Australian driver Molly Taylor is in high spirits, having recently won the Saudi X Prix with teammate Johan Kristofferson in the inaugural race of Extreme E, an all electric motorsport series. Having grown up in a motorsport family, Taylor’s mother was a professional co-driver for 18 years and won three Australian titles. For an industry largely dominated by men, Extreme E is giving women an equal platform to showcase their talent and drivers such as Molly Taylor are a breath of fresh air in a tournament focused on bringing awareness to the climate crisis and sustainability.

In an exclusive interview with SPOGO, Molly Taylor speaks about whether she has a competitive advantage due to her rally experience, driving on the desert terrain of Saudi Arabia, gender equality in motorsport, the ODYSSEY 21 and more!

Q 1) You are the only female winner of the Australian Rally Championship, how much of an advantage is that experience in competing at Extreme E?

Ans: “I’m really proud to have won my national rally championship back home, but I think I get more of an advantage from my experience of competing in rally competitions for a number of years – not just my championship year in Australia. Extreme E is a highly-competitive field, so everyone at Rosberg X Racing is committed to calling on their experience to make sure we remain competitive as a team.”

Q 2) Do you have any pre-race rituals or superstitions that you follow? How challenging was it to drive on a terrain like the one in Saudi Arabia?

Ans: “I don’t have any superstitions, but do like to take a moment to visualise the course in front of me and focus on the challenge of racing the ODYSSEY 21. The terrain in Saudi Arabia was really difficult to navigate as new ruts were appearing with every lap we completed. I had a big moment in one of the time-trials on the Saturday but managed to keep control – that was a wake-up call!”

Q 3) How important is a series like Extreme E to develop female racing talent and to promote gender equality in motorsport?

"Equality is a huge part of sustainability, and this series, our team and one of my personal biggest passions is improving equality. Extreme E is the first racing series to feature male/female driver line ups at each team, and I hope to use my platform as an FIA Girls on Track ambassador as well as driver in Extreme E to inspire girls around the world to get involved with motorsport, which has given so much to me.”

Q 4) How does the ODYSSEY 21 compare to other rally cars you have raced with? What role have you played in tailoring the car to your specifications?

Ans: “The ODYSSEY 21 is unlike any other car I have driven. Firstly, it’s massive! It also has a serious amount of power [400kw] and delivers it instantly when you apply the throttle because of the electric motor. It’s very difficult to compare it to the Subaru I race in the Australian Rally Championship in every sense, but working with Johan and the team to better understand how we can get the most out of it has been a lot of fun and we can’t wait to continue at the next race in Senegal.”

Q 5) What excites you the most about Extreme E as compared to other rally races?

“It’s unlike any other racing series that has ever existed, and that for me is the most exciting part of Extreme E. We’re racing in 400 kW (550bhp) all-electric SUVs that will help shape the future of off-road electric mobility in some of the most extreme environments in the world, and all with the goal of raising awareness about the biggest threat to mankind today: climate change.”