From zero to World Rally Championship: German Claire Schönborn prepares for her debut in the official WRC Young Driver Team. The Rally Portugal is a real WRC classic to kick things off. In order to be prepared for the demanding gravel roads, the German native and her co-driver Jara Hain (25, Germany) will be in Portugal at the beginning of May. There, the duo will be preparing for the Junior World Championship round around Porto from May 15 to 18.

Rally air and a change of perspective on Gran Canaria

Not in the cockpit herself, but on an official visit to the WRC race on Gran Canaria: this is how Claire Schönborn spent last weekend. The qualified systems engineer attended official appointments for the WRC promoter: at the special stages and in the service park, she introduced guests such as five-time windsurfing world champion Philip Köster to the sport of rallying. The German lives on Gran Canaria and followed the rally action with great interest. Despite the change in perspective, Schönborn’s attention was naturally also focused on the events in the top category of the World Rally Championship. The reigning KW Hillclimb Cup winner looks back on her time on the Atlantic island and says that the selective asphalt tracks on the Canary Islands’ mountain stages were exactly her thing.

Quote on pre-season preparation

“That was a top weekend: On Gran Canaria, I mainly looked after VIP guests for the WRC promoter. It was a good opportunity to follow the World Rally Championship from outside the cockpit and to see the different line choices of the world’s best drivers. Now the focus is on the future. I’m really looking forward to my first gravel event. Jara already knows rallies on loose surfaces, for us as a team and especially for me it is the first time on gravel roads.“
Claire Schönborn

Facts’n’figures

The Rally Sweden in February marked the start of the 2025 Junior World Championship, with freezing temperatures and icy surfaces awaiting the last two participants in the “Beyond Rally Women’s Driver Development” program. In the duel for victory, the fastest driver was guaranteed a permanent starting place for the rest of the season. With nerves of steel and driving skills, Claire Schönborn won the selection process and thus lifted herself into the permanent circle of the Junior World Championship, which is held exclusively in Europe.

After the classics in Portugal, Greece and Finland, the scene shifts to Central Europe, more precisely to Passau in Bavaria. Special stages in the border triangle of Germany, the Czech Republic and Austria make the season finale a very special challenge for the Schönborn/Hain duo. The rally car is the same for all teams in the Junior World Championship: a Ford Fiesta Rally3 Evo centrally entered by M-Sport. The rally car is equipped with a turbocharged three-cylinder engine and sequential gearbox. The key data: all-wheel drive 137 kW (235 PS), 415 Newton meters of maximum torque and, in accordance with the regulations, no electronic assistance systems.