcast, Luke and Peter discuss what we can expect from Scott Pedder and his new Skoda Fabia RS Rally2 this year, and the unfortunate absence of the Maguire brothers. Brendan Reeves is back for a state championship assault this season, while we also reminisce about the 1992 Bathurst 12 Hour that saw rally stars Fury, Ordynski, Bourne and Bates competing. We also look forward to next week's Rally Sweden where Aussie Taylor Gill will have his snow boots on. And we ask you, the listener, for your questions to ask Chris Atkinson on next week's podcast. 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 week’s Special Stage Rally Podcast we're joined by Junior World Rally Championship co-driver, Dan Brkic, as he prepares for Rally Sweden. Brkic and his driver, Taylor Gill, are currently getting ready for the first of five rounds in the JWRC, and we catch up to see how their preparations are going. We also run through the likely front-runners in this year’s Australian Rally Championship to discuss who’s doing what, and break down last weekend’s Monte Carlo Rally where Sebastien Ogier took a record-breaking 10th victory. How good was Adrien Fourmaux’s debut Hyundai drive, and what about Josh McErlean’s first event in a Rally1 car? We give our thoughts. 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

The Brad Jones Racing Run Down is back for 2025! On this ep, the driver of the #96 Macauley Jones and BJR general manager Chris Westwood talk about what a Supercars team does when everyone comes back from the Christmas and New Year break and the intensity of that period, revealing the ritual behind how BJR names its new cars, Macca’s new/old engineer, plus their take on a key rule change for 2025. Become a BJR Member in 2025 >> https://www.bradjonesracing.com.au/bjr-memberships Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices