Surprisingly, the Australian Rally Championship's 2027 opening round, Rally Queensland, has been scheduled on the same weekend as the world-famous Otago Rally in New Zealand.

It has generated significant debate on social media, and we now debate it ourselves. Was it a bad move? What are some of the external factors? Where will we place our attention on that busy weekend?

Remarkably, the Flinders to Fleurieu Rally postponement was quickly superseded, but we talk about the reasons for that, and also speak of the huge WRC successes of Hayden Paddon, John Kennard, Taylor Gill and Daniel Brkic in Paraguay.

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Join the Special Stage Rally Podcast team as they break down the happenings in rallying!

In this episode, they pay tribute to the late Alex Fiorio, reflecting on his legacy and impact on the sport. 

They dissect an incredible weekend at Rally Tasmania that blew the Australian Rally Championship title fight wide open.

Plus, we look at Taylor Gill’s South American double header, and there are differing opinions on Hyundai’s third-driver WRC strategy and where Hayden Paddon should fit into the puzzle.

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In this week’s edition of Special Stage, we dive deep into the world of Rally Finland, featuring conversations with Australians Taylor Gill and Daniel Brkic.

From their pre-event tests to the challenges faced during the rally, we talked with them all through rally week and understand the ins and outs of what it takes to do a round of the World Rally Championship.

Learn about their processes, their struggles and the atmosphere around arguably the biggest rally in the world.

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Who are some of the drivers who were unlucky in their careers? Who perhaps could have made it but didn't?

It's a pub conversation we bring to the Special Stage Rally Podcast this week, with some common names and a few from left field.

Reminisce with us as we turn back the clock.

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Brent ‘Boomer’ Harvey is accustomed to performing under the pressure of 100,000 screaming fans at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

However, the contrast between that and a closed forest road, while strapped inside a rally car, presents a completely different challenge.

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In this masterclass episode of Special Stage, we look at driver development and hear from Brendan Reeves, who’s helped many drivers get to the next level.

Geared toward drivers who already have a few events under their belt but want to safely push the limits, this episode covers the habits required to get further up the leaderboard.

We dive deep into the psychological and technical fundamentals of the sport and break down the basics of tyre pressures, cornering, braking, car balance and plenty more.

It’s one not to miss.

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In this packed episode of Special Stage, we gear up for a massive weekend of action as we preview the upcoming Narooma Forest Rally and the iconic Acropolis Rally.

We look at the Experts Cup Rally in WA and speak about some popular roads returning in Tasmania.

Plus, make sure you stay tuned until the very end of the episode for an exclusive news tease that’s earmarked as potentially the biggest news story of 2026.

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In this episode of Special Stage, we take a trip down memory lane to look back at the controversial 2009 edition of Rally Australia in Kingscliff and reflect on the history of Greg Carr’s iconic Lancia.

We wrap up all the action from the Bega Valley Rally, alongside a review of the weekend's Jimna Rallysprint in Queensland.

Looking ahead, we also preview the 50th Anniversary Nissan Nightmoves event and cast our eyes to Europe as Australian star Taylor Gill prepares to drive a new Rally2 machine.

Special Stage is produced for the Motorsport Podcast Network by RallySport Magazine >> https://rallysportmag.com/

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On this episode, host Luke Whitten is joined by Tim Wilkins and Ray Winwood-Smith for a long-overdue chat about their amazing adventure at the Classic Safari Rally.

Taking place in Kenya at the end of last year, the gruelling endurance event is the stuff of rallying legend, and these are the first Aussies to do it in a long time.

Tim and Ray give their account of what it actually takes to tackle one of the toughest historic rallies on the planet, and it’s a fantastic conversation packed with awesome stories.

Special Stage is produced for the Motorsport Podcast Network by RallySport Magazine >> https://rallysportmag.com/

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Western Australia’s Forest Rally was won by Scott Pedder, but many competitors will be rueing costly mistakes from a chaotic weekend.

Luke and Matt Whitten give their thoughts on the rally weekend and ask many questions that arose from the action.

Why were there so many crashes? Is it best to drive on a puncture? Who is the championship favourite?

All are discussed in detail on Special Stage.

Special Stage is produced for the Motorsport Podcast Network by RallySport Magazine >> https://rallysportmag.com/

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