Claire Schönborn joins the Junior World Rally Championship in mid-May and sets her sights on spectacular gravel tracks
1x Portugal, please – with spirit and courage
Weitere Beiträge
Welcome to claire-schoenborn.com
Here you will find everything you need to know about the up-and-coming rally driver Claire Schönborn, who is currently competing with Jara Hain as co-driver for the “WRC Young Drivers Team” in the “Junior World Rally Championship”.
Show me the gravel – preparing for Portugal
It was an eventful week of preparation for Claire Schönborn and Jara Hain ahead of their big gravel debut – the upcoming Rally Portugal. And it didn’t even start really well. Spoiler: All’s well that ends well.
Piece of Art: Claire’s new helmet design
Claire Schönborn’s helmet, designed for her involvement in the Junior World Rally Championship in the WRC Young Driver Team, is far more than just a protective element.
First time on gravel? Subject to be Claire-ified!
With tests and a flying visit to the World Rally Championship round on Gran Canaria, Claire Schönborn from Hunsrück is preparing for her debut in the WRC classic in Portugal.
A word with Claire
Self-made hill-climb champion, permanent assignments as a race engineer and focus on the big goal: a conversation about female power that motorsport has not seen for a long time.
What the international press says
“From zero to WRC season in just four rallies” – that’s what the trade media wrote.
Claire Schönborn secures World Championship cockpit!
With a strong performance in Sweden, the German beat Belgium’s Lyssia Baudet to start in the Junior World Rally Championship in 2025.
Claire – where she comes from, where she is heading
Claire Schönborn grew up in a motorsport-loving family. And has plenty of gasoline in her blood.
Rock ‘n’ Roll in Portugal. Rally driver Claire Schönborn had an eventful debut on round two of the five-event FIA Junior WRC Championship season. Apart from the result and the sheer experience, the main focus was on gaining vital knowledge. After an early scare and a roll on Friday, the Hunsrück talent showed great courage and determination. Her mechanics from M-Sport were able to repair the only slightly damaged Ford Fiesta Rally3 Evo, allowing the 25-year-old Schönborn and her co-driver, Jara Hain, also 25, to return to the action on Saturday. On tough gravel stages Schönborn gained valuable experience with every metre. The German battled the demanding conditions and gradually reduced the gap to her rivals as the rally continued. When Schönborn climbed out of her car on Sunday, she reflected on an eventful debut as an official driver in the WRC Young Driver Team.
Quotes after Rally Portugal
“Rally de Portugal was the monster task we expected. What an incredible week. We knew that such a World Rally Championship classic would demand everything from us and our car. But I honestly didn’t expect it to be this tough. Now, however, I’m overjoyed that we fought through after the early mishap. Jara, and especially I, learned an enormous amount here. We need to analyse everything in detail to build on it in the next rallies.”
Claire Schönborn
“The challenge for Claire couldn’t have been much greater than competing in her second rally on a loose surface at the WRC classic in Portugal. I am immensely proud and deeply impressed by how much she has persevered with me through the long days and nights in and around the rally car.”
Jara Hain
Live appearance on SWR TV and guest start in lead car at rally in Hunsrück
From the gravel stages into the TV studio: Claire Schönborn will be appearing as a studio guest on the Landesschau Rheinland-Pfalz show live on SWR television on May 27 (6:15 p.m. CET). The feature will also be available on demand on the SWR website. Following her TV appearance, the Junior WRC driver will attend the 26th Hunsrück Junior Rally on Saturday, May 31. While driving the course-opening car, the 25-year-old will give guests an exclusive insight into her sport. Wearing racing overalls and helmets, they will be strapped into the passenger seat of a Toyota GR Yaris equipped with a safety cage, racing seats, rally chassis and all-wheel drive. The guests will each experience a special stage from the co-driver’s perspective. Schönborn’s outing will be through her home territory, as she comes from the region between the Moselle and Rhine. ” I can’t wait to sit in a rally car in my home region for the first time ever. It is even better that guests can share this experience with me in the rally cockpit,” said Schönborn, as she looks forward to her home run.
Rally Portugal recap
Schönborn completed the Junior WRC event in 6 hours, 5 minutes and 22.5 seconds. After the shakedown and the first special stage on Thursday, a tough Friday of rallying with remote service zones only on the agenda. Scary moment: when turning into a tight corner, the car flipped up and rolled over on a slope. The incident during the second of a total of 24 special stages damaged the car. The car had to be parked up for the remainder of Friday while repairs were made. This setback did not mean the end of the rally. On Saturday she restarted and experienced very challenging stage conditions. Until the midday service, Schönborn was slowed down by a defective master brake cylinder, a result of damage from the previous day. The afternoon was all about building confidence in herself and the car. Sunday culminated with the legendary Fafe jump, with Schönborn/Hain finishing the iconic rally in 11th place in class. The duo Taylor Gill/Daniel Brkic (Australia) won the second out of five Junior WRC rounds. Eight-time WRC champion Sébastien Ogier and his co-driver Vincent Landais (France, Toyota GR Yaris Rally 1) won the overall classification.
The next dates
May 27, 2025 – TV appearance on SWR (Landesschau Rheinland-Pfalz, 6:15 p.m.)
May 31, 2025 – Guest start in the advance car at the Hunsrück Junior Rally
June 26–29, 2025 – Acropolis Rally Greece (JWRC)