• Claire Schönborn to contest the FIA European Rally Championship (ERC) and the ADAC Opel GSE Rally Cup
• International dual programme: 12 rallies, all powered by Opel
• The ERC offers a world-class platform with live coverage of every special stage

The next chapter in a success story: Claire Schönborn is heading into her second full rally season as an official ADAC Opel Rally Junior Team member. The young driver from the Hunsrück region of Germany has been signed up to the ADAC Opel Rally Junior Team for 2026 – outings in the FIA European Rally Championship (ERC) and the all-electric ADAC Opel GSE Rally Cup included. In the oldest FIA championship of them all, running since 1953, and the most prestigious continental rally series in the world, she will contest the Junior category – taking in events from Sweden, Italy, Poland, Czech Republic and United Kingdom through to Portugal. Her GSE Rally Cup outings will range from Eindhoven in the Netherlands to the famous Rallye Sanremo in Italy. With 12 starts in total, Claire Schönborn will get considerably more seat time than last season – vital experience as she squares up to the competition. The long-term aim: the very top.

„After an incredible debut season last year, the FIA European Rally Championship is the next big challenge for me in rallying. There’s no question that I want to take it on and make this next step in my career a successful one. The ERC isn’t just the strongest continental rally series, it’s also the most prestigious. Nothing comes for free and success has to be earned the hard way. I’m well set up for that within the ADAC Opel Rally Junior Team and I’m looking forward to the events. Being able to build experience in parallel in the all-electric Opel Mokka GSE Rally is important for my development as a driver.“
CLAIRE SCHÖNBORN

Schönborn comes from a hillclimb background – in style: in 2024, she became the first woman and the youngest competitor to win the German KW Berg-Cup. Back in 2022, she took victory at the FIA Motorsport Games behind the wheel of the electric Opel Corsa Rally, claiming the gold medal for Germany in the slalom discipline. After just a single rally outing, she went on to win the high-profile Beyond Rally Women’s Driver Development Programme run by WRC Promoter in 2025, earning her a full season in the FIA Junior World Rally Championship. One woman, three disciplines, three major successes – in just four years.

The strongest continental rally series – with added girl power!

Six rounds in six countries, four on Tarmac and two on gravel, with the season opener on 22 May at the renowned Royal Rally of Scandinavia in Karlstad, Sweden. Schönborn will be at the wheel of a front-wheel-drive works Opel Corsa Rally4, run by Austrian Opel motorsport partner Stohl Racing under the stewardship of rally veteran Manfred Stohl. The brief is clear – and demanding: in a field where around 15 junior crews from across the world will be fighting for the coveted title of Europe’s top young driver series, the Hunsrück ace is expected to take the fight to the best emerging talent on the continent. And it isn’t only the calibre of the entry that sets the bar high in the ERC: every single stage is broadcast live – and with Rally die Roma Capitale, the calendar includes a round that will move up to WRC status from 2027. Make it to the sharp end here and you drive straight into the works teams’ shop window.

“Opel fahr’n is wie wennze’ fliechst” – in all-electric style!

“Opel fahr’n is wie wennze’ fliechst”, local German slang for “Driving an Opel is like flying” – even the advertising slogan from the 1970s was sure of it: driving an Opel is something really special. Alongside her Junior ERC programme, Schönborn will line up in 2026 for the ADAC Opel GSE Rally Cup – and that means the all-new all-electric Opel Mokka GSE Rally. The customer car puts out up to 207 kW (281 hp) and 345 Newton-metres of torque, making it twice as powerful as its predecessor. For Schönborn, it closes a circle: her rally career began in an electric Opel Corsa, and now she continues that journey in the next electric Opel. Seven cup rounds in six countries are on the schedule, with the storied Rallye Sanremo in October as the undisputed highlight.