Latest / Rusty's Garage / The Motorsport Brief | Hayden Paddon’s title & Taylor Gill regroups

Transcript

The Motorsport Brief | Hayden Paddon’s title & Taylor Gill regroups · Rusty's Garage

• 0:02
  A listener production.
• 0:04
  Welcome to the Motorsport Brief, a rally special as a likeable Kiwi takes the Aussie title and a young star reflects on the world championship that got away.
• 0:15
  G'day everybody, Rusty here.
• 0:16
  We have two short cars dropping for you this week.
• 0:19
  This one with a rally focus following the final round of the E-Road Australian Rally Championship that'll appeal to listeners in New Zealand as well.
• 0:25
  And keep an eye out in the next couple of days for notifications on Joanne Cicconti ahead of the final round of the F1 Academy at the Las Vegas Grand Prix.
• 0:34
  Lots of cool other content in the library for you too.
• 0:37
  Tony Quinn opening up on his family Bathurst 12-hour bid and what he thinks of Roland Dane going to AAA, plus a Gary Rogers tribute that runs nearly two hours with all sorts of fresh interviews.
• 0:49
  Some wonderful memories in there for you.
• 0:51
  There's also a new feature ep with Motorcycling Australia CEO Peter Doyle.
• 0:55
  Growing up around some legends and getting serious about a career on the engineering side, which led to team leadership and an enviable record in the United States with Suzuki and Matt Mladen, for example, as well as the World Superbike Championship, a real straight shooter at the helm of two-wheel motorsport down under, who of...
• 1:12
  been able to get to know a little bit better through the Australian Motorsport Hall of Fame too.
• 1:17
  Shortly to our first guests in this ep, Hayden Padden and John Kennard have sewn up the Aussie title at the season-ending rally of Tasmania.
• 1:25
  I spoke with both of them in Service Park just after the podium and there was quite a supporters club gathered too, including family and friends as they crossed the finish line for the final stage of the year.
• 1:37
  They called it the Tasmanian tour of 2025.
• 1:39
  Hello.
• 1:40
  How are you, Esther?
• 1:41
  I'm fine, thank you.
• 1:43
  This is a pretty cool moment, isn't it?
• 1:45
  It is.
• 1:45
  It's very cool.
• 1:47
  He's done some amazing things along the way in his career.
• 1:50
  He has, definitely.
• 1:51
  He's a lovely grandson.
• 1:53
  I'm sure he is.
• 1:54
  And you wouldn't miss this moment, would you?
• 1:56
  No, not for quits.
• 1:58
  Okay.
• 1:59
  There you go.
• 2:00
  We'll let you enjoy it.
• 2:01
  Thank you for letting me talk with you.
• 2:02
  I know you didn't want to do an interview there, but that's lovely.
• 2:05
  That's lovely.
• 2:05
  Here we go, ladies and gentlemen.
• 2:07
  You can hear the car inbound.
• 2:08
  Go Pad and other signs.
• 2:10
  The cowbells are ringing.
• 2:11
  It's like shades of Finland.
• 2:13
  But it's the Kiwis that are here on tour in Tasmania to celebrate.
• 2:19
  a championship.
• 2:20
  The first Kiwi to do it since the early 2000s.
• 2:23
  Hayden Patton and John Kennard are your 2025 E-Road Australian Rally Champions.
• 2:30
  We'll let them get out and celebrate the moment with this incredible crowd.
• 2:34
  How about it?
• 2:35
  Pretty special moment in the history of the Australian Rally Championship because the idol that this guy had back in the early 2000s was Possum Born.
• 2:44
  Today, another Kiwi, a pair of Kiwis, enter the Australian Rally Championship record books as the 2025 champions.
• 2:52
  That's got to feel good.
• 2:53
  Oh, relief, I guess.
• 2:55
  Going into this weekend, obviously, in the position we were, it was everything to lose and not a lot to gain in some respects.
