The Central European Rally has come to an end, Thierry Neuville held on to the lead to secure the rally win.
SS15, Bohmerwald 1
Sebastien Ogier kicked off the fourth and final day of the Central European Rally with a stage win. With Ogier posting a time 1.8 seconds faster than Elfyn Evans to take the stage win. Thierry Neuville finished third fastest on the stage, 1.4 seconds slower than Evans. Teemu Suninen set the fourth fastest time on the stage, 0.1 seconds slower than Neuville. Ott Tänak rounded out the top five on the stage, 1.3 seconds slower than Suninen.
SS16, Passauer Land 1
Elfyn Evans claimed the stage win on the sixteenth stage of the Central European Rally. Setting a time 4.6 seconds faster than Sebastien Ogier to win the stage. Takamoto Katsuta finished third fastest on the stage, 2 seconds slower than Ogier. Ott Tänak posted the fourth fastest time on the stage 0.4 seconds slower than Katsuta. Teemu Suninen rounded out the top five on the stage, 0.6 seconds slower than Tänak.
SS17, Bohmerwald 2
Sebastien Ogier took home the stage win on SS17. Posting a time 3.3 seconds faster than Takamoto Katsuta on the stage. Thierry Neuville finished third fastest on the stage, 0.3 seconds slower than Katsuta. Ott Tänak set the fourth fastest time on the stage, 2.2 seconds slower than Neuville. Teemu Suninen rounded out the top five on the stage, 3.1 seconds slower than Tänak.
SS18, Passauer Land 2
Elfyn Evans took home the stage win on the eighteenth and final stage of the Central European Rally. With Evans setting a time 3.4 seconds faster than Thierry Neuville to win the stage. Sebastien Ogier finished third fastest on the stage, 1.4 seconds slower than Thierry Neuville. Takamoto Katsuta posted the fourth fastest time on the stage, 1.3 seconds slower than Neuville. Ott Tänak rounded out the top five on the stage, 1.1 seconds slower than Katsuta.
Neuville Holds On
Thierry Neuville held