Molly Taylor has made history in the Australian Rally Championship, becoming the first female driver ever to win a heat in a round of the country's premier rally series.

In their first event together - the Quit Forest Rally, run in WA over the weekend ­- Taylor and experienced co-driver Bill Hayes (Renault Clio R3) kept their heads while their rivals fell victim to the treacherous WA gravel or mechanical problems.

They won Saturday's first heat of the opening round of the 2015 ARC and came third on Sunday (March 28-29), giving them second place outright for the weekend, behind Eli Evans and Glen Weston (Citroën DS3 R3T). Eli's older brother Simon Evans and co-driver Ben Searcy (Honda Civic Type R) completed the podium.

"To be honest, making history was the last thing on my mind but it is pretty cool!" Taylor said.

"And as far as being the only female driver competing against the guys, I don't think about that either. I'd feel the same way if Eli and Simon were women!" she chuckled.

"We're all competitors and when you're out there, you just want to be the best competitor, to make the best of whatever happens on the day and - hopefully - that's good enough to get a really good result.

"Obviously it's been a really fantastic weekend for us and we're pretty excited. I didn't know what to expect being away from competing in Australia for so long, and here we have Bill and I being in the car for the first time, and the first time working together, and we've achieved a podium, which is a great result for everyone involved," Taylor said.

"I was putting a lot of pressure on myself but the car felt really good and we were happy with our pace from the start, so we just decided to concentrate on getting our jobs right - and then everything came together and here we are!"

Despite the result, Taylor and Hayes were not without their own dramas. Coming into the final two stages of Heat One, and leading the field, the steering went on the Renault.

"The suspension arm just snapped just as we came into control and we had about five minutes to fix it before the two super special stages around Nannup Oval," Taylor said.

"We managed to jerry-rig the steering and the wheel with a couple of ratchet straps and then we drove, rather than rallied, the last stages. We were trying not to brake or turn too sharply and just nursed the car around, hoping we had enough leeway to keep the result. Thankfully we had built up enough of a buffer through the day that we could sacrifice the time, but it was so nearly all over."

Taylor and Hayes also had some dramas on Day Two, with a puncture two kilometres from the end of the first stage. They drove out of the stage - uphill all the way - before changing the tyre, but it cost them valuable time.

"I don't think it really would have made much difference, so there is no point pondering the 'what ifs'. We spent the rest of the day trading times with Eli and Simon which was a lot of fun. We've learned a lot this weekend. We know we have the pace and we know what we need to do from here and we are really excited for the rest of the year. Bring it on!"

The 26-year-old, who is back home in Sydney after six years competing in the British, European and World Rally Championships, has paid tribute to Scott Pedder and the Pedders team, who own the car. Pedder and co-driver Dale Moscatt won the Australian title in the Renault last year.

"I knew the car was good - Scott proved that last year - it was up to me to live up to how good it is. I want to thank him and all the guys in the team who have helped get me here this weekend.

"I'd also like to thank Bill [Hayes] for doing an awesome job in the car as well as my sponsors including Rexona and Hi Tec Oils - and everyone who has supported me. This result is truly the best way I can repay them," she said.

Taylor has been instrumental in helping Scott Pedder put together a programme to contest the WRC2 category of the World Rally Championship this year. Pedder has returned the favour by arranging for Taylor to drive his car in the top level of local competition.

Taylor and Hayes' next outing with the Renault will be the National Capital Rally in Canberra in May.

During the young Sydneysider's time overseas, she was named British Ladies Champion two years in a row, won the inaugural European Rally Championship Ladies Trophy and was officially recognised as the fastest female rally driver in the world (2013). Taylor is working on plans to contest several WRC rounds in 2015, as well as the Australian championship.

Liz Swanton
Media Manager
Molly Taylor Motorsport
www.mollytaylor.com.au
Telephone │ 02 9771 1277 │ International │+ 61 2 9771 1277
Mobile │ 0417 232 643 │ International + 61 417 232 643
Email │lizswanton@writerpr.com.au