• 3:00
  So, yes, it's relief to get it done, and it was our season target.
• 3:04
  So to pull it off and come across the ditch with a pretty small team doing everything on the road is something that we can all be pretty proud of.
• 3:10
  John, tell us about that last minute, like almost with a stage to go.
• 3:14
  Everyone got out of the heart racing, little suspension issue on the left front, and we were a bit worried about what was going to transpire.
• 3:20
  Yeah, and on the stage, we just decided that we had to be gentle with it.
• 3:24
  We had about 12 minutes in hand, so if we lost a couple of them, it wasn't going to be the end of the world.
• 3:28
  So it was a really sensible thing that he did, and he just backed off and drove around all the big potholes and rocks and got it to the end.
• 3:34
  Have you enjoyed this series and everything that it kind of has to offer?
• 3:37
  I mean, you've got such an amazing record back home across the ditch, what you did in the European Championship, and now you've added this one to the tally.
• 3:44
  I'd love to hear, like, everyone's been so welcoming.
• 3:46
  Obviously, all new rallies, new challenges, so just the fact that you're on new pace notes and we're pushing ourselves in unfamiliar conditions is always pretty rewarding.
• 3:55
  But no, I think for me it's pretty special because we've been trying to come here for a few years now and it just hasn't worked, but
• 3:59
  You know, I had a little possum-born statue trophy sitting on my desk a couple of years ago when things were pretty tough.
• 4:04
  And thinking about, I'm too old for this, and then that statue of possum was the inspiration.
• 4:09
  So now I come over here where he dominated, I guess adds value to what we've done.
• 4:13
  And that's what I guess does make it a little bit unique.
• 4:16
  Just to underscore what he was talking about before, some of the pairing with workshops here in Australia, the hard work that's been required to stitch this together.
• 4:24
  Yeah, I mean, the guys have managed that really, really well between working with Lane's team out of Perth and finding workshops, finding places to be.
• 4:32
  But I mean, it's a huge, huge cost logistically.
• 4:35
  So to put it all together is really, really good.
• 4:37
  Did I spy that you did some driving over the Nullarbor and things like that?
• 4:41
  You've acquainted yourself with Australia, haven't you?
• 4:43
  Well, I was supposed to do it a few times, but the schedule didn't quite allow.
• 4:46
  So I only had to do it once.
• 4:47
  So maybe I dodged a bullet there.
• 4:48
  But, you know, this truck's
• 4:50
  is coming from Perth from every rally, basically.
• 4:53
  So logistically, it's a big challenge for the team.
• 4:55
  You've sat beside him for a long time now.
• 4:57
  You know what he's like.
• 4:58
  With the exception of a wayward Aussie kangaroo, even the nighttime driving that we saw at Gippsland, for example, it's been a mighty performance, hasn't it?
• 5:05
  Yeah, it's been 20 years now, and I have to say that he's driving at his best now.
• 5:09
  I'm on the thoughtful side of driving as well as the kind of young enthusiasm that goes with it.
• 5:14
  It's fantastic.
• 5:15
  So where to from here?
• 5:17
  I mean, Possum went on to chalk up seven in Australia.
• 5:20
  We'd love you to come back and have a crack at another one.
• 5:23
  I know you've got quite a trophy cabinet back home in New Zealand and probably the want to add to that.
• 5:27
  Will you come back and maybe have a play in Australia again?
• 5:30
  Oh look, we'd love to if we can.
• 5:32
  Ultimately it comes into budgets and that's the hardest thing at the moment.
• 5:34
  So yeah, we've got a couple of months to try and work out what the next step is.
• 5:37
  And we love new challenges, but we also love the challenge of defending the title like we did with the European Championship.
• 5:43
  It's a lot harder defending, so it would be another new challenge in some respect.
• 5:46
  And it would be nice in some respects to come back and actually utilise the data and information in the onboard videos that we've captured this year to take things to another level.
