Tabor eager to make the most of Beyond Rally opportunity

The 21-year-old’s deep-rooted connection to rallying is thanks to a wide-reaching family involvement and it was inevitable that she found herself immersed in the sport.

“Pretty much my whole family has done or is doing rally,” says Madelyn.

“My dad, brother, grandfather and uncle compete but my biggest inspiration is my aunt and my grandma who both compete together. They had been driving a Subaru Impreza in the sport for a long time, and when it became available, it felt like a natural move for me to step into rallying.

“There are a lot of female co-drivers out there, they are all bad-ass women, but I really look up to the women in my family and it kinda’ feels stronger in numbers really.”

She feels that the rallying scene in the USA offers adopts a ‘rallying for all’ approach. Contesting the American Rally Association [ARA] National series, Tabor has found that its accessibility, coupled with the unique mix of cars and competitors, makes it appealing to a wider range of participants.

“We only have one factory team running, and so it feels more like an amateur series. But that’s nice because there is a wide variety of cars and competitors taking part.

“We have many cars that you wouldn’t think would make good rally cars, but it feels a lot more unique that way. That makes it more accessible and opens it up to more people as they can see themselves being part of that; that makes it easier to compete in somehow.”

Currently lying second in her class in the series, Madelyn will now head for Poland along with fourteen other finalists for the opportunity to fight for a place in the 2025 FIA Junior World Rally Championship. But whatever the outcome, she is eager to take as much away from the experience as possible.

“I’m so excited to learn. I can’t wait to be around the other girls too and learn from their experiences in the sport. Hearing about what it’s like overseas will be interesting and getting more perspective in life is something I`m excited for.”