Her First Rally Was at Four Weeks Old — Third-Generation Driver Madelyn Tabor Is Building Her Own Road to the Pro Level

She was four weeks old the first time she went to a rally. Madelyn Tabor grew up in a motorsport family, and today she races as a third-generation American stage rally driver.

She is based in Oregon and competes in the American Rally Association (ARA) national championship in a Ford Fiesta Rally3, in the Limited 4WD (LN4) class. In 2025 she finished second in the class nationally.

Being born into the sport did not mean getting behind the wheel early. She did not start competing herself until she was 13, in Quarter Midget racing — small cars that young drivers race on short oval tracks.

At 18 she started her first stage rally, in a hand-me-down Subaru Impreza. She rallied that car for several seasons, learning the sport and growing alongside her co-driver, Sophia McKee. The two names are still side by side on the window of the Fiesta.

Ford Fiesta Rally3, #209 — photo: Chris Allen + Jason Deymonaz

In 2024 a bigger door opened. She was selected as one of 15 participants worldwide — and the only American — for the WRC's Beyond Rally women's driver development programme, which she has since graduated from.

Her roles go beyond the driver's seat. She is an athlete with Shift Up Now, which backs women in motorsport, and an ambassador for WIMNA, Women in Motorsports North America.

The Fiesta Rally3 sits on the first four-wheel-drive step of the FIA's ladder of rally cars. In that car she finished runner-up in the national LN4 class in 2025. In 2026 she is contesting the national championship again.