The World Rally Championship has chosen the three feminine drivers from its inaugural girls’s driver improvement programme that may obtain a fully-funded drive on the Central European Rally.
Lyssia Baudet (Belgium, 21), Claire Schonborn (Germany, 25), and Suvi Jyrkiainen (Finland, 24) have been chosen from a gaggle of 15 finalists that had been whittled down from an array of purposes from internationally.
They’ll now pilot an M-Sport-built Ford Fiesta Rally3 within the penultimate spherical of the WRC season from 17-20 October.
The trio have been chosen by a panel made up of Peter Thul (WRC Promoter Sporting Director), Burcu Cetinkaya (rally driver and FIA girls in motorsport chairperson), Pernilla Solberg (FIA WRC Fee president, former rally driver), Maciej Woda (M-Sport Poland managing director) and Isolde Holderied (1994-95 FIA feminine world rally champion).
The choice arrived after the 15 candidates undertook a intensive three-day coaching marketing campaign in Poland the place they have been assessed by a panel of specialists.
The drivers have been judged on their driving capabilities on asphalt and gravel, how they dealt with media interviews, pacenote making abilities, health and their mechanical data.
Following subsequent month’s Central European Rally, the judges will supply one of many three drivers a full season in subsequent 12 months’s Junior World Rally Championship.
Schonborn, who made her rally debut within the Opel Electrical Rally Cup this 12 months stated: “I didn’t suppose that I used to be picked up, I’m speechless, it appears like a dream.
Claire Schonborn (left), Lyssia Baudet (centre) and Suvi Jyrkiainen (proper)
Photograph by: WRC
“There are such a lot of ladies with a lot expertise in rally, so the extent was actually excessive. I didn’t take into consideration being the chosen one of many three ladies so sure, I’m so comfortable.”
Former circuit racer turned rally driver, Baudet added: “It is wonderful, I really feel like I’m in a dream however I do know that it is just the beginning of the journey and I’ve quite a lot of work to do, however I’m prepared for this and I’m very grateful.”
“I want to congratulate the opposite candidates, the extent was very excessive. It’s been an incredible alternative for us all.”
“I used to be proud of my driving all through the times however I wasn’t positive if the opposite issues have been sufficient however I’m actually comfortable. It is actually unbelievable, I can not think about myself there within the WRC however possibly it would sink in in a number of days,” stated Jyrkiainen, who completed runner-up within the 2023 End Rally Championship Girls Cup.
“For us, it was on the finish, very tough to make the selection. We hope after all that it was the proper one, we’ll see on the subsequent stage of the method on the Central European Rally,” stated Thul.
“Every one of many finalists has been distinctive. We all know their CV, some ladies don’t have any expertise to say, drive on gravel in any respect they usually have actually stunned us right here.
“All of them delivered a unbelievable efficiency, I need to say everybody was the proper option to be throughout the 15 that have been chosen.
“Now although, a WRC occasion is ready and it’s a really robust tarmac rally with altering climate circumstances by way of Germany, Czech Republic and Austria. However this coaching camp right here in Poland affords quite a lot of highway surfaces, so I believe they are going to be nicely ready.
“They’ll have a pre-event take a look at, additionally we’ll construct along with M-Sport Poland an expert construction, after which we hope the three drivers shall be pure ambassadors for girls in motorsport.”