• 5:55
  Hey, we've all got a few months to try and work that out.
• 5:57
  Cool.
• 5:57
  Final one for you.
• 5:58
  Obviously, the World Championship's in an interesting space, you know, for the next 12 months, I guess you could say.
• 6:03
  If they do go down a path of perhaps, you know, a rally two, would a 20-27 target for you and to go and play in that in a serious way be on the cards too?
• 6:12
  Oh, look, it's a secret.
• 6:13
  I'd love to have our own New Zealand team in the World Rally Championship.
• 6:15
  And, you know, regardless who's driving, I just want to have a team there.
• 6:19
  It's probably looking unlikely for 27 at the moment because, you know, the regulations haven't actually been officially published.
• 6:24
  So until we have those in our hands, it's hard to plan.
• 6:27
  But I think 2028 is realistic.
• 6:28
  And...
• 6:29
  Hey, you've got to dream big.
• 6:30
  It may not be realistic, but we've got to try and push for it.
• 6:33
  Cool.
• 6:33
  One final one for you.
• 6:35
  For the both of you, for this incredible team, there was an army in the forest this weekend.
• 6:40
  Padden's pack were out in force.
• 6:41
  What was it, 30 of them?
• 6:43
  I think your nana Esther was among them.
• 6:45
  It was awesome, mate, wasn't it?
• 6:47
  It's amazing.
• 6:48
  We've always got amazing support no matter where we go around the world.
• 6:50
  And always pretty vocal as well.
• 6:52
  And it's cool to see the flags out there.
• 6:54
  And, you know, when you're in a bit of pain, you see the flag, you just go toughen up.
• 6:57
  It just gives you that little bit of extra spur on, if you like.
• 7:00
  Good on you.
• 7:00
  To you both, congratulations.
• 7:02
  Pretty special place in the record books.
• 7:05
  Well done.
• 7:05
  Australian Rally Champions for 2025.
• 7:06
  Thank you.
• 7:09
  In the great tradition of trans-Tasman sporting rivalry, it means the trophy is headed over the ditch.
• 7:15
  And there are some very driven members of Toyota Gazoo Racing Australia who won the manufacturer's crown, incidentally, that are keen to see that driver's title back in Aussie hands in 2026.
• 7:25
  When we come back, a young star recovering from the heartbreak of missing out on the junior world title by the narrowest of margins.
• 7:32
  MUSIC
• 7:35
  This is the Motorsport Brief, our garage shortcast.
• 7:37
  We have some feature eps in the pipeline, including Colin Bond and Kevin McGee and a few more.
• 7:43
  We released a two-parter in recent weeks with legendary commentator and author John Smales, too, that is filled with all sorts of stories, including an elbowing incident with Kimi Räikkönen.
• 7:52
  and the streaker in the back of an interview with Wayne Gardner.
• 7:56
  Now to a true professional who is well beyond his years.
• 7:59
  Taylor Gill was with us a couple of months back ahead of the title decider of the Junior World Rally Championship.
• 8:05
  In theory, he was in the box seat, having firmly established himself in that group of the best up-and-comers on the planet.
• 8:12
  I'll let him tell you how it all played out.
• 8:14
  Suffice to say, it went gut-wrenchingly close.
• 8:17
  He is determined not to let the result define him,
• 8:24
  In a perfect world, you'd rather be driving than commentating, but you got to do a bit of that this weekend.
• 8:27
  Did you enjoy it?
• 8:28
  Yeah, I did, actually.
• 8:30
  It's a different sort of pressure when you're on live TV, I suppose.
• 8:32
  So, yeah, it was something new for me, but, yeah, I did enjoy it.
• 8:35
  It was quite cool.
• 8:36
  You and I caught up, I don't know, probably two months ago now, and it was all about previewing that final round.
• 8:42
  There was a huge amount riding on that for you.
• 8:46
  Take people there.
