news, latest-news, Molly Taylor, reality TV, SAS Australia, Rally, Netier National Capital Rally
Crawling across a single span of rope, 30 metres above a roiling mass of whitewater pounding the jagged rocks below, the one, fierce message that stuck in Molly Taylor’s mind was: “no woman has completed this part of the course before”. To Molly Taylor, that’s all the incentive she needed, right there. The former Australian rally champion now turned reality TV star is coming to the ACT in late November to compete in the Netier National Capital Rally and for the 32-year-old, the lessons learned in competing at the highest levels of national motorsport provided some valuable mental focus for her role in the hit Seven network series, SAS Australia. “It was really daunting, I was definitely very nervous beforehand but I think that extra element of them telling me no female has done this before, for me that was like a red flag to a bull,” Ms Taylor said “I think, from the rally side of those sort of situations where you’re nervous but you really have to harness that, you just focus on it with aggression and determination. “I tried to pretend that I was in the car on the start line and have that same fix that I would have for a rally stage and block out everything else. “I just focussed on the rope and where my hand went next and not everything else around. I think that helped a lot. “And a lot of chin-ups before I went on the show, I think that helped, too!” Relatively unknown to many viewers unlike her celebrity competitors, Ms Taylor quickly emerged as the “sleeper” star of the Seven Network’s hit show which has been consistently among the nation’s top-rating shows, watched each week by well over 700,000 people. In late October it was the most watched non-news or current affairs show on national TV with the network’s head of programming, Angus Ross, describing it as putting “the real back into reality television”. “That’s pretty much what it was,” Ms Taylor admitted, although cautious to give too much away because the pre-recorded show is still being aired, and the outcome unknown to viewers. “For me, it [the SAS Australia] show was eye-opening; really tough but incredibly rewarding. “Look, to be honest, there were cameras around but apart from that, you wouldn’t have known anything; it was the real deal. “When they say it’s not scripted or designed in that way, it’s true. We didn’t see a producer at all; we were never told anything and they run it completely in this bubble as if we were in the real thing. “I’m sure in terms of the traditional reality TV shows that we know of there is lot of staging and start-stop but in this case, by the end of the first day, you forget the cameras are there because you’re so focused on what you’re doing.” Ms Taylor’s mental strength and driving skill has taken her to the pinnacle of Australian motorsport, making her Australia’s first female rally champion in 2016. She’s a likeable, friendly and approachable person outside the rally car but when the crash helmet goes on and the safety harness is cinched down so tight it almost squeezes the air out of your lungs, there’s no tougher competitor. Canberra’s own reigning national rally champion, Harry Bates, who has known Ms Taylor since they were toddlers, described her as a close friend and a “super-tough” rival. Ms Taylor finished second to Bates in the Netier National Capital Rally last year and although she will be competing this year as a privateer without full Subaru Australia factory backing, he knows she will always bring her “main game”. “No-one prepares better than Molly,” Bates said. “What you don’t see is how intensely she focuses on her preparation. She competed overseas for a few years and when she came back to Australia in 2015, she lifted the competition to another level again. “And she’s super-consistent. As her rival, I can’t think for second she might have a bogey stage time because I know she won’t.” The Netier National Capital Rally will be held in the ACT forests from November 27-29.
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Crawling across a single span of rope, 30 metres above a roiling mass of whitewater pounding the jagged rocks below, the one, fierce message that stuck in Molly Taylor’s mind was: “no woman has completed this part of the course before”.
To Molly Taylor, that’s all the incentive she needed, right there.
The former Australian rally champion now turned reality TV star is coming to the ACT in late November to compete in the Netier National Capital Rally and for the 32-year-old, the lessons learned in competing at the highest levels of national motorsport provided some valuable mental focus for her role in the hit Seven network series, SAS Australia.
“It was really daunting, I was definitely very nervous beforehand but I think that extra element of them telling me no female has done this before, for me that was like a red flag to a bull,” Ms Taylor said
Kitted out in fatigues ahead of her reality TV show star turn is rally champion Molly Taylor. Picture: Supplied
“I think, from the rally side of those sort of situations where you’re nervous but you really have to harness that, you just focus on it with aggression and determination.
“I tried to pretend that I was in the car on the start line and have that same fix that I would have for a rally stage and block out everything else.
“I just focussed on the rope and where my hand went next and not everything else around. I think that helped a lot.
“And a lot of chin-ups before I went on the show, I think that helped, too!”
Relatively unknown to many viewers unlike her celebrity competitors, Ms Taylor quickly emerged as the “sleeper” star of the Seven Network’s hit show which has been consistently among the nation’s top-rating shows, watched each week by well over 700,000 people.
In late October it was the most watched non-news or current affairs show on national TV with the network’s head of programming, Angus Ross, describing it as putting “the real back into reality television”.
“That’s pretty much what it was,” Ms Taylor admitted, although cautious to give too much away because the pre-recorded show is still being aired, and the outcome unknown to viewers.
Molly Taylor and co-driver Malcolm Read sideways and fully committed in their Subaru WRX rally car. Picture: Supplied
“For me, it [the SAS Australia] show was eye-opening; really tough but incredibly rewarding.
“Look, to be honest, there were cameras around but apart from that, you wouldn’t have known anything; it was the real deal.
“When they say it’s not scripted or designed in that way, it’s true. We didn’t see a producer at all; we were never told anything and they run it completely in this bubble as if we were in the real thing.
“I’m sure in terms of the traditional reality TV shows that we know of there is lot of staging and start-stop but in this case, by the end of the first day, you forget the cameras are there because you’re so focused on what you’re doing.”
Subaru driver Molly Taylor with the NR4 WRX STI rally car. Picture: Supplied
Ms Taylor’s mental strength and driving skill has taken her to the pinnacle of Australian motorsport, making her Australia’s first female rally champion in 2016.
She’s a likeable, friendly and approachable person outside the rally car but when the crash helmet goes on and the safety harness is cinched down so tight it almost squeezes the air out of your lungs, there’s no tougher competitor.
Canberra’s own reigning national rally champion, Harry Bates, who has known Ms Taylor since they were toddlers, described her as a close friend and a “super-tough” rival.
Ms Taylor finished second to Bates in the Netier National Capital Rally last year and although she will be competing this year as a privateer without full Subaru Australia factory backing, he knows she will always bring her “main game”.
“No-one prepares better than Molly,” Bates said.
“What you don’t see is how intensely she focuses on her preparation. She competed overseas for a few years and when she came back to Australia in 2015, she lifted the competition to another level again.
Seven’s promotional poster for the show, featuring Molly Taylor. Picture: Supplied
“And she’s super-consistent. As her rival, I can’t think for second she might have a bogey stage time because I know she won’t.”
The Netier National Capital Rally will be held in the ACT forests from November 27-29.
