Thedogbox Podcast

Play Show, or Right-Click to DownloadThis is the 84th and final 'DogBox'. Thank you to everyone who has downloaded and listened to the show, and the rally fans, from all over the world, who emailed me to share their enthusiasm for rallying and motorsport in general. It's been great fun producing the show over the last two years. Bruce.The last WRC event of 2007 and Marcus Gronholm's 150th and final event.Marcus didn't get the fairy-tale ending he'd hoped for. A strong second place behind team-mate Mikko Hirvonen was the best he could muster, while Sebastien Loeb hung on for third place, good enough to claim the 2007 drivers title.Rally Wales really threw the conditions at the crews, the rain and mud made even more difficult by stages run in darkness. And after an off late on day one, Jari-Matti Latvala showed just what he could do by winning the bulk of the stages on the final two days.There's a new generation of drivers waiting to take centre-stage, but 2007 will go down as one of the classic years in WRC h

Play Show, or Right-Click to DownloadWith just one week to go before the final round of the WRC for 2007, what better time could there be to catch up with Amberie Kat of What in the World Rally?Amberie is a keen observer, commentator and fan of the WRC, and we get her thoughts on the '07 season and the performances of the leading drivers.

Play Show, or Right-Click to DownloadSebastien Loeb may have let Marcus Gronholm off the hook in Japan, but he certainly wasn't going to make the same mistake twice. Gronholm's exit on stage 4 opened the door for Loeb to take a six point lead in the championship with just one round to go.With Dani Sordo safely in second place, Jari-Matti Latvala pushed up into third place, while Mikko Hirvonnen stayed out of trouble in fourth, capturing enough points for Ford to take their second Manufacturers Championship. Photos courtesy of www.rallyireland.org.Music this week from:Pier Nineteen - Spiders and Webs. "The album is not only one of the most impressive recordings by a Galway band over the last few years but is probably as good as any album released by an Irish artist in quite a while" - Galway Advertiser. You can purchase the CD directly from the Pier Nineteen web site.Open Door Policy - Bending Out of Design. The band's sound combines infectious melody and clever dynamics to create energetic songs brimming wi

Play Show, or Right-Click to DownloadToo big, too strong. Simon Evans and the Toyota team take home another series, clinching his second-straight championship during leg 1 of Rally of Melbourne.We got all the action from both legs, including interviews with Michael Guest, Glen Raymond, Spencer Lowndes, Brendan Reeves, Les Walkden, and the series champ Simon Evans. Photos courtesy of Toyota Racing Development, Pirtek Rally Team and paulbatten.com.Music this week from:The Exploders - I Can't Dance. It's not about where you're from, it's all about where you're at. Or in the case of Lake Bolac's finest sons The Exploders, where you're going. It may be a long way to the top if you wanna rock & roll, but The Exploders are showing every sign of making it with their second album 'Easy and the Sun', available through Rubber Records.Buy it from the iTunes Music StoreJosh Owen Band - Can I Get a Witness. "A sexy fusion of cataclysmic soul rhythms and white hot funk." - Buzz Magazine. The Josh Owen Band have seen b

Play Show, or Right-Click to DownloadCody Crocker only needed to cross the start line to claim a second APRC title. But he went further, and while his rivals fell away during the opening day, Crocker powered on, not only taking APRC win, but the overall rally victory ahead of higher-profile European drivers. Unfortunately for the MRF team, China provided no joy. Katsu Taguchi crashed out during the first morning, while Jussi Valimaki and Gaurav Gill were forced to stop thanks to contaminated fuel.However China proved to be a treat for Brian Green, the only APRC driver, apart from Crocker, not to fall foul to the Chinese roads. He not only took second place on the podium, but also fourth for the series.

