• Claire Schönborn/Michael Wenzel showcase their talent on round two of the Junior ERC in Italy
• Steep learning curve on her personal debut on varied Tarmac stages
• Strong interim results among some 40 Rally4 crews

Claire Schönborn and her co-driver Michael Wenzel made a strong impression on the second round of the Junior category within the FIA European Rally Championship (ERC). On Schönborn’s first-ever outing on the tricky Tarmac stages – from the spectacular city stage at the foot of the Colosseum to demanding sections in the mountains of the Reatino region – the pair not only demonstrated a steep learning curve but at times shone with seventh place overall in the Junior standings. Among the roughly 40 Rally4 crews that took the start, the ADAC Opel Rally Junior Team duo held an impressive 14th place until shortly before the end of the rally. That they ultimately missed out on this fine result was down to a slip-up on the closing Power Stage. On a downhill section, Schönborn/Wenzel were out of luck, sliding deep into a ditch on loose gravel on turn-in. With the help of enthusiastic rally fans, however, they managed to get their Opel Corsa Rally4 back onto the road – and brought the rally home in tenth place in the Junior classification, having lost a good ten minutes. Victory in the Junior category of the European Rally Championship went to Davide Pesavento/Alessio Angeli (ITA/ITA, Lancia), ahead of Schönborn’s ADAC Opel Rally Junior team-mates Timo Schulz/Maresa Lade (GER/GER, Opel).

“The Rally Rome was completely new to me once again, but I still enjoyed every single metre. The opener at the Colosseum was something really special. I also liked the stages on Saturday and Sunday, some of which were very long – there was a bit of everything, from tight corners to flowing uphill sections. For Sunday, our plan was to up the pace a little, and that worked well. On the Power Stage we simply wanted to make it to the finish – unfortunately, that didn’t quite work out because of the off shortly before the end. Still, on our Tarmac debut with the Opel Corsa Rally4 we improved steadily throughout the whole weekend. I’m extremely pleased with that and am looking forward to the challenges ahead.”
CLAIRE SCHÖNBORN

A varied route

The 2026 Rally Rome broke new ground with an almost entirely new route – which also served as a dress rehearsal for its promotion to the World Rally Championship in 2027. Awaiting the competitors were 197.02 kilometres across eleven special stages, opening with a spectacular city stage at the Colosseum. Saturday in the Reatino mountains formed the centrepiece: the almost 28 km monster stage Vallecupola, the fast high plateau of Piana di Rascino and the varied Colle di Tora–Poggio Moiano. Sunday brought Monastero–Monte Livata with its rock tunnels, as well as the technically demanding Canterano–Gerano Power Stage with its numerous downhill hairpins.

A positive learning curve

Throughout the entire rally, Claire Schönborn delivered a solid and encouraging performance, at times running seventh in the Junior standings and 14th in a class in which no fewer than around 40 crews had taken the start. The driver from Germamy showed her potential not only on the sections reminiscent of hillclimb racing.

Schönborn/Wenzel can build on this learning curve in the ERC as early as the end of this month at Rally Poland (24–26 July). One week earlier, the duo will contest Rallye Weiz, their third outing in the ADAC Opel GSE Rally Cup.