Claire Schönborn won the WRC development program for female drivers at the Rally Sweden, thus securing a season in the Junior WRC
Claire Schönborn has done it: the German beat her rival Lyssia Baudet last weekend at the Rally Sweden, the second round of the 2025 World Rally Championship (WRC), to win the WRC development program for female drivers.
As a prize, the 25-year-old will receive a fully funded place for the remaining four rounds of this year’s Junior WRC championship, where she will drive a Ford Fiesta Rally3. In the decisive shootout on ice and snow in Sweden, Schönborn was almost three minutes faster than her Belgian rival at the finish after 18 special stages.
“It’s incredible,” enthuses Schönborn. ”At the moment it’s still hard to grasp what we’ve achieved. It was a pleasure to be at the Rally Sweden and we’re so happy that we made it to the finish without damage – that was the main goal. Now the hard work begins to be ready for the rest of the season in the Junior WRC!”
Schönborn is a systems engineer at automotive supplier ZF and was mainly active as a hill-climb driver before participating in the WRC development program. As part of the initiative launched by the WRC promoter in 2024, she had prevailed over around 100 applicants in a selection process and after a three-day evaluation at M-Sport Poland.
Together with Baudet and Finland’s Suvi Jyrkiäinen, Schönborn competed in the Central Europe Rally last year. A winner was supposed to have been chosen there, but after Schönborn and Baudet had shown comparable performances, the organizers decided to give them both the chance of a direct duel in Sweden. In the end, Schönborn, together with co-driver Jara Hain, came out on top.
“This is exactly what we want to achieve with the ‘Beyond Rally Women’s Driver Development Program’ – identify and support talented female drivers on their way to the top,” says Peter Thul, Sports Director of WRC Promoter GmbH.
“Claire has put in an impressive performance in Sweden, and her promotion to Junior WRC is well-deserved. We wish her good luck for the remaining rounds of this season,” Thul continued.
Schönborn will next compete in the Junior WRC from May 15 to 18 as part of the Rally Portugal.
