Taking on the gravel: Claire Schönborn is ready for her debut as an official driver in the WRC Young Driver Team. During the upcoming weekend she will be competing in the classic WRC event in Portugal. The German is eagerly awaiting the tricky Junior WRC round and feels well prepared after intense testing. Rally de Portugal is a tough one: 11 extremely demanding stages cover almost 150 kilometres on the gruelling Friday with no return to the permanent service park close to Porto. The target is to get through without mistakes and without any damage. Schönborn and her co-driver Jara Hain prepared meticulously in Portugal at the beginning of May. After a successful rehearsal on Rally Aboboreira, the duo is taking on the challenge of the Junior WRC round the north of the country with great anticipation.

Quotes ahead of the Rally Portugal

“We’ve just completed our first rally on gravel. It was a real test for the upcoming Junior WRC round in Portugal. We were able to gather valuable kilometres on loose surfaces. The weather really changed a lot, making things extremely slippery at times. As a newcomer to gravel, the stage conditions were difficult to read, though overall, we’ve built up a lot of confidence. The week will be extremely challenging for us and our rally car. We feel well prepared and I can’t wait to be back in the car with Jara for the Junior WRC round.”
Claire Schönborn

Fast and fresh: new website claire-schoenborn.com

Just in time for Rally de Portugal, Claire Schönborn isn’t the only one eager to get going. Her official website is also pressing the launch button. Ready to hit the ground running: claire-schoenborn.com provides everything you need to know from her personal perspective. The rally driver presents herself and her career from various perspectives. Specially designed avatars of Claire Schönborn and her co-driver Jara Hain reveal more about the two characters. Simple menu navigation, social sharing and search functions – all in German and English – as well as the responsive design of the website with compatibility from smartphones to 5k screens are key features. Her official website will continue to evolve alongside her career. Regular visits are worthwhile for fans and friends, journalists, and interested parties.

Facts’n’figures

Rally de Portugal is a true WRC classic: Since 1973, the founding year of the World Rally Championship, this wild chase over gravel roads has been an integral part of the world’s top league. The terrain is made up of gravel with a fine layer of sand. The rally is considered technically demanding and fast. Anyone who wants to master the challenge cannot afford to make the slightest mistake. An additional factor: In northern Portugal extremely changeable weather conditions must be expected – sometimes bright sunshine, sometimes heavy rain. Rally de Portugal features a total of 1,097.65 kilometres and 24 stages with a total of 344.50 timed kilometres. By Friday evening, 11 stages have been covered alone, totalling 149.42 competitive kilometres without full service. On Saturday, seven more stages with a total of 122 kilometres await, which are no less demanding. The grand finale follows on Sunday, with six stages covering 72.16 kilometres. The rally culminates with the spectacular jump at the end of the legendary Fafe Power Stage, a breathtaking experience for both teams and spectators. Of the 95 teams entered, 12 are competing in the Junior WRC, including the WRC Young Driver Team Schönborn/Hain. All information on WRC is available at the official website www.wrc.com. Every special stage will be broadcast live on Rally.TV.