Where you listen to the Special Stage Rally Podcast is moving.

Search the 'Motorsport Podcast Network' on your favourite platform to listen to each episode as it becomes live.

Richie Dalton moved to Australia from Ireland 20 years ago and has become an integral part of the Australian rallying community in the ensuing time.

His Toyota Yaris AP4 or Ford Escort are seen often on the stages and they're driven fast and flamboyantly.

Dalton's got an arm injury, though, that might just rule him out of competing alongside Kris Meeke at the Otago Rally in April.

We talk about all things with Dalton in an intriguing chat about life and rallying.

Competing in the snow at Rally Sweden is a bucket list experience, and a few have done it from Australia.

From Ed Ordynski to Chris Atkinson, Peter Rullo and Taylor Gill will join this small group in 2024.

The RallySport Magazine team speaks all about these Aussies and their history on the tricky snow and ice.

The Special Stage Rally Podcast team goes through all the ins and outs of the Christmas period, discuss the news from across the first part of the season and look forward to the season ahead.

Rallye Monte Carlo is discussed in length, particularly the hopes of the three main championship protagonists – Elfyn Evans, Thierry Neuville and Ott Tanak.

We also delve into a legendary rally car that has seen the stages in country Victoria for the first time in many years.

Glenn Brinkman and co-driver Dale Moscatt are ready for a huge adventure in the form of the 2024 Dakar Rally.

For the longtime rally pairing, it has been a build-up of at least a couple of years to get to the start line.

Brinkman is a Queensland Rally Champion and is well known as a rally and off-road competitor, and he’ll need all his skill from his 30+ years in the sport to complete the gruelling Dakar Rally.

He explains to Luke Whitten what his preparation has involved and what he’s looking forward to about that challenge that will last two weeks and almost 8,000 kilometres.

It's nearly Christmas time, and there’s still lots happening in the rally world, but for this week's episode of the podcast, we’re going to give you a bit of a teaser of our DustTrails Podcast.

For those of you who don’t subscribe to RallySport Magazine, this is our podcast that’s exclusive for subscribers. 

These long-form chats are the essence of the stories that we want to get told about the sport. People like Cody Crocker and Ross Dunkerton have gone through their entire careers with us including the highs and the lows.

In this short snippet, Chris Atkinson is the guest.

For Adelaide Rally boss, Tim Possingham, the last 18 months have been difficult to maintain his event on the calendar, and on this episode of the podcast, he speaks about the challenges that they've faced. 

While COVID was the challenge in 2020 and 2021, the review of tarmac rallying by Motorsport Australia forced the Adelaide Rally team into some tough decisions.

They were the only event to stick with Motorsport Australia and align with their recommendations, and they're working hard with them to provide a safe and exhilarating sport for everyone.

Possingham is generous in his answers and talks about many things including the upcoming Adelaide Motorsport Festival (which he also runs) and the prospect of his event joining the Australian Rally Championship.

Tim Possingham is the director for both the Adelaide Rally and the Adelaide Motorsport Festival and is a former tarmac rally competitor.

We had a chat with him about how he started in the sport and what some of his goals in the sport are.

By the end of the episode, you'll understand the man a bit better.

Romet Jürgenson was the standout performer in the FIA Rally Star Program this year and we caught up with him to discuss 2023 and his progression into the Junior World Rally Championship in 2024.

Forget every Estonian mannerism you associate with Ott Tanak – Romet is chatty and gave in-depth answers to how his year went.

We spoke to Romet from his home on a quiet Saturday morning and discussed the 2023 season, the future, and rallying in Estonia as a whole.

Tune in to our chat with an emerging star in world rallying.

Do you ever remember begging your Mum for a day off school to watch TV, or stay up later to watch WRC?

It was this, but to a much greater extent for Estonian rally driver, Romet Jürgenson, in 2019, when Ott Tanak won the world title.

Hear the story about Romet begging his Estonian Military superiors to watch the WRC, as well many other interesting stories in this 'Getting to Know You' episode of the Special Stage Rally Podcast.

This week we're looking back and discussing how we used to follow rallying in years gone by.

It wasn't as simple as looking at a live stream or getting live results in 1980, nor was it as simple as getting onto rally radio in the 2000s.

The RallySport Magazine team discusses their recollections from years gone by, chat about other people's memories from our social media channels, and touch briefly on the Australian Rally Championship finale and the Roger Albert Clark Rally.

Upon winning his second Australian Rally Championship title, we spoke to Harry Bates about his weekend and how the tense finale unfolded.

Bates spoke to RallySport Magazine on the Monday after his rally, Power Stage and championship win and was generous in his answers about the weekend’s proceedings.

He also answered questions on 2024 and how the off-season looks for he and the Neal Bates Motorsport team.

While many know Harry Bates for his exploits behind the wheel of a rally car, we decided to get to know the 2019 and 2023 Australian Rally Champion a bit more.

What's his favourite rally car of all time? What's his favourite stage? 

Those questions and many more are answered in this episode.

It all comes down to this...

The final round of the Australian Rally Championship is upon us and it will be an all-out battle between Toyota drivers Lewis and Harry Bates.

