Junior World Championship driver Claire Schönborn sees the finish line at the legendary Rally Portugal after a courageous and instructive rollercoaster ride
Claire – where she comes from, where she is heading
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Born ready – World Rally Championship classic in Portugal ahead
Claire Schönborn joins the Junior World Rally Championship in mid-May and sets her sights on spectacular gravel tracks
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 Schönborn grew up in a motorsport-loving family – both parents were successful hillclimb racers. She helped her father as a mechanic at a young age and started karting at the age of five. Due to limited financial resources, however, a professional karting career was not possible, which is why the family remained loyal to hill climb racing. At the age of 15, Claire rediscovered her passion for driving, this time by taking part in karting and car slalom events.
A question of honor: family tradition on the mountain
Shortly after she reached the required age for hillclimb racing, her father had a serious accident and wanted to end his active career and sell the racing car. That was out of the question for Claire – she had put her heart and soul into the vehicle they shared. She persuaded her father to keep the VW Golf and prepare it for racing together. She returned to the race track in 2020 and celebrated her first successes in slalom races. Claire has been actively involved in hill climb racing since 2022. Last season was particularly successful: in 2024, she became the first woman and also the youngest female rider to win the prestigious Berg Cup.