Lake Macquarie’s Taylor Gill started racing go-karts when he was 7 years old. Speed ahead to 2024 and he’s on his way to winning the FIA Junior World Rally Championship in Europe.

The 20-year-old has already entered the history books as the first Australian to ever win a Junior World Rally Championship event coming in first place at the last race in Finland. Taylor is second in the title race, only eight points behind the leader with one race left.

Taylor’s racing dream started on the go-kart track at Newcastle.

“I raced go karts until I was 12 years old which was the minimum age to start racing cars in Australia. As soon as I was old enough to do that, we bought a Suburu WRX and started to get into the small rally events and build our way up.

“When I was 16, we got dispensation for me to participate on a learner licence but unfortunately that was when the pandemic shut down a lot of our plans.

“But we got back into it when we could. In 2022 we did the Australian Rally Championships and won the Production Class and in that same year I was picked to be a part of the FIA Rally Star program and moved overseas last year.”

The FIA Rally Star Program is a global talent detection program that finds, trains and develops drivers from all over the world.

For most drivers the selection process is vigorous, involving simulator challenges and slalom events and being judged on your presentation, networking ability and fitness.

But Taylor was chosen as a wildcard entry and progressed straight through to the Asia Pacific Final in India in October 2022. He won, taking one of the training spots on the program for 2023.

“They had six drivers, one from each continent plus a female driver and we did six rallies, four on gravel and two on tarmac. We did training camps, everything to build us and give us the basic tools to become a professional rally driver.

“This year they picked four of us to step up to the Junior World Rally Championship.”

Winning the event in Finland was something Taylor will never forget.

“Rally Finland is almost the equivalent of winning Bathurst in a world rally sense. Everyone wants to win it, it’s a legendary event that’s been part of the world championship calendar for more than 50 years. The roads are difficult and iconic, and hundreds of thousands of spectators come and watch, it’s unreal.

“Finland is probably the scariest to drive. Sometimes you have that moment of ‘wow we are really moving here’ but as soon as you start thinking about how fast and scary it is you slow down! The average speed in Finland is incredible, our fastest stage was 120km/hr which is very quick compared to Sardinia where the average speed is about 60km/hr.”

Taylor said the places he has raced have been unbelievable.

“We’ve done a rally in Sweden in the snow which was incredible. The snow we see in Australia is nothing compared to what is over here. You get out of the car to put your helmet on before the start and you can barely stand up, but you start driving and the grip from the tyres is even better than racing on gravel, it’s insane!”

As for what’s next, Taylor said they will push as far as they can.

“If we win the championship this year, we will step up into WRC2, and then there’s only eight seats available in the top rally category.

“It’s not easy, but we just keep pushing. It’s already a dream to be competing here because without this program and without the opportunity there’s no way I’d be racing. I’m just grateful to be here.”

You can follow Taylor’s journey on his Instagram page: @taylorgill63