Play Show, or Right-Click to DownloadWe take a look at this years unbelievable Rally Japan. Just when you thought Marcus Gronholm had handed Sebastien Loeb a third-straight series title, Loeb crashed. The attrition rate was high, giving some of the series less visible competitors the chance to shine.Mikko Hirvonen and Dani Sordo finished 1-2 for Ford and Citroen, while Henning Solberg and Matthew Wilson put in a great finish for Stobart, just ahead of Luis Perez Companc and Federico Villagra in the Munchis cars. Photos courtesy of Rally Japan.Music this week from:Lukas - Feels Like Home. Lukas have spent the last year at various locations along the coast of NSW crafting songs with honest lyrics, strong, soaring melodies and killer hooks. Their brand-new EP, 'You and Me', launches on November 3, and will be available from their web site.Two Loons For Tea - Monkey. Two Loons for Tea is a Seattle-based dream-pop super-group reminiscent of Zero 7 or Portishead. As a live group, "Two Loons for Tea could open for

Play Show, or Right-Click to DownloadWith a week off before Rally Japan, I thought now would be great time to catch up with Chris Atkinson. While the Subaru team will carry the weight of local expectation, Rally Japan is an event where Chris has had a fair degree of success.I caught up with him on Friday night, just as he and the rest of the Subaru World Rally Team were about to fly out of London for Hokkaido.Photo courtesy of the Subaru World Rally Team.Technorati Tags: Rally Japan, Subaru World Rally Team, Chris Atkinson, ARC, Australian Rally Championship, V8 Supercars, V8SC

Play Show, or Right-Click to DownloadThe fourth-last rally of the WRC year, and Sebastien Loeb bags another one. But Marcus Gronholm wasn't letting the Frenchman out of his sight, and hung on for an important 2nd-place, Dani Sordo unable to challenge Gronholm.The championship could be decided by the performances of the Sordo and Hirvonnen, and whether they can 'steal' points from either Gronholm or Loeb.And 'Welcome to the WRC' Suzuki. The little white SX4 had a solid first outing; not too many problems and posting times near the top-10 all event. There's a really short video the Nicolas Bernardi in the SX4 up at YouTube. Photos courtesy of Rally Shots and Suzuki.Music this week from:Kick in the Can - Dan. Originally formed by Gregoire Nachbauer and Edouard Schmitt, the bands rhythm section was added in the form of Vincent Atlan and Thomas Flieg. The boys reside in Paris, and although they don't have a CD available at the moment, you can hear more of their tracks at their MySpace page. (Thanks to the PMN fo

Play Show, or Right-Click to DownloadSebastien Loeb was expected to do well here, and he didn't disappoint. But, if not for the leg one rain, Marcus Gronholm would have posed more of a threat, and with Dani Sordo claimed second place on the podium, Gronholm's series lead is now reduced down to six points.To see Chris Atkinson's two-wheel antics in Spain, have a look at the first couple of minutes of YouTube. Photos courtesy of Miquel Rovira.Plus we'll talk about the Bathurst 1000, and various bits of rally news.Music this week from:The Pepper Pots - You Love Her. The Pepper Pots formed in 2002 with the aim of bringing back the sound and style of the Jamaican bands of the 60s. Their 2nd CD, 'Shake It!' was released this year; a disc for dancing, listening to and going back to the era when ska, rocksteady, early reggae or soul were the pop music of the moment. Purchase their CDs from their web site, and you can hear more of their tunes on their MySpace page.Will Deynes - Superwonderful. "Often compared to ban

Play Show, or Right-Click to DownloadAnother round of the ARC, and another win for Toyota. Simon Evans didn't have things all his own way with Steve Glenney, Eli Evans and Spencer Lowndes providing some early resistance. But Evans and his Group N(P) Corolla are in a league of their own at the moment, walking away with the win as others faltered.Second place was a good return for Neal Bates, who's hard work on the S2000 Corolla is starting to pay off, while Spencer Lowndes out-smarted the faster cars around him and capture third for the event. Photos courtesy of Toyota Racing Development, Pirtek Rally Team and Redline Photographics.Music this week from:Lover - Never. Their 2007 debut release features the award winning (2006 ABC Newcastle Music Awards, Best Rock Performance), dance-floor-cutter, 'Never', which was recorded under the sonic guidance of Rob Taylor (The Whitlams, Screaming Jets, INXS). The CD is available from the bands MySpace page.Dirty Pink Jeans - Dance. The 4-piece from Melbourne are gigging

Play Show, or Right-Click to DownloadSorry everyone; I've run out of time to put a show together this week. But TheDogBox #76, with coverage of the NSW round of the Australian Rally Championship, will be out next week.

