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.
12: Euro RX Portugal: Behind the Scenes Paddock Round Up
There was plenty of drama in the 2026 European Rallycross Champion season-finale at Lousada in Portugal, as Andreas Bakkerud and Johan Kristoffersson went head-to-head for the championship crown, and Kristoffersson who came out on top.
As the penultimate round final races ran after dark under lights in front of a hugely passionate Portuguese crowd, four titles were decided and new winners were crowned in Portugal in the double-header weekend.
In this ‘behind the scenes’ paddock walk edition of the Talking Loose podcast, join Hal Ridge heads into the paddock to get the lowdown on the season-finale with personalities from the paddock.
30 Aug 2026
11: Euro RX France: Behind the Scenes Paddock Round Up
Frenchman Fabien Pailler claimed a fairy tale maiden European Rallycross Championship victory at home in Loheac, as a huge crowd descended on the French venue to witness a thrilling event and Sebastien Loeb returned to the series.
And, while Pailler took the win, Andreas Bakkerud finished second to take the Euro RX points’ lead.
In this ‘behind the scenes’ paddock walk edition of the Talking Loose podcast, join Hal Ridge as he chats to some of stars and lesser-known members of the paddock on post-race in France on Sunday evening.
19 Jul 2026
10: Euro RX Ireland: Behind the Scenes Paddock Round Up
European Rallycross returned to Mondello Park in Ireland for the first time in 30 years, where Andreas Bakkerud overcame a pace defect to championship leader Johan Kristoffersson to claim RX1 victory in a dramatic final.
Following the action on track, which delivered throughout with a new layout at the Naas venue, join Hal Ridge for a ‘behind the scenes’ walk around the paddock to catch up with some of the biggest names in the sport, and some of those behind the scenes who usually operate under the radar.
6 Jul 2026
9: Euro RX Sweden: Behind the Scenes Paddock Round Up
The annual ‘Magic Weekend’ at Holjes in Sweden produced more drama than any rallycross event had seen in recent years, where Johan Kristoffersson ultimately claimed victory ahead of KMS team mate Ole Christian Veiby and first-time Euro RX podium-finisher Casper Janson.
Join Hal Ridge for a ‘behind the scenes’ addition of the Talking Loose podcast as he ventures into the Holjes paddock after the finals to get the low down from those on the inside.
9 Jun 2026
8: Driving a Group B RS200 Monster | POV Test Drive Ford RS200 Evo at Lydden Hill
Driving a legendary Group B Ford RS200 Evo at the home of rallycross!
In this special track test edition of Talking Loose, Hal Ridge heads to Lydden Hill to drive one of the most iconic Group B machines to ever turn a wheel in rallycross — the Ford RS200 Evo.
When the FIA banned Group B from rallying at the end of 1986, many of those extraordinary machines found a new home in rallycross, where they delivered incredible spectacle until the end of 1992.
In this episode of Talking Loose, Hal speaks to owner Steve Harris — who tracked down RS200 Chassis 21 as an unfinished barn find a decade ago, complete with a brand-new Cosworth BDT engine that had never been run — and to European Championship event-winner and British Rallycross Champion Pat Doran, on what it really took to drive these cars in period, before taking the wheel at Lydden Hill.
The RS200 and other Group B machinery will be racing at the Lydden Legend Festival, 13 & 14 June at Lydden Hill.
1 Jun 2026
7: Euro RX Hungary: Behind the Scenes Round Up
European Rallycross returned to Nyirad in Hungary for round two of the 2026 season, where Andreas Bakkerud claimed victory in a historic podium lock-out for the SET Promotion team and points’ leader Johan Kristoffersson crashed out of contention at turn one of the final.
While the Nyirad ‘Red Cauldron’ once again provided plenty of action on track, join Hal Ridge for this ‘behind the scenes’ addition of the Talking Loose podcast as he heads into the paddock post racing on Sunday evening to find out more of what happened from the teams and drivers.
10 May 2026
6: Euro RX Latvia: Paddock walk weekend round-up
The 2026 European Rallycross Championship began at Riga in Latvia where Johan Kristoffersson claimed RX1 final victory ahead of Ole Christian Veiby and Joni Turpeinen, but that result didn’t tell the whole story.
Join Hal Ridge for a walk around the Riga paddock as the teams packed up, to get the low down on the how the weekend unfolded.
25 Mar 2026
5: Marcus Grönholm: From debut victory to freak career-ending crash
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.
10 Mar 2026
4: Discussing the new FIA Rallycross World Cup in Jakarta with Coley, Bakkerud and O’Donovan
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.
25 Feb 2026
3: Andrew Jordan: Being the youngest Supercar driver ever to World RX podium & a wild ride with Mattias Ekstrom
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.
11 Feb 2026
2: Petter Solberg: Sleeping in the workshop, world title wins & finding a doctor to let him race
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.
28 Jan 2026
1: Andreas Bakkerud: From partying with Ken Block to what really happened in 2019 World title fight
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.
25 Jan 2026
1: Introducing Talking Loose: A Brand New Rallycross Podcast
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!
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