The third day of the Central European Rally has come to an end. Thierry Neuville regained the rally lead on the day.
SS9, Schärdinger Innviertel 1
Elfyn Evans kicked off day three of the Central European Rally with a stage win. Posting a time 1.3 seconds faster than Thierry Neuville to take the stage win. Kalle Rovanperä finished third fastest on the stage, 0.8 seconds slower than Neuville. Sebastien Ogier set the fourth fastest time on the stage, 2.2 seconds slower than Rovanperä. Ott Tänak rounded out the top five on the stage, 5.4 seconds slower than Ogier.
SS10, Mühltal 1
Thierry Neuville topped the 10th stage of the weekend. With the Belgian setting a time 3.8 seconds faster than Elfyn Evans. Sebastien Ogier finished third on the stage, 6.8 seconds slower than Evans. Ott Tänak posted the fourth fastest time on the stage, 1.7 seconds slower than Ogier. Pierre-Louis Loubet rounded out the top five on the stage, 4.6 seconds slower than Tänak.
SS11, Knaus Tabbert Bayerischer Wald 1
Thierry Neuville rounded out the morning loop of the third day of the Central European Rally with a stage win. Posting a time 2.3 seconds faster than teammate Teemu Suninen to take the stage win. Sebastien Ogier finished third fastest on the stage, 0.9 seconds slower than Suninen. Grégoire Munster set the fourth fastest time on the stage, 1.4 seconds slower than Ogier. Ott Tänak rounded out the top five on the stage, 0.3 seconds slower than Munster.
SS12, Schärdinger Innviertel 2
Sebastien Ogier took the stage win on the twelfth stage of the weekend. Setting a time 1.5 seconds faster than Thierry Neuville to take the stage win. Ott Tänak finished third fastest on the stage, 3 seconds slower than Neuville. Kalle Rovanperä and Takamoto Katsuta tied for the fourth fastest time on the stage. With both drivers posting a time 0.4 seconds slower than Tänak. Pierre-Louis Loubet rounded out the top five times on the stage, 4.1 seconds slower than Rovanperä and Katsuta.
SS13, Mühltal 2
Sebastien Ogier also took the stage win on the thirteenth stage of the Central European Rally. Posting a time 0.1 seconds faster than Ott Tänak to take his second consecutive stage win. Thierry Neuville finished third fastest on the stage, 3.4 seconds slower than Tänak. Takamoto Katsuta set the fourth fastest time on the stage, 4.9 seconds slower than Neuville. Teemu Suninen rounded out the top five on the stage, 1.9 seconds slower than Katsuta.
SS14, Knaus Tabbert Bayerischer Wald 2
Kalle Rovanperä capped off the third day of the Central European Rally with a stage win. Setting a time 0.5 seconds faster than Rally Leader Thierry Neuville. Takamoto Katsuta finished third fastest on the stage, 3.9 seconds slower than Neuville. Teemu Suninen posted the fourth fastest time on the stage, 3 seconds slower than Katsuta. Sebastien Ogier rounded out the top five on the stage, 2 seconds slower than Suninen.
Evans Out
Elfyn Evans championship hopes were on the line this weekend. Now his championship hopes look bleak. This comes after Evans went off the road and crashed into a barn that was stageside. His car looks like it has no significant damage. However, it is now up to the Toyota Gazoo Racing World Rally Team mechanics to get the car ready for tomorrow. Evans can still keep the championship battle alive. However, all Rovanperä needs to do now is score 4 points and the championship is his once again. For Evans, a rough event has only gotten worse.
A Cautious Kalle
Kalle Rovanperä spent most of the third day of the Central European Rally being cautious. Rovanperä didn’t take many risks nor was he fully on the pace we’ve come to expect from the youngest champion in WRC history. With Evans seemingly out Rovanperä has nothing to push for. For Rovanperä position doesn’t matter. The only pressure he has at this point is finishing the event. Something that shouldn’t be much of an issue as there are only 4 stages tomorrow.
What To Expect Day Four Of The Central European Rally
The fourth and final day of the first-ever Central European Rally will see drivers contest four stages totalling 67.24 km. With no tire fitting zones or services on the day, drivers will look to preserve their tires for the Powerstage. With Thierry Neuville having a 26.2-second lead over Rovanperä heading into the final day he sits in a somewhat comfortable spot. This is due to Rovanperä likely not pushing as previously mentioned. Ott Tänak seems on track to take the final step of the podium. As he sits nearby a minute and a half behind Rovanperä and 31.1 seconds ahead of Ogier. Takamoto Katsuta could find himself in a battle with Teemu Suninen for fifth. However, from there, nobody is really close enough to one another. Pierre-Louis Loubet will once again be first on the road.