Young Australian rally driver Molly Taylor will contest the 2013
European Rally Championship with the team she competed with in
2012.
The announcement has been made by Pier Liberali, General Manager
of United Business, the Italian sports management company in charge
of Molly's international rally career since last year.
The 25-year-old Sydneysider, who has moved to Italy to work more
effectively with United Business and BP Racing, will begin her
adventure in the European series in Portugal on the island of
São Miguel. The 48th Sata Rallye Acores will be
run over the weekend of April 25-27.
Molly and her British co-driver, Seb Marshall, will drive a
Citroen DS3 R3T supplied by BP Racing, which supplied the car that
the duo competed in so successfully last year.
They will contest seven European events with United Business and
BP Racing, as well as competing in the Australian round of the
World Rally Championship (September 12-15).
"I am very excited to take part in the European Championship,"
Molly says.
"Competing in Sata Rallye Acores will be a very good experience
for me – as well as having the opportunity to
compete in the other European events.
"It will be a year of challenge. I only know one event
– Ypres – having done it last
year, but the other rallies will be new for me and in places where
I have never competed.
"I am really excited about getting started. With United Business
and BP Racing, our priority is to be consistently fast in every
rally – and we will also be trying to win the
FIA ERC Ladies' Trophy."
Pier Liberal says he and his team analysed a range of
opportunities for the young Australian before deciding on the
European series.
"I have been in constant contact with Molly and with Paolo Butelli
of BP Racing and on both sides was the desire to find a way to work
together. It was logical and right to continue with BP Racing after
what the partnership achieved in 2012.
"2013 is another step forward in Molly's career. It will be a
very important season for her. Despite being young, she has
experience, technique and determination and is very fast
– in my opinion, she is one of the fastest lady
drivers in the world.
"Thanks to the support of our advertising partners and
institutions, we have managed to organise a program that will allow
Molly to drive a car that she knows well, supplied by a team that
has always given us excellent cars.
"Molly's determination was fundamental, and we are proud, as was
the case in 2012, to have on the car's livery the brands of Molly's
long-time supporters, the Australian Motor Sport Foundation (AMSF)
and the FIA Women in Motorsport Commission (WMC)."
The European championship is televised by Eurosport, which will
give Molly international visibility.
Molly and Seb signed with United Business early last year to
contest four events: Geko Ypres Rally (European Rally
Championship), Coppa Città di Lucca (Intercontinental
Rally Championship), Neste Rally Finland and Wales Rally GB, the
last two being rounds of the World Rally Championship.
The season gave them valuable experience at a level above their
WRC Academy development series and saw them take several special
stage victories and lead their class on a number of occasions.
In 2011, Molly and Seb contested the WRC Academy, a sub-series
of the WRC, which replaced the previous Junior WRC category and was
designed to give young drivers a strong foundation in all aspects
of competing at the elite level of motorsport.
Six of the young drivers entered in the series won a fully funded
scholarship for the year. That covered all expenses and Molly was
one of the fortunate six.
She was also the only female driver competing at any level of
the World Rally Championship.