Fresh from her Year 12 exams and a season of club rallying, Molly, the daughter of Toyota co-driver, Coral Taylor, will drive a Mitsubishi Mirage RS in all rounds of the 2007 Australian Rally Championship.
With experienced co-driver, Mick Ryan, calling the corners, Molly has a string of good results already behind her. In 2006 she won the NSW 2WD championship and the 2-litre class, as well as receiving the CAMS NSW Young Achiever of the Year Award.
That’s not a bad effort when you consider the workload involved with juggling your schooling at the same time, but Molly Taylor is a young lady on a mission and sees a career as a professional rally driver as the ultimate dream.
The Mirage, which was used with success by Victorian Brenton Kaitler in 2006, will have an engine and gearbox rebuild before next season, as well as new suspension, modifications to the roll cage and a weight reduction campaign.
With a goal of being the 2007 F16 Australian Rally Champion, Molly has a big year ahead and is currently searching for sponsors to make her season the success it already shows signs of being.
After driving a rear-drive Toyota Celica in 2006, Molly says she’d like to see a clearer path emerge for future rally competitors.
“As a young person entering the sport I would really like to see more focus on ‘stepping stones’ within the ARC,” she says. “Something like a junior championship may have the potential to further increase the number of younger people competing in the sport through greater accessibility, as well as increasing the human interest angle to the public.”
But whether the rallying power-brokers see that as a path that the sport needs to take or not, Molly is a bundle of enthusiasm as the new season approaches.
“I’m really excited at the prospect of competing in the Australian Championship,” she adds. “A year and a half ago I was competing in khanacrosses and motorkhanas and couldn’t imagine what it would be like competing in the state championship, let alone the Australian Championship, so soon!
“It is still going to take a lot of work and sponsors to make it a reality, but I am optimistic that we will be able to pull it all together.
“There are a lot of exciting things happening with the ARC next year. I can’t wait to hear the S2000 cars out in the forest. And the number of young people competing in the ARC is growing and I’m looking forward to the competition,” she says.
Without a doubt, Molly Taylor will be one of the most exciting things to happen to the Australian Rally Championship in 2007. Watch her go!
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