Taylor will tackle the Dakar for the second time after making her debut earlier this year in Saudi Arabia, where drivers will now face 15 days of action across more than 8,000 kilometres.
The Australian finished 14th overall in the side-by-side category (SSV) in 2022 but believes that experience provided the necessary insight needed to make a potential leap to the podium this time around.
"You’ve got to aim high," Taylor told SBS Sport.
"Last year, we had some really good days and showed that we could have the pace but it was just trying to put everything else together for the first time and doing all the highs and lows that come with that.
"I think we’ve learnt so much more to take into next year, but also that realisation or that understanding that the Dakar is so unpredictable; you can be doing everything you can and something else happens.
"You don’t want to get lost in a moment and think the whole thing is over - anything can happen."
"When I started my first Dakar, I was so green," she explained.
"We did a couple of smaller events in the lead-up, just to drive in sand dunes and learn a little bit about how the navigation works, but there’s not much that can prepare you for the baptism of fire that is the Dakar.
"Having done that, and learning so much, (we’re now) able to come into the second one feeling so much more prepared.
"We had some great positives to take away from Dakar but also a lot of rookie mistakes as well so, if we can iron them out, then, yeah, really excited about this year."
The latest edition of the Dakar will take place in the Saudi desert for the fourth time, with its undulating dunes set to dictate speed and direction once again.
It’s a dance Taylor must master if her and South Racing Can-Am are to have overall success following the 14th and final stage, but one she’ll undertake alongside co-driver Andrew Short.
Short joins the 34-year-old in the car after competing in the bikes category last time out, where riders must navigate and drive both on their lonesome and simultaneously in order to contest for stage wins.
Taylor believes the American’s presence and perception will help her cause as a result, with pace the priority in pursuit of the podium.
"Dakar is all about pacing but the pace itself is really high - people are pushing hard and the speed is high but it’s not all the time," Taylor said.
"I think one of the biggest skills is the navigation, not getting lost and taking the most efficient and fastest routes, but also knowing those moments where you really have to go flat out and knowing those moments where you have to look after the car, and be able to swap between them really effectively.
"They’re really the keys, so it’s definitely not flat out 100 per cent of the time because one bad day can undo a whole lot of work that you’ve been putting together for the week ahead.
"It’s just about staying in the moment and working out if it’s best to push flat out, do I need to conserve the car, do we need to take our time and find the best navigation route - so, trying to play all these things and work out what the best thing to do is in that scenario for eight-and-a-half thousand kilometres.
"It’s an awesome challenge."
SBS and SBS On Demand will air extended highlights of every stage in Saudi Arabia, with coverage commencing on January 2.
