Molly and Coral Taylor have entered into final preparations ahead of their debut in the Junior World Rally Championship in Portugal starting later this week.
A final official test run in the Citroen DS3 R3T at Faro, the capital of the Algarve region where the Rally Portugal round of the World Rally Championship is based, has the all-Aussie mother and daughter crew set for the opening super special stage on Thursday.
The 25-year-old Molly, ranked the #1 female rally driver in the world, has joined the D-Max Racing squad based in northern Italy with Portugal the first of six rounds she is confirmed to compete in as part of the JWRC.
“This will be the first time I have driven with the Michelin tyres so we want to find a good set-up with these and also try a few different compounds,” Molly said.
“Of course, the other priority is getting a good feeling in the car with the ‘old girl’,” she laughs, referencing her mother, who with Neal Bates has won the Australian Rally Championship four times.
The pair will head to the Algarve forests for two days of reconnaissance of the stages before final shakedown.
Rising star Molly Taylor, the inaugural Ladies Trophy champion in the 2013 European Rally Championship, announced last month that her mother would call the pace notes.
The JWRC competitors component of Rally Portugal is set over three days with the 16 stages covering a total distance of 1394.30km that is known for his demanding gravel roads.
The schedule following Portugal for Taylor includes Poland (June 26-29), Rally Finland (July 31-August 3), Rallye Deutschland (August 22-24), France (October 3-5) and Rally Great Britain (August 14-16).
*Speedcafe.com will have the latest coverage of the World Rally Championship in Portugal and the Australian Rally Championship in Busselton WA this weekend
