Beyond Rally is the WRC’s umbrella platform for sustainability initiatives that contribute to shaping the future of motorsport and materialise its positive impact on society. In 2024, the WRC launched the Women’s Development Programme within Beyond Rally. It saw nearly 100 drivers applying for the ultimate opportunity of a fully supported drive in the FIA Junior WRC. From the applicants, 15 were short-listed for a three-day shootout, and three finalists were selected to showcase their skills in a WRC round. Eventually, German driver Claire Schönborn won the prize to compete in the 2025 season of Junior WRC. After finishing her debut season in Junior WRC, we had the chance to have a Q&A with Claire. Here’s her rallying story.
© All photos provided by Claire Schönborn
Growing up in a motorsport family, motorsport has always been an interest for Claire Schönborn. However, having the desire to be a driver doesn’t mean it’s easy to gain access to a driving opportunity. “My parents both competed in hillclimb racing. I was interested in both the technology and being a driver from the very beginning. Rally sport has always fascinated me; for me, it is the pinnacle of motorsport. However, getting into it seemed very far-fetched since I had no connections in rally sport.”
In 2022, Claire finally had the chance to show her capabilities in the cockpit. Starting with a gold medal in auto slalom, she eventually realized her dream in rallying. “At the FIA Motorsport Games, I got to drive the Rally Opel Corsa version in the slalom discipline and was able to win the gold medal. Following that, Opel Motorsport invited me in 2024 to a guest drive with this vehicle, and it went pretty well. That was my start in rallying.”
Rallying demands an incredible mastery of the car under extremely changing conditions. You never encounter the same conditions as during the recce or in the first or second run. Rally driving requires a lot of preparation, a lot of experience, and a lot of confidence. It requires high precision and full trust in the pacenotes.
Since her first experience in rallying with Opel, it didn’t take long before Claire secured her seat in Junior WRC. “2024 was also when the WRC promoter launched the Beyond Rally Women’s Driver Development Programme, and many people advised me to apply there. After I won in Beyond Rally, I tried to learn as much as possible from old onboard recordings. Together with my coach, I improved my pacenote system. In general, you have to prepare very thoroughly for each rally to avoid surprises and make sure the pacenotes are accurate.”
As a rookie in the 2025 Junior WRC, and as someone with relatively less experience, Claire aimed to gain as much experience as possible, and her season exceeded expectations. “I had never driven on gravel or snow and ice before, so I was an absolute beginner, which is not typical in the Junior WRC. I wanted to deliver an error-free season in order to cover as many kilometers as possible, so I could gain as much experience as possible. With 7th place in Sweden and 5th place at my home rally, the Central European Rally, the season went better than expected.”
My coach, Teemu Suninen, has been there for me from the very beginning with advice and support, and shared a lot of knowledge with me. I was able to learn and apply a great deal from his experience. He was an important factor in delivering good and clean results this season. I also learned a lot from my co-driver Michael. He’s been in this sport for over 30 years. He always motivates me to become the best version of myself.
Beyond her successful season in Junior WRC, Claire has also been announced as the reserve driver for Extreme E and Extreme H. During Desert X Prix in October, Claire stepped in for Jameel Motorsport to replace the injured Molly Taylor. “I was thrilled to have been asked to step in as a reserve driver there. I hadn’t expected to be involved in the race so quickly. At first, it was an adjustment since I had never driven in the desert before, and of course, going from the Fiesta to the Extreme E/H car was a big difference. The Extreme E/H car was actually much more intuitive to drive, similar to a rally car but with significantly more weight. I was able to adapt very quickly to the new vehicles and, fortunately, finish the race in first place in the redemption race, which was a huge success since I had jumped into the replacement car rather spontaneously.”
Before competing as a driver, Claire worked as an automotive system engineer. Her engineering background means she’s no stranger to the vehicles she drives and has helped her catch up quickly as a late starter in motorsport. “Starting rallying at the age of 25 and going straight into the Junior WRC meant I had significant gaps in experience that I first had to close, and still need to close. My engineering background helped me a lot with that. It allowed me to quickly understand and learn exactly what I needed to do, in terms of setup or driving style. In Portugal, I was still about 3.5 seconds per kilometer behind the JWRC leaders; in Finland, just two rallies later, I cut it to about 1 second per kilometer. That was a quantum leap for me, which I was able to make thanks to my coach, co-driver, and my engineering knowledge.”
Claire still keeps her day job as an engineer, meaning she balances a busy racing schedule with her professional work. It was a demanding task in 2025, but Claire managed it beautifully. “This year, I was only home for a total of 8 weeks, spending the rest on business trips, rallies, or rally preparations. I can balance motorsport and my job well, because as a System Engineer in the application field, I have to adjust to new conditions and vehicles just like I did in motorsport this year.”
Heading into the winter break, Claire is ready to apply the lessons learned this season to improve in future campaigns. “I want to apply and deepen the knowledge I gained this year during the JWRC season in the upcoming season. I want to show everyone that the judges made the right choice during the selection process and that anyone can be successful, regardless of their background, as long as they are ambitious, goal-oriented, and eager to learn. Because then you can achieve anything.”
Claire’s journey from engineer to rising rally star illustrates that with ambition, resilience, and continuous learning, barriers can be broken and dreams can be realized, on any terrain. We wish Claire all the best of luck in her future endeavors in the rallying world and beyond!
Paddock Sorority 
Leave a comment