Molly Taylor

Molly Anne Taylor (born 6 May 1988) is an Australian rally car driver. She is the 2016 Australian Rally Champion, the first and only woman to win the Australian Rally Championship and the youngest regardless of gender, and the 2021 Extreme E Champion.

Taylor was the first female accepted into the Australian Motor Sports Foundation (AMSF) International Rising Star Program and also awarded the New South Wales (NSW) Confederation of Australian Motorsport Young Achiever of the Year Award in 2006. In 2011, she was part of the World Rally Championship Pirelli Star Driver program and one of the youngest and the only female driver participating in the WRC. She has won several championships including back to back Australian Rally Championships in the F16 Class for 2007 and 2008. which she won again in 2010. She also competed in the FIA 2013 European Rally Championship. In 2016, Taylor won the Australian Rally Championship overall classification.

Early life and education

Taylor is the daughter of rally driver Mark Taylor and four-time Australian Rally Champion co-driver Coral Taylor. Molly has one sister, Jane. Molly attended New England Girls' School in Northern New South Wales. She had a love of horses growing up and competed in cross-country events. Taylor sold her horse in order to purchase her first rally car. She was quoted as saying, "I got 100 horsepower for one horse so I thought that was pretty good."

In 2006, Taylor was selected into the Women's Driver Development program where she was considered a standout performer. She used 2006 as a year to gain experience in a rear-wheel drive rally car before moving into a front-wheel drive car and moving up to the Australian Rally Championship.

2010–2016

While driving in the British Rally Championship, she was noticed by Pirelli and World Racing Championship Academy officials.

Taylor also competed in the FIA European Championship in 2013.

In 2015, Taylor became the first woman to win a heat in the Australian Rally Championship in heat one of the opening event in Western Australia, and then the first woman to win an event outright at the National Capital Rally in Canberra. Molly achieved podium positions at every Championship round and finished second overall in the Championship.

In 2016, Taylor became both the first female driver to win the Australian Rally Championship and the youngest to do so at the time, with co-driver Bill Hayes.

2017–2019

A strong start to the 2017 season and consistent performance throughout the year put Taylor in a strong position for a consecutive back-to-back victory, but an engine failure during the final round in Coffs Harbour pushed Taylor and new co-driver Malcolm Read to second overall, handing the outright win to Nathan Quinn.

It was another crushing finish to the year for Taylor in 2018 when, once again, her Coffs Harbour weekend was brought to an early conclusion following a spectacular crash during the second stage. Taylor and Read escaped unharmed despite a significant impact that caused their Les Walkden Subaru WRX STI to catch fire.

For the 2019 season, Taylor and Read entered the ARC with an all-new AP4 WRX STI built and supported by Orange Motorsport Engineering. It was to be a challenging year with persistent mechanical problems and a serious crash in Ballarat punctuated by successes but, once again, the season would conclude under unusual circumstances. The penultimate Adelaide Hills round – and subsequently the 2018 season – was won by championship favourite Harry Bates, finishing day two and more than 97 kilometres ahead of Taylor by just two tenths of a second. Bates secured the overall victory on points for the Neal Bates Motorsport Toyota team at the penultimate round, ahead of the final round in Coffs Harbour. The Subaru do Motorsport team finished third overall for the season.

However, the 2019 Australian bushfire crisis lead to the cancellation of the Coffs Harbour round and an early finish for the 2019 tour. It was the final year in Subaru Australia's contract with Taylor and a four-year commitment to the ARC, and the carmaker did not return for the 2020 championship.

In 2019, Taylor also made her series circuit racing debut, competing in the TCR Australia championship. As part of the Kelly Racing TCR team, Taylor raced one of two Subaru WRX TCR cars entered into the championship but ARC commitments meant she was only able to compete in five of the season's seven races.

2019–present

Following Subaru's exit from the Australian Rally Championship, Taylor had planned to compete in a number of rounds of the 2020 American Rally Association championship in a DirtFish Limited Subaru WRX STI, but the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic put an hiatus on her ARA assault. Taylor continues as a brand ambassador for Subaru Australia.

In 2020, it was announced Taylor would be participating the Seven Network's reality program SAS Australia.

In May 2020, Taylor joined the driver program of the inaugural Extreme E international electric rally series, which commenced in 2021. She partners Johan Kristoffersson at the Rosberg X Racing team. The pair won three of the five rounds of the season on their way to becoming the series' first champions. Despite winning the championship, she was replaced by Mikaela Åhlin-Kottulinsky for the 2022 season. Taylor joined JBXE for the 2022 Desert X-Prix, sharing the car with Kevin Hansen on a one-race deal.

In October 2025, Taylor survived a rollover crash on a desert track in Saudi Arabia. She climbed out of the damaged car by herself and was taken to hospital, just to be sure she had no severe injuries. Her team was hoping to repair the car in time for the race on the next day.

Career rally record

2025 – Extreme H World Cup - Winner 2024 – Extreme E – overall champion 2023 – Extreme E – third overall 2021 – Extreme E – overall champion 2017 – Australian Rally Championship – runner up 2016 – Australian Rally Championship – overall champion 2016 – Twilight Rallysprint Series – 37th in Round 1 2015 – Australian Rally Championship – runner up 2015 – Awarded Peter Brock Medal 2013 – FIA European Rally Championship - Ladies Champion 2012 – Signed With United Business Rally Management, Selected World & European Rally Championship Events 2011 – Pirelli Star Driver 2011 – World Rally Championship Academy 2010 – British Ladies Rally Champion 2010 – 3rd Citroën Racing Trophy (BRC) 2010 – IRDC Most Improved Award 2009 – British Ladies Rally Champion 2009 – Greenlight TV Star Performer Award 2008 – F16 Champion, Australian Rally Championship 2007 – F16 Champion, Australian Rally Championship 2006 – 2WD Champion, NSW Rally Championship 2006 – 2 Litre Champion, NSW Rally Championship

Complete World Rally Championship results Season still in progress.

Complete Extreme E results (key) Year Team Car 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Points 2021 Rosberg X Racing Spark ODYSSEY 21 DESQ DESR OCEQ OCER ARCQ ARCR ISLQ ISLR JURQ JURR 1st 2022 JBXE Spark ODYSSEY 21 DES ISL1 ISL2 COP 14th 12 Veloce Racing ENE 2023 Veloce Racing Spark ODYSSEY 21 DES1 DES2 HYD1 HYD2 ISL11 ISL12 ISL21 ISL22 COP1 COP2 3rd 2024 E.ON Next Veloce Racing Spark ODYSSEY 21 DES1 DES2 HYD1 HYD2 ISL11 ISL12 ISL21 ISL22 VAL1 VAL2 1st 83 2025 Jameel Motorsport Spark ODYSSEY 21 DES1 DES2 N/A N/A † Season abandoned.

Career circuit racing record Complete Bathurst 12 Hour results Year Team Co-drivers Car Class Laps Overallposition Classposition 2009 Jim Hunter Motorsport Heather Spurle Christina Orr Subaru Impreza 2.0R G 203 27th 2nd

TCR Australia results TCR Australia results Year Team Car 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 Position Points 2019 Kelly Racing Subaru WRX STI TCR SMPR1 SMPR2 SMPR3 PHIR4 PHIR5 PHIR6 BENR7 BENR8 BENR9 QLDR10 QLDR11 QLDR12 WINR13 WINR14 WINR15 SANR16 SANR17 SANR18 BENR19 BENR20 BENR21 19th 116