World rally legend Marcus Gronholm began a fruitful rallycross career at 40-years-old, winning on his debut in the European Championship at Holjes.

In this episode of Talking Loose with Hal Ridge Finnish driver Gronholm gives insight into a wide range of aspects from his rallycross tenure, from how the cars compared to his WRC machines to rolling in the Joker Lap in Poland 2008 but still finishing his heat race, an entry to the Pikes Peak International Hillclimb, helping forge a path for rallycross in America and the freak accident at X Games 2012 that ended his competitive driving career.

Gronholm reveals the involvement of Hyundai Motorsport in the deal that made the Finn an event-winning team owner at the highest level in World RX, gives honest appraisal of being father to one of the world’s best rallycross drivers today, discusses the World Championship crown that potentially got away in 2019 and rates the drivers that competed for his team.

He also talks about his current plans, why he’d like to return to rallycross in the future and much, much more.

Don’t forget to like and subscribe so you don’t miss an episode, and follow @TalkingLoose on social media to keep up with the rallycross news.

The FIA announced today (March 10) that the first-ever FIA Rallycross World Cup will be held in Jakarta, Indonesia on December 5-6 this year.

In this breaking news edition of the Talking Loose podcast, Hal Ridge and FIA rallycross commentator Andrew Coley discuss the news; give thoughts as to what the new event might look like and which drivers could attend.

Meanwhile former European Rallycross Champions Andreas Bakkerud and Patrick O’Donovan give their feedback on the news.

Don’t forget to like and subscribe to Talking Loose so you don’t miss an episode, and remember to follow @TalkingLoose on social media to keep up with the rallycross news.

British driver Andrew Jordan began his career in rallycross, before going on to win the biggest prize in British motor racing, the British Touring Car Championship crown in 2013.

Before that, he became the youngest Supercar driver ever and almost won the British title, but without the commercial opportunities to continue in rallycross, left for a professional career in circuit racing. When he returned, in 2014, he drove straight to the World RX podium.

In this episode of Talking Loose with Hal Ridge, Jordan reveals insight into the harsh realities of stepping up to Supercar from the Junior division and delivers fascinating stories of working with legendary names like Will Gollop, Per Eklund, Andreas Eriksson, Bruno Famin, Mattias Ekstrom and more.

Jordan’s story is one of big success coupled with what might have been. He worked with top rallycross outfits like OlsbergsMSE, Peugeot-Hansen, EKS and MJP Racing in a range of programmes. Had things been slightly different, he may well have become a professional rallycross driver too.

The now JRT co-owner talks about the restoration of his period Hansen Motorsport Citroen C4 for legends events, gives his opinion on the European Championship in 2026, and much, much more.

Petter Solberg is a three-time FIA World Champion, with two of his crowns achieved in rallycross.

Best known for his time winning with Subaru in the World Rally Championship, Solberg’s professional rally career was book ended by rallycross, from humble beginnings of running his car from the family farm in Norway, to returning after his WRC career drew to a close, at the highest level, in World RX.

In this episode of Talking Loose with Hal Ridge, Solberg reveals previously unheard insight and secrets from an amazing career.

The 2014-2015 World Rallycross Champion tells stories from the start of his rallycross journey, the reason he returned to rallycross post-WRC career and why his 2013 Citroen DS3 became such a rush to complete.

The Norwegian explains his core philosophies around developing cars, which manufacturer he was talking to before signing with Volkswagen for 2017 and how the Polo really compared to the DS3.

Solberg also talks about his amazing recovery following injury from an accident in Latvia 2017, gives insight into watching son Oliver’s current WRC form and much, much more.

Three-time European Rallycross Champion Andreas Bakkerud is one of the most popular drivers in rallycross today.

Having climbed from domestic level in his native Norway to the heights of winning for manufacturer teams in the FIA World Rallycross Championship, Bakkerud’s career experiences are unique.

In this in-depth discussion with Hal Ridge, Bakkerud opens up about the highs and lows of winning with Ford and Audi to being left without a race seat and why he is returning with his own team in 2026.

As the only driver to have sampled almost every top-flight rallycross car in the modern era, Bakkerud gives exclusive insight into the which he ranks as the best, how his driving style differed to that of his team mates and his close relationship with Ken Block that started with a simple message.

The Norwegian also relieves the 2019 World Rallycross season, where he came oh-so-close to being an FIA World Champion, losing out on wins count back after a dramatic finale.

Talking Loose focuses largely on arguably the world’s most exciting motor racing discipline; rallycross, while also covering other areas of off-road motor sport.

Hal Ridge delves into the stories and personalities that have shaped rallycross, sitting down with the people who live and breathe the mixed-surface discipline, from World Champion drivers to team principals, engineers, event organisers and the unsung heroes working behind the scenes.

Thoughtful, unfiltered, and driven by a genuine love for the sport, Talking Loose is about honest insight, technical deep dives, and the kind of stories you don’t hear in a quick interview.

Stay tuned for our first guest coming very soon!