• 8:46
  I know it's been quite well documented.
• 8:48
  There's been some unbelievable support for you, mate, from Colin Clark, the World Rally Championship community generally.
• 8:54
  Man, you went close to winning that junior world title, didn't you?
• 8:58
  Yeah, I mean, it was so close yet so far at the same time.
• 9:01
  But yeah, in the end, obviously we missed the title by just 1.6 seconds on the very, very last stage.
• 9:07
  So it was a huge fight all weekend at the Central European Rally, which was the last round of the Junior World Championship.
• 9:12
  And yeah, unfortunately, a small mistake for me on the first day of the rally saw us get a puncture and lose about a minute.
• 9:17
  And then we went after it like a dog with a bone and clawed it back all weekend.
• 9:21
  But yeah, just ultimately fell slightly shorter.
• 9:23
  Give us a sense of how you've compartmentalised that, how you've dealt with that, because I know there's a huge blow to go that damn close and to know that for 2026, the prize pool that went with that win would have set you up so well, wouldn't it?
• 9:37
  Yeah, exactly.
• 9:38
  You know, like you say, obviously, you know, there was a lot riding on that championship in getting the prize and getting the drive in WRC2 for next year.
• 9:44
  You know, now we miss that.
• 9:45
  So it creates a difficult situation where, you know, we have to raise the budget to do it ourselves next year.
• 9:50
  So, I mean, if we could fund our season on kind words, then we'd be most of the way there already.
• 9:54
  But yeah, ultimately, it just comes down to the budget and, you know, we'll see what we can do.
• 9:59
  Hopefully get at least a few events off the ground for next year.
• 10:01
  Yeah, I mean, hopefully someone listening is, you know, maybe more than one person listening can contribute in that regard.
• 10:07
  When you put the heartbreak aside for a moment and just kind of report card on the year that it was, the calibre of the competition, your own growth as a driver, there are lots, Taylor, of positives to take away from this, aren't there?
• 10:20
  Yeah, exactly.
• 10:21
  And I mean, if you look at the overall result sheet, we won the first two rallies.
• 10:24
  We were second in the last three.
• 10:25
  So, you know, ultra consistent.
• 10:27
  Every single rally, we won stages.
• 10:29
  We fought at the front.
• 10:30
  You know, we went into every rally with the mentality of, right, we're here to win and we're going to try and win.
• 10:34
  And, you know, we fought for that at every rally.
• 10:36
  Sometimes it went our way, sometimes it didn't.
• 10:38
  But ultimately, you know, the results were still consistent and the results were strong.
• 10:42
  And, you know, we know that in any other series with a, let's say, more traditional points matchup,
• 10:46
  system, that would stand us in really good stead.
• 10:49
  So, you know, there's a lot to be proud of.
• 10:50
  And also, I'm proud of the fact that we were quick on a diverse range of events as well.
• 10:54
  What are the learnings and all that?
• 10:56
  Because, I mean, when you talk about that diversity, you cannot get more polar opposite surfaces, conditions.
• 11:02
  I mean, there's tarmac stuff you've had experience with in recent time as well.
• 11:06
  Yeah, exactly.
• 11:06
  I mean, you start the season on snow and then you go to the, you know, more rougher gravel in Portugal and Greece, which is a really, really tough rally.
• 11:13
  And then you go to Finland, which is also gravel, but the speed is just relentless, you know, ultra high speed.
• 11:18
  You know, we're doing average speeds of 120, 130 kilometres an hour over, you know,
• 11:22
  20 plus kilometres.
• 11:23
  So it's crazy, the diversity.
• 11:25
  And then, you know, again, to end our season on tarmac, which is something I've not been so familiar with, but also something I enjoy.
• 11:31
  It's a different challenge and, you know, something really unique and something that takes a lot of detail to get right.
• 11:36
  In a perfect world, the dream is to put enough together to go to Rally 2.