RallySport Magazine's crew give their thoughts on the season finale and forecast what might happen at the Rally of Canberra.

Sam Hill is a longtime member of the rally community and has many stories from not only his time with Subaru Rally Team Australia but also in long-distance rallying.

That's what he's joining us to chat about this week – his adventures in the Australasian and Sunraysia Safari events.

Hill talks to us about the challenges that long-distance rallying brings, what it means to take the step across from your regular special stage rallying event, and how he compares the two Herridges – Rob and Dean.

This week's Special Stage Podcast guest, Daniel Gonzalez, is aiming to clinch his first West Australian state title this weekend.

He talks about all things rallying and explains how he's learning at each event thanks to his dedication and detailed preparation.

All new to the Special Stage Rally Podcast is the shorter, 'Getting to Know' section where we'll learn a bit more about our guests.

It might be their favourite rally car, or in this case, we learn about Daniel Gonzalez's Uruguayan heritage.

We also find out about his dreams of becoming a world-class sprinter!

The Australian Rally Championship is going from strength to strength and we welcome its manager, Adrian Coppin, as a guest on this week's episode.

Coppin has been in the role for a few years, but with COVID rampaging as he took over, it was slow to see the benefits of his work.

RallySport Magazine's Luke Whitten asks all the questions that fans want to know about the sport – where it's heading, what might be in store for the finale at the Rally of Canberra and what's in the works with manufacturers and potential starter Hayden Paddon.

South Australian rallying has a long history, and Jeremy Browne is a big part of that.

He discusses with Peter Whitten some of the history of the South Australian rounds of the Australian Rally Championship and tells stories of how he got involved with the inaugural Rally of South Australia events in the early 2000s.

From filling the Wayville Showgrounds to the optimisation of Mount Crawford spectator experiences, Browne recounts many of his memories from those times.

Also discussed is the state of South Australian rallying and where some of the improvement may come from in terms of the state series.

Browne, a longtime competitor for over 50 years, also recounts some of his most recent and final events in the sport.

Tyres were the talk of the town in Chile at the most recent round of the World Rally Championship, and that's a big topic on this week's podcast.

We discuss the results of the latest WRC round and speak about Aussies kicking goals overseas, a West Australian state round, and also look back at an upcoming anniversary.

To conclude the episode, we reflect on the Rally of Melbourne considering the recent Valley Stages on similar roads.

This week’s edition of our Special Stage Rally Podcast welcomes New Zealand Rally Championship co-ordinator Blair Bartels as he discusses all things across the Tasman.

After the huge high of Rally New Zealand this time last year, Bartels and his hard-working New Zealand Rally Championship team have continued on the momentum that the WRC helped bring.

Just last weekend, their championship returned to the Daybreaker Rally – an all-time classic in New Zealand rallying spheres – and will conclude their series in just a month’s time.

Bartels talks to Luke Whitten about many things including his hopes for the 2024 calendar and a dream of a trans-Tasman Cup revival.

This week's episode of the Special Stage Rally Podcast is not just an interview, but also a masterclass on the essential skill of co-driving.

We welcomed 2021 American Rally Association champion co-driver, Rhianon Gelsomino, to the podcast to join Luke Whitten to delve into the world of co-driving.

She imparts a wealth of valuable lessons from her passion, and we think it’s well worth a listen!

During the discussion, Rhianon shares her experiences of training new co-drivers through her OZ Rally Pro business, as well as her journey of performing at the highest level. The topics covered are wide-ranging. 

Rhianon also provides fascinating insights into her partnerships with drivers in the Australian and American national championships. She highlights the contrasting experiences of guiding Gande Sanders and Lia Block, who are at two completely different stages in their driving careers.

The Acropolis Rally was threatened by the weather when hundreds of millimetres of rain fell on the rally area. 

On this week's podcast, we discuss the event and the results of the latest World Rally Championship round.

Also discussed in the podcast, we discuss:

* The Middle of Everywhere Gippsland Rally
* A new sponsor and name for Canberra's Australian Rally Championship round
* Subaru's involvement in Australian rallying and future potential
* 2024 ARC calendar
* Upcoming state rounds in Australia 

Alex Rullo holds the record for being the youngest driver to ever take the wheel in the Supercars championship, however, he’s now found a new calling in the Australian Rally Championship and couldn't be happier.

His natural talent is undeniable, but in rallying, it’s hard to come in and be fast right away. Despite this, he has been steadily improving with each event of the 2023 season.

During our interview, Rullo delves into the contrasting promotional landscapes of rallying and Supercars and also tells of his learnings of working with the Hyundai i20 N Rally2 car and his world-class Race Torque team. 

Scott Pedder is competing in the Australian Rally Championship this weekend and we thought it was the perfect chance to catch up with him about his return.

With Glenn Macneall alongside him, Pedder is seeded fourth for this weekend’s Gippsland Rally and is not ruling out chasing the rally win.

In this episode, hear from Scott about his rallying journey and hear his point of view on where the series is situated at such a strong moment in its history.

He also offers an insider’s view into the Gippsland Rally and tells some great stories of his times in the World Rally Championship.