After an intense three-day camp with 15 participants from 13 countries, the three finalists for the WRC Beyond Rally Women’s Driver Development Programme—Claire Schönborn, Suvi Jyrkiäinen, and Lyssia Baudet—have been revealed. The next step is the Central European Rally through Germany, the Czech Republic, and Austria, where the winner will earn a fully-funded season in the Junior WRC for 2025.
A new project to increase female participation in rallying was launched this summer, aiming to establish a path for up-and-coming female drivers and advance their careers in the sport. The initiative is a multi-year deal, with the first stage taking place under WRC's "Beyond Rally" banner.
In the initial step, 15 participants from 13 countries traveled to Krakow, Poland, for an intensive training camp to evaluate these talented drivers and select three finalists who will compete in the Central European Rally in mid-October. One will earn a fully-funded seat in the Junior WRC for 2025.
The drivers underwent tests covering all aspects of the sport, including media skills, technical abilities, and fitness evaluations on the first day. This was followed by a day focusing on asphalt driving skills and working with pacenotes, with the final day dedicated to tackling gravel.
A jury composed of experts from various fields of rallying faced the challenging task of selecting three drivers from the 15 participants to contest in a Fiesta Rally3 in the Central European Rally. These three will receive pre-event testing and work with M-Sport Poland to prepare for the event.
The three selected drivers, now one step closer to their dreams, are:
Lyssia Baudet, who previously raced on circuits before transitioning to rallying in 2022. She began in the Clio Trophy Belgium series, where she secured 4th place in her debut season. Baudet was chosen by the Belgian Federation in a selection process to find the next female rally driver and now takes a significant step by joining the WRC Beyond Rally program.
“It's amazing, I feel like I am in a dream but I know that it is only the start of the adventure and I have a lot of work to do, but I am ready for this and I am very thankful,” said Baudet. “I would like to congratulate the other candidates, the level was very high. It’s been an amazing opportunity for us all."
The second finalist is Suvi Jyrkiäinen from Finland, who also started her career on circuits before moving to rallying. The Finn competed in the Finnish Ladies Cup for two seasons, driving a Ford Fiesta.
“Well, I'm speechless. I was happy with my driving throughout the days but I wasn’t sure if the other things were enough, but I am really happy. It's really incredible, I cannot imagine myself there in the WRC but maybe you know it will sink in in a few days”, Jyrkiäinen commented.
The third finalist is German driver Claire Schönborn, who began her racing career in the ADAC Slalom Youngster Cup, where she became vice-champion before transitioning to hillclimb racing. Most recently, she competed in the ADAC Opel Electric Rally Cup, making her move to rallying before joining the Beyond Rally program.
"The 3 days in Poland were very educational", Schönborn explained. "We were able to gain a lot of experience and tips. On the first day we had a media, fitness and mechanical skills test. After that we had a lesson in pace notes - I was able to learn a lot from that, as I have only driven in one rally so far. On the second day we drove on asphalt in the Czech Republic."
"We had 5 laps to show what we can do", she continued. "It worked really well for me right away. The car was great to drive and I had a good feeling right from the start. On the third day we went to a gravel area in Poland. Here we had to drive 2 laps. It was my first time on gravel, so I was very nervous. In the first lap I got used to the surface, and in the 2nd I was able to get up to pace."
Claire, was one of the drivers with less experience to be selected in the program, which was open to any female driver aged 27 or younger as of January 1, 2024. The winner will receive a fully-funded seat in the FIA Junior WRC for the 2025 season.
"I had a good feeling after the 3 days, but I didn’t expect to be nominated in the top 3!", Schönborn recalled. "There were so many girls there with so much experience. When my name was called, I couldn’t believe it. I’m still speechless and feel very honored to have been given this opportunity."
"Now it’s all about a lot of practice and preparation, because my second rally will be a world championship race in a Ford Fiesta Rally3! My co-driver Jara Hain and I are in constant contact to prepare ourselves as best as possible for the CER. I’m very excited to see how it goes and who the winner will be in the end. I would like to thank the WRC promoter and M Sport very much for this opportunity, it’s a dream come true and I hope my journey continues!"
The next step for these drivers is the WRC Central European Rally, spanning Germany, the Czech Republic, and Austria, from October 17th to 20th. This event will determine which of the three finalists will advance to the Junior WRC in 2025.
The last active female driver in a world rally championship class was Molly Taylor, who participated in a three-rally campaign in 2021. While she completed Rally Finland, she faced bad luck in Greece and Estonia.
The new WRC initiative aims to boost female driver participation, which has been scarce in recent years. Currently, more women are opting to co-pilot at the highest levels of world rallying: Enni Mälkönen, Reeta Hämäläinen, and Janni Hussi have exemplified this trend in the WRC2 class in recent years. Hopefully, this new initiative will spark further change.
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