Popular Australian Rally Championship driver, Molly Taylor, will return to the series in 2020 in a privately entered Subaru WRX.
Taylor, the 2016 national champion, will contest the series for Craig Brooks' Orange Motorsport Engineering operation.
Encouraged by the shortened two-event calendar of rallies that includes South Australia and the Canberra, Brooks is eager to get back into the ARC.
"We were actually keen to contest the series when it was rescheduled as three or four events, but now with two rallies only, we'll definitely be there," Brooks told RallySport Magazine.
Nearly 12 months since she was last in a rally car, Molly Taylor is also excited about the prospect of returning to rallying.
"I'm really keen as I've been missing the competition," she told RallySport Magazine.
"South Australia last year was the last time I competed, so I hope we can make it happen."
Victorian-based Taylor has been at her parents' place in Sydney during the recent Melbourne lockdown, but even so, getting to a planned test session with the Subaru in Tasmania in August will prove to be difficult.
While there's still hope though, she'll plan accordingly.
"Being a realist, you'd have to say that there's potential that the event in South Australia won't happen," she added.
"But credit to Motorsport Australia for keeping the dream alive for as long as we can."
Car owner Craig Brooks will also enter some events in the Subaru WRX. Photo: Peter Whitten
Taylor's ARC program will be mostly funded by Brooks himself, with no involvement from Subaru Australia.
"Molly remains a valued Subaru Ambassador and, of course, we had a wonderful, close working relationship with Craig and the Orange Motorsport team last season. We wish them all the best with their plans for this year," Subaru's Dave Rowley said.
As far as a co-driver is concerned, Malcolm Read is again Taylor's number one choice, but the New Zealander will also have trouble travelling to Australia unless the current restrictions are eased.
"The next choice would be my old mate Bill Hayes, but he's in Western Australia so there could be some issues with him travelling as well."
Asked if her famous co-driving mother, Coral, could be convinced to jump into the seat, Taylor added:
"I brought this up at the dinner table the other night and she just rolled her eyes.
"However, I'm sure if that was necessary we'd work well together and have a great time."
Molly Taylor in action in Rally Tasmania in 2019. Photo: Luke Whitten
Car owner, Craig Brooks, is likely to drive the Subaru WRX in Tasmanian Championship rallies this year, starting with the Hellyer Rally on September 5.
His local entries will be a good test for the Subaru before Taylor takes the wheel at the Adelaide Hills Rally in mid-October.
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