Play Show, or Right-Click to DownloadAt last! Someone else wins! Jussi Valimaki dominated Rally Indonesia from start to finish, while Katsu Taguchi banked solid times all weekend to take 2nd. The MRF Lancers turned around the disaster of Malaysia, for their best finish since the opening round in New Caledonia.A simple mistake by Cody Crocker midway through leg 1 wrecked his event, 5th his worst result of the last two seasons. But even 5th scored him enough points to claim back-to-back APRC titles. Thanks to www.jussivalimaki.com for some of the audio interviews featured in this podcast.

Play Show, or Right-Click to DownloadRally NZ 2007; it will probably go down as one of the great fights of WRC history. Sebastien Loeb almost grabbed an up-set win. But after losing the lead at the end of day 2, Marcus Gronholm came from behind to snatch victory. 350kms of stages over three days, the two were split by just 0.3 second.There's a great little video of Latvala on the Whaanga Coast stage up at YouTube. Photos courtesy of Alan MacDonald (Macspeed Photography) and Taniwhaiti.Plus, Ed Ordynski steps down as ARCom chairman, and rumours of new manufacturers for the ARC; Mitsubishi, Suzuki, and possible Volkswagen (????).Music this week from:The Ember Days - Your Eyes Light Up. From their brand new album "Your Eyes Light Up", which is being released on September 10 in New Zealand. For international orders, you can purchase the CD directly from The Ember Days MySpace page.Edwin Derricutt - Stay. Right from the very first chord I thought this was an album I was going to enjoy, and I haven’t changed my m

Play Show, or Right-Click to DownloadA special edition of TheDogBox for Rally NZ, we talk to Scott Pedder from the Mystery Creek service park.Photo courtesy of scottpedder.com.au.Technorati Tags: Rally New Zealand, Scott Pedder, ARC, Australian Rally Championship, V8 Supercars, V8SC

Play Show, or Right-Click to DownloadAnother week, another DogBox, and this time we have coverage of the Rally Deutschland. A good effort by Sebastien Loeb to claim the second tarmac rally of the season in the Citroen C4. But after battling Francois Duval all weekend, disaster struck Marcus Gronholm on the very last stage.To check out the new Trier super special stage, have a look at this YouTube video. Photos courtesy of rally-shots.com.Music this week from:AnnA - Schneller Propeller. Lead singer Anna describes the whole world from her own point of view to the sound of electropop. It’s about all those everyday questions you busy yourself with while lying in the meadows and watching the clouds fly by. In November 2005 their first EP was released through “auf die plätze/Alive” followed by single and album in August 2006. The band would love to never leave their band bus again and tour non-stop, shoot embarrassing photos of themselves only to show them off and make their kind of pop music popular. That’s how

Play Show, or Right-Click to DownloadCody Crockers dream season keeps rolling on, Malaysia his fourth straight victory. Now with a 28 point lead, the rest of the year looks like to will be a fight for second between the MRF team-mates Katsu Taguchi and Jussi Valimaki.And Malaysia was also a good event for the Reece Jones Motorsport entries, Naren Kumar and Brian Green claiming the other APRC podium positions. And we also have a chat with three-time APRC champ Karamjit Singh about his come-back to the Malaysian national series, and a possible return to the APRC next year.And if you have a look at the MotorImage web site, you'll find a short video of the event.