There is no p(l)ace like home: Claire Schönborn is looking forward to the Central European Rally. From October 16 to 19, the asphalt rally in the border triangle of Germany, Austria and Czechia will be both the highlight of the season and the conclusion of the Junior WRC season. The WRC Young Driver Team pilot has set herself some ambitious goals for her home event and was able to organise a test day at short notice in the run-up to the rally. In dry track conditions, the emphasis was on optimising the chassis setup for the different track surfaces. While the competitive focus is on a flawless drive and a good points haul, there is a flurry of activity behind the scenes looking ahead to 2026. “I love rallying, I definitely want to continue and be as successful as possible,” says Schönborn. Background: It is still unclear in what form WRC Promoter’s Beyond Rally Women’s Driver Development support programme will continue. The German emphasises her passion and ambition for rallying: “I am fighting to ensure that this incredible journey continues.”

Quote ahead of Central European Rally

“No doubt about it: the Central European Rally is the highlight of the season for me in two ways. It’s my home rally, which gives me extra, very positive pressure. It’s also the Junior WRC final round, and there are double points up for grabs. For me, the Central European Rally is the first asphalt rally since last year’s event. I have a short test to get used to late braking points and the much higher cornering speed again – after all these months on loose surfaces. I will do everything I can to share my enthusiasm for rallying with the fans at the track. I have taken a huge step forward with my co-driver Michael (Wenzel). It would be great to bring the JWRC season to a successful conclusion together.”
Claire Schönborn

Into the Extreme: New tasks await Schönborn

The innovative FIA Extreme H series has nominated Claire Schönborn as its official reserve driver. Together with her male counterpart Adrien Tambay, former DTM driver and winner of the ETCR electric touring car cup, the German vehicle engineer is testing for the off-road series. She is also available as a ‘super sub’ if a team needs a replacement in the FIA Extreme H World Cup, in which teams compete with one female and one male driver each. The off-road series with hydrogen-powered racing cars – the ‘H’ stands for hydrogen – is the successor to Extreme E, which relied on battery-electric drive. Schönborn made her debut at the Extreme E finale weekend, where she did an excellent job of replacing injured top driver Molly Taylor, extending her team-mate Kevin Hansen’s lead and winning the ‘Redemption Race’. Thanks to her exceptionally strong performance, Schönborn was named ‘Driver of the Day’ on her racing debut.

Facts and figures

The Central European Rally is the fifth and final round of the 2025 Junior WRC. Double Championship points are up for grabs on the selective asphalt stages through the southern Bavarian Forest in Germany, the Bohemian Forest in Czechia and the Mühlviertel region in Austria. The impact of the rally for the standings is big. Even though Schönborn has not competed in a single asphalt rally in the past twelve months, concrete surfaces are familiar territory for the young all-rounder. After all, the 26-year-old started her motorsport career on this surface. She took a big step by winning the Beyond Rally selection at last year’s event, which enabled her to compete in the 2025 JWRC. However, almost half of all the special stages in 2025 are completely new and have never been driven before. Around the service park in the three-river city of Passau (Bavaria), there will be 18 special stages covering around 307 kilometres. In addition to the routes, autumn weather also plays a decisive role. Mixed conditions with wetness, fog, leaves and dry passages pose an additional challenge – especially when it comes to choosing the right tires. Forty-seven drivers are registered for the 2025 edition of the rally. In JWRC Claire Schönborn faces seven opponents. Further information on the World Rally Championship is available on the official websitewww.wrc.com. Every special stage is broadcast live on Rally.TV.