• Rali Ceredigion (United Kingdom) in mid Wales throws up new challenges for ERC Junior crews on fast, narrow tarmac roads
• Blessed are those who trust their pacenotes when the weather turns – Welsh conditions add extra spice
• Antennae up, learning mode on: Claire Schönborn approaches the fifth ERC Junior round of the FIA European Rally Championship (ERC) with her familiar mix of eagerness and humility

Seriously quick, hugely tricky and completely uncharted: Claire Schönborn and her co-driver Michael Wenzel head into Rali Ceredigion in Wales with eager humility. For the fifth round of the season in the ERC Junior category of the FIA European Rally Championship (ERC), from 4 to 6 September, the senses are once again suitably sharpened. On this Tarmac rally, high speed on narrow, rhythmic streches through sometimes misty moorland with changing grip levels calls for precise pacenotes, plus plenty of faith in your own judgement and quick thinking. Alongside the Finland feeling created by the sheer flat-out pace, the Welsh weather could raise the difficulty level accordingly – tailor-made for experienced crews and for those on a steep learning curve.

„I’m really looking forward to this new challenge. I’ve never tackled an event in Great Britain before, so I’m curious to see how it all feels – beginning with driving on the left during recce. From a driving point of view, Rali Ceredigion appeals to me in particular because it feels a bit like Finland on Tarmac, only far narrower: extremely fast, undulating, with lots of crests and blind corners. On top of that there’s the typical Welsh weather, which is always a bit of a lottery. That demands a lot of commitment and, above all, trust in the pacenotes. Rally Finland has been my absolute favourite event so far – which makes me all the more curious to see how that feeling translates onto Tarmac.“
CLAIRE SCHÖNBORN

Pace, precision and patience: what it comes down to

The programme for this United Kingdom round features 16 special stages covering 196.58 kilometres in Ceredigion and Powys – from tight, undulating lanes to wide open moorland. After Thursday evening’s ceremonial start on the promenade, Friday gets under way from 7pm with two runs of the Aberystwyth street stage, before the crews head into the dark on Elerch and Blaenmelindwr – two technical night stages on narrow, bumpy roads where set-up is decisive. Saturday is the longest day, with two loops of Aberffrwd, Soar y Mynydd and Cwm Elan – the last of these, at 21.8 kilometres, the longest test of the weekend, running into the Elan Valley. Sunday brings Gorsgoch and Ty Glyn, with the second run of Ty Glyn serving as the Power Stage ahead of the finish on the promenade.

The weather could well add a dash of extra spice: in early September, mid Wales typically sees highs of around 16–20°C, changeable Atlantic air, a risk of showers, and mist or damp on the moorland sections and under the trees. And that is precisely the point for the junior category: in the wet and in the dark, on blind and uneven country roads, clean pacenotes, experience of changing grip and a measured approach to risk pay off out of all proportion – several of the 2026 ERC Junior rounds so far have been decided by punctures and offs. ERC Junior deliberately rotates its rounds so that second-year drivers gain no advantage – Rali Ceredigion returns in 2026 after a year off, meaning no junior crew arrives with current stage knowledge. Leading the title fight are Tom Heinrichs (BEL) and Timo Schulz (GER) – Claire Schönborn’s team-mates in the ADAC Opel Rally Junior Team.