June 30, 2025
Mature drive gives Gill JWRC series lead
Taylor Gill and Dan Brkic have moved into the outright lead of the Junior World Rally Championship after a mature drive in the Acropolis Rally.
While they were tied for the lead coming into the rally, they left Greece with a seven point buffer in the championship standings.
In punishing conditions that saw temperatures reach 40 degrees on the rock-strewn stages, the Australians overcame multiple punctures and overheating issues to finish in second place.
They had dropped to as low as seventh on the opening day, but a determined fightback was aimed at keeping their Ford Fiesta Rally3 out of trouble.
“We were under no illusions that it was going to be a bit of a lottery,” Gill said.
“Day one was frustrating. We had punctures, the car was overheating, and we couldn’t really find a groove on the stages.
“We knew, however, that we had to stick fat, push on, and wait for the others to flounder around us.”
They won two stages on the second day of the rally – a day that saw their main rival, Sweden’s Mille Johansson, retire with a coolant leak.
On this day, though, Gill would fall as low as fifth when he lost four minutes with a double puncture in special stage 11.
“We’d clawed our way back to the podium, but as it is with Greece, there’s always a rock around the corner, and we had two flats in one stage, which dropped us back down the leaderboard.
“We began the fightback again, and finished the day well.”
Having started the final day in third place, the Aussies immediately moved into second when Thomas Martens retired with mechanical problems, but they were too far behind Turkey’s Ali Turkkan to mount any serious challenge for victory.
“Once Martens retired, we knew we were not in contention for the win without a miracle, so we cruised to the end.
“We were running low on tyres, so we knew we couldn’t push for stage wins, so we held position to take home the silver placing.”
They eventually finished nearly six minutes behind the Turkish driver, but second place gives them a handy lead in the five-event championship.
“Our third consecutive podium in the 2025 Junior WRC gives us a seven point championship lead heading into the penultimate round, Rally Finland,” Gill said.
“It wasn’t an easy weekend; we did much more conserving than proper rally driving, but that’s the way it is in Greece.”
Main rival Johansson could only manage sixth place after restarting on Leg 3, but with two rounds of the championship to come, there is still everything to play for.
Gill and Brkic are back behind the wheel again this weekend when they tackle the European Rally Championship round in Rome.
It will be strong preparation for the double points finale of the JWRC later in the year.
FIA Junior WRC standings after Round 3:
1. Taylor Gill / Dan Brkic, AUS, 78 points
2. Mille Johansson / Johan Gronvall, SWE, 71 points
3. Ali Turkkan / Oytun Albayrak, TUR, 47 points