WRC Promoter has launched a multi-year initiative to increase female participation at the pinnacle of rallying by providing a launchpad for up-and-coming female drivers to advance their careers, beginning in 2024.
The first stage of the project invited applications from females aged 27 and under as of 1 January 2024 to apply to be part of a programme that will offer a yearly prize package including a fully-supported 2025 FIA Junior WRC entry.
A jury selected 15 finalists from an excitingly global list, who will attend a three-day training camp from 16 - 18 September at M-Sport Poland’s Krakow headquarters. There, they will seek to prove their rally preparedness, mechanical knowledge, media nous, and driving ability on mixed surfaces.
The camp will be run by a team of rallying experts, and a panel of judges will be responsible for selecting the most promising three drivers to contest October’s Central European Rally, the penultimate round of the 2024 FIA World Rally Championship. They will compete in M-Sport Poland-prepared Ford Fiesta Rally3 cars in a fully supported programme.
Women’s Programme
WRC Promoter is providing the foundations to assist talented up-and-coming female rally drivers fast-track their careers to a seat in the FIA Junior WRC in 2025.
Following on from Central European Rally, a driver will be selected for a fully supported campaign in the 2025 FIA Junior WRC.
The successful applicants, from a diverse range of motorsports backgrounds, represent 13 countries across three continents. They are:
Lyssia Baudet – Belgium
Emma Chalvin – France
Ann Felke – Germany
Joanna Hassoun – Lebanon
Mako Hirakawa – Japan
Hannah Jakobsson – Sweden
Suvi Jyrkiäinen – Finland
Luz Marina – Spain
Nuria Pons – Spain
Aoife Raftery – Ireland
Claire Schönborn – Germany
Madelyn Tabor – USA
Alexandra Teslovan – Romania
Hanna Lisette Aabna – Estonia
Dorka Zagyva – Hungary
Greece
Poland
Portugal