“It is easier to dream about doing something when you have seen someone doing it.”
Those are the words of champion co-driver Reeta Hamalainen that strike at the core of what the World Rally Championship is attempting to achieve with its new women’s talent development programme. This global talent search aims to not only unearth the next top female rally driver, who could one day follow in the footsteps of the great four-time WRC rally winner Michele Mouton, but break down the barriers to entry for women in rallying.
Following an intense three-day training camp in Poland this week, three drivers are now no longer dreaming of competing in the WRC. Lyssia Baudet (21, Belgium), Claire Schonborn (25, Germany), and Suvi Jyrkiainen (24, Finland) are now preparing to compete in the WRC’s penultimate round of the season at the Central European Rally (17-20 October) in the WRC3 class, and in doing so inspire the next generation of women drivers. And for one of the trio, a life-changing prize is on offer – a fully-funded Junior WRC campaign piloting a Ford Fiesta Rally3 car.
Female participation in the WRC, compared to other motorsport series, has been relatively high. Mouton’s run to finish runner-up in the 1982 WRC title race smashed the glass ceiling, proving women could achieve success at the very top level of motorsport.
In the four decades since, this level of success is yet to be replicated but it doesn’t mean the talent isn’t out there. Female success has been notable on the co-driver front, with Hamalainen winning the 2022 WRC2 co-drivers’ title and Enni Malkonen now competing in the top Rally1 class with Toyota alongside Sami Pajari after winning the 2022 WRC3 co-drivers’ title.
The WRC believes the driving talent exists and, to its credit, has put its money where its mouth is by committing funding to unearth its new female superstar. This latest talent search initiative is distinct from the FIA Rally Star programme – funded by the FIA – which fielded four crews in this year’s one-make M-Sport Ford Fiesta Rally3 Junior WRC. It has already enjoyed success with Romet Jurgenson and Slim Oja winning the JWRC title at their first attempt.
“I think we are missing women participating in rallying a lot,” WRC Promoter sporting director and talent programme chairperson Peter Thul tells Motorsport.com. “We have fantastic co-drivers but I think there is potential that is not discovered yet and maybe we can find somebody like Michele…
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