• 11:41
  How big is that mission?
• 11:42
  I mean, if you can give people a sense of what you need now to stitch this together to make that possible.
• 11:48
  And is the phone ringing?
• 11:49
  Are you hoping of, you know, ending up in a Toyota, in a Skoda?
• 11:52
  What is the preference if you can share that?
• 11:54
  Yeah, I mean, in an ideal world, for sure, the Toyota and the Skoda are probably the strongest cars at the moment as far as customer cars to get in and rent.
• 12:02
  But, you know, the average cost is about $150,000 Australian dollars to do one WRC rally in Europe.
• 12:07
  So, you know, then if you damage it, then it starts to cost more and more.
• 12:11
  So obviously that's never ideal anyway.
• 12:13
  Yeah, if we could get in a Toyota or a Skoda, Skoda's probably a little bit more accessible.
• 12:18
  But even if we could just do two or three rallies, it's better than nothing.
• 12:21
  It keeps our name circling around over there.
• 12:23
  And then when all the regulations change in 2027, then hopefully that opens more opportunities as well.
• 12:29
  But we have to be there and kind of on the shopping room floor for that.
• 12:32
  I mean, that's, I think, a really valid point that you've made.
• 12:36
  If you can, you've got to commit to that path, really, don't you?
• 12:40
  Yeah, exactly.
• 12:40
  I mean, you know, we have to keep going while our name's kind of fresh in a way.
• 12:44
  And, you know, in motorsport, everyone forgets you pretty quickly and you're only as good as your last result in a way.
• 12:49
  So, yeah, we need to try and keep it over there.
• 12:51
  And to keep moving the career forward, we have to keep our name circling in that area.
• 12:55
  Has the reaction been home, been good?
• 12:58
  I know the result has been a bit of pill to swallow in many respects, but you've had huge...
• 13:03
  I mean, we're here recording this at the final round of the ARC in Tasmania.
• 13:07
  Lots of people have stopped and chatted with you, haven't they?
• 13:09
  Yeah, exactly.
• 13:10
  And I mean, it's cool and probably hasn't really hit home to me throughout the year how many people are following and especially listening to some people and people I wouldn't expect saying that they were staying up late and looking at the split times in Central Europe, our last rounds.
• 13:22
  So then I was kind of like, okay, there is actually quite a few people following what we're doing.
• 13:26
  So, you know, of course, at times it feels quite remote when we're living on the other side of the world, competing on the other side of the world and our lives are kind of based in Europe, but ultimately Australia is home and all these people in the ARC are
• 13:37
  colleagues, sponsors, supporters, people I've competed with and against.
• 13:41
  So, yeah, it's really cool to feel the support.
• 13:43
  You've come here and taken this round of the championship from a different perspective.
• 13:47
  You've competed in it before, obviously.
• 13:49
  How much has it changed since you were a part of it and what sort of observations have you got about it?
• 13:54
  And then can I add that with a third prong to that question?
• 13:58
  If in the event that you can stitch a couple of – we'd love you to do the whole championship in Rally 2 next year, but if you can stitch a couple together, if it permitted, would you come back and potentially play in the ARC, for example?
• 14:10
  Yeah, absolutely.
• 14:11
  I mean, of course, Europe is our priority.
• 14:13
  But, you know, for me, this has been the first ARC I've been to in a couple of years now.
• 14:16
  And it's cool to witness the growth of the chairmanship and especially the level has risen, especially since Hayden's come in.
• 14:22
  And, you know, I guess given people a taste of some, you know, European pace, I suppose, obviously Hayden's been a class act over there for the last few years.
• 14:31
  So it's really good for that.
• 14:32
  And, you know, yeah, of course, if...
• 14:34
  If the opportunity came up for me to compete in the ARC, it'd be great.
• 14:37
  The roads are good, all the events are really good and the people are really cool.
• 14:40
  So, yeah, it's something I wouldn't be opposed to, that's for sure.
• 14:43
  You have tasted rally to equipment.
• 14:45
  Richie Dalton, who's been competing here this weekend, the smile on his face is, I mean, even now he's loved driving that car again.
• 14:53
  Can you get some miles at least with, you know, perhaps his help again or someone like that, just to sort of keep you in that phase of getting reacquainted or acquainted with the equipment?
• 15:02
  Yeah, for sure.
• 15:02
  I mean, you know, we have to see what opportunities are out there.
• 15:04
  But, you know, even the rally we did in Narooma earlier in this year with Richie's car, okay, it was sure lived, but it was still, you know, gives, I guess, scratches the itch in a way.
• 15:14
  So, you know, it keeps me motivated as well to try and be in one of those cars because when you experience that and you experience, you know, just how much grip they can create, how good the chassis are, the brakes, the power, everything, like it's unreal.
• 15:25
  So, yeah, for sure, that's a really cool buzz.
• 15:27
  And, yeah, like I said, that event, although it was sure lived, it was enough to make me think,
• 15:32
  There's a cool car, so I want to be in one more often.
• 15:34
  You have come a long way, mate.
• 15:35
  You and I talked, we drove out to a stage together, which was fantastic.
• 15:39
  We reminisced about some of the recce work that you'd done, even just to keep yourself, I guess, sharp for this event.
• 15:46
  And you reminded me that when you were younger, when you were competing in carts, for example, you came to a race meeting here.
• 15:52
  I don't know that you were in the same class, but a young Oscar Piastri was a part of that back then too, wasn't he?
• 15:56
  Yeah, exactly.
• 15:57
  Yeah.
• 15:57
  It's funny, you know, seeing all these people, Oscar's a good example.
• 16:00
  I remember seeing at go-kart tracks and races, you know, more in Victoria, but also we did one race here and I remember he was here as well, a little bit older than me, but, you know, still there's other guys that we raced against that are now racing supercars, super two and, you know, Trans AM and all these other circuit racing categories as well.
• 16:15
  So, you know, it's cool to see the different pathways that everyone's taken and, you know, also the progression as well that they've all had.
• 16:21
  Absolutely.
• 16:21
  Tom Heyman among them.
• 16:22
  Can we finish with what you'll do?
• 16:24
  I mean, you've made Finland your home in recent years, obviously.
• 16:28
  Will you stay in Oz for Christmas, for example, and keep chipping away at trying to sort of put that budget together?
• 16:33
  What's the plan for the next month or so?
• 16:35
  Yeah, exactly.
• 16:35
  Yeah, I'll be in Australia until, you know, at least the new year and yeah, just try and work on something for next year.
• 16:41
  It's obviously easier for me to try and, you know, communicate with the sponsors and that sort of thing when I'm here and on the ground.
• 16:46
  So yeah, that's the plan for the next couple of months and then we'll see what next year holds.
• 16:49
  Be proud.
• 16:50
  mate.
• 16:50
  You are a really professional, incredibly polished the way that you go about this.
• 16:55
  And I see that as a huge asset, not just what you're doing from a driving perspective.
• 17:00
  Mark Webber has this great saying, which I love, and that is keep boxing.
• 17:04
  So keep boxing and thanks for talking to us.
• 17:05
  Great.
• 17:06
  Thanks, Rusty.
• 17:08
  If you're from an Aussie company with a global customer base, or perhaps you just want to see some of your sponsorship go towards Taylor's bid to make it to the World Rally Championship, send him a DM on social media.
• 17:18
  For the avoidance of doubt, there is nothing in that for us.
• 17:21
  We would just love to see his journey continue.
• 17:24
  From one determined young Aussie to another, don't forget Joanne Cicconti's short cast ep is out on Thursday ahead of the final round of the F1 Academy in Vegas.
• 17:32
  We'll catch you then, everybody.
• 17:33
  Bye for now.