Australian rally duo Taylor Gill and Dan Brkic are confident they can implement improvements in their approach ahead of this weekend’s Rally della Marca in Italy.

The pairing’s first event in the Citroen C3 Rally2 a month ago was designated as an important learning experience, and following a short stopover at home in Australia with time to reflect, Gill and Brkic return to the Italian Challenger Championship with plenty to be excited about.

“The first event of our program didn’t go to plan, and we left Italy with a lot to think about,” Gill said.

“There was a range of items on the improvement list, and we’re hoping to have taken steps in the right direction to change them for the second round of our program so we can attack it with more confidence and hopefully speed to be closer to the leaders.

“We probably underestimated the challenge of jumping in a new car and driving for a brand new team. I’m still relatively young in my career, and working with an unfamiliar team in a new country was a learning experience for me.

“Returning to Australia is always a pleasure, and although it was a busy time, it’s a great way to help me reset.”

Rally della Marca is a popular rally event held in the north east regions of Italy, approximately four hours east of where Gill and Brkic tackled their last Italian rally.

The rally will involve more competitive stages with 11 in total on just one day of action aiming to complete seven stages on Saturday (local time).

The entry list is dominated by fast locals in Rally2 cars with stages similar to previous editions of the event. Gill and Brkic will rely heavily on their pre-event routing to help their performance.

In other event news for the pair, recent financial support has confirmed both rally competitors will again tackle Rally Finland at the end of the month.

Gill and Brkic’s names will appear on the entry list as car 34 for the iconic FIA World Rally Championship event.

“Rally Finland is so special, and to be able to see our names on the entry list again is amazing,” Gill added.

“Driving a Rally2 car on those roads will be something else, but the competition will be as fierce as I’ve ever faced.

“We’re working as hard as ever to make this weekend one to remember; however, our focus will have to shift quickly once we’re over the finish line.”

Rally della Marca begins with Shakedown on Friday before a city centre start in picturesque Montebelluna later in the evening.