Australian Rally Champion Molly Taylor has announced that she will take on the Dakar Rally again next year.

The first Australian woman to compete in the Dakar Rally, Taylor debuted in the Saudi Arabian desert in January, finishing 14th in the SSV class alongside co-driver Dale Moscatt.

She finished the two-week event with seven stage top 10 results, with a personal best fifth-place finish.

Her maiden Dakar outing with the Can-Am Factory South Racing team was a chaotic affair, that featured driveshaft failures, losing a wheel when she hit a rock, and her vehicle falling off its jacks while she and Moscatt tried to replace a punctured tyre.

The 2021 Extreme E champion will resume her partnership with the team, ahead of a lengthy preparation for the fourth edition of the Dakar in Saudi Arabia, which includes the Rally Du Maroc in October.

“I’m so excited to be heading back into the desert and taking on Dakar again as well as Rally Du Maroc as part of my ongoing partnership with the Can-Am Factory South Racing team,” Taylor said.

“My first experience in Dakar was one I’ll never forget but this year is all about achieving the results I know I can.”

South Racing CEO Scott Abraham is glad to see Taylor return to action with the team.

“We’re excited to confirm that Molly will be with us again in Morocco and Dakar,” Abraham said.

“She’s an integral part of the team and with one Dakar under her belt and the team’s ongoing support, I can’t wait to see what she can do in the desert come 1 January.”

The 2023 Dakar Rally doubles as the first round of the FIA-FIM World Rally-Raid Championship.

The 14-stage rally commences December 31, 2022 and concludes on January 15, 2023.