Latest news with #JohanKristoffersson
West Australian
17-05-2025
- Automotive
- West Australian
Molly Taylor driving home gender equality
Extreme E's mixed-gender racing is breaking boundaries in motorsport, and Australian trailblazer driver Molly Taylor is at the forefront. Extreme E is a five-race series in four continents, racing electric SUV's off-road vehicles in extreme locations and conditions. It has taken a real lead in gender equality. In 2016, Molly became the youngest ever winner of the Australian Rally Championship. She is also the first and still the only female champion. With co-driver Bill Hayes, she won WA's Forest Rally in 2017. Then, in 2021, she joined Extreme E and won the inaugural Extreme E World Championship with Johan Kristoffersson. Over its first four seasons, Extreme E has built a number of female drivers. But Molly, driving for team Next Veloce Racing, stands out. She won the inaugural championship title and has achieved eight major victories. She has the most victories of any female driver and the second most overall — just one fewer than double champion Johan Kristoffersson (despite competing in three fewer events). And data shows that, in those four seasons, the gap in performance times between male and female drivers has narrowed by almost 70 per cent. An Extreme E spokesperson says that value is due to 'equitable competition environments'. Molly, who has raced with the series from the beginning, said: 'Extreme E has without a doubt changed the course of my career and I'm confident all the female drivers in the series would say the same thing. 'We all know how challenging motorsport is, but what Extreme E has proven is that with the right opportunity, exposure, development and investment we can see women reach the top. 'It can be a difficult cycle to break; you need the seat time to prove your potential, but you need results to attract the support needed to access that very seat time. 'Extreme E put themselves out there and tried something new to force change and it makes me so proud to be one of the drivers to prove the success of this concept. 'We have built some strong momentum and, whilst this doesn't alleviate the continuing challenges of motorsport, we are making change. It's pretty special and something I hope motorsport can learn from more broadly.' Molly took part in SAS Australia season one, and is an ambassador for Girls on Track, a female motorsport initiative. +
TimesLIVE
30-04-2025
- Automotive
- TimesLIVE
VW unveils special race car livery to celebrate 50 years of Polo
Volkswagen has unveiled a new harlequin-inspired race livery to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Polo. The colourful design, chosen by fans via a global online poll, made its public debut at the UK's recent spring Scramble event at Bicester Heritage. Emblazoned across a Polo R World Rallycross (WRX) show car — a replica of Johan Kristoffersson's multi-title-winning machine — the eye-catching livery blends nostalgia with motorsport heritage. The design pays homage to the quirky 1990s Polo Harlequin edition, combining original colours such as Chagall Blue, Flash Red, Ginster Yellow and Pistachio Green in a bold, 1980s-style pop art pattern. Volkswagen presented four livery options in the poll, with the winning scheme now set to feature on a series of Polo rally cars for commemorative events later in the year. 'The Polo is a model that resonates with many people for different reasons,' said Mike Orford, head of PR and communications at Volkswagen UK. 'They might have been fans of the Polo rally cars as they dominated world championships over the years, their parents might have owned a Mk1 or Mk2 Polo, or it might have been the car in which they learnt to drive. Whatever the reason, the Polo is a special and enduring model for Volkswagen and that's why it is great when we get to celebrate these milestone moments in such a colourful way. 'We're really looking forward to seeing this one-off livery in action later in the year as the birthday celebrations ramp up.'
