Molly Taylor is the daughter of Australian rally car driving; her mother, Coral, is currently co-driving with four times Rally Champion Neal Bates and her father, Mark, was a top tier driver for years.
It wasn’t until Mark Taylor put her behind the wheel on a rally track at age 16 that she discovered a passion for the unruly challenge that is rally car driving. In the ten years since that day Molly has travelled internationally racing rally cars and becoming the fastest female rally driver on the planet.
Taylor has been a Kumho Tyre Ambassador for two years and so we sat down with her to speak about what drives her racing, the challenge of being a female in a male dominated sport and why Kumho is her tyre of choice.
Kumho: Molly what happened that first day on a rally track that sparked a passion to race?
“It was the feeling of the car moving underneath me. The surface is unpredictable and that sensation, when the car is sliding around and being in control of the slide, is an addictive feeling. It’s not like a race track where you learn the braking marker and perfect it. Every rally we go to the surface is different between each stage and each corner so it’s a lot of feel that you can only learn through experience. It’s a tough sport but that’s what makes it so addictive, such a challenge and such a buzz when you do get it right.”
Kumho: What’s it like being a woman in a male dominated sport?
“I’ve always been female I have no idea what being a male would be like (Molly says laughing). I grew up in a household where my mum’s full-time job was racing so my dad was the one that was dropping us to school and doing those household jobs. So racing was never a male dominated sport to me, I thought every mum was like mine.”
Kumho: That is a great way to grow up are there differences in the sport between then and now?
“Since then I’ve found that the way I’m treated depends on how I approach what I’m doing. If I’m professional and put in the hard work and want to be there for the right reasons then people will respond with nothing but support and respect. That’s always been really important to me - to be there because I want to drive and want to compete. When people see that my gender becomes irrelevant.”
Kumho: Do you have a message for young female rally and racing enthusiasts?
“The great thing about motor sports is that at the end of the day the results do the talking. You can get caught up in what people think or what people say but if you want to be there and drive then that’s all you need to focus on.”
Kumho: What has kept you partnering with Kumho each year?
“I’m really happy this is my second year as an ambassador with Kumho Tyre, last year was in the Australian Rally Championship and it was fantastic to join the Kumho Family. You’ve been a fantastic supporter of rally and that’s one of the things I really love about the brand. Also Kumho have a great range of tyres that we use on the rally stages and you’re so passionate to keep developing performance. Then on the everyday roads Kumho have a range diverse enough to cater to SUVs, 4WDs and your family cars.”
Kumho: Do you have a favourite range of tyres for everyday driving?
The Eco Range are my favourite to use on the roads. Not only do they improve environmental impact they also save everyone money. Kumho tyres are what connect you to the road so you want them to save you money but you also want them to keep you safe! That technology built in is really important to me.”
In the first event of the season Taylor will be the only female driver in a 40-person field. What’s really great is that this incredible feat won’t be congratulated until after the dust has settled. Because looking through the windscreen and the helmet you won’t recognise her - and that performance based result is the way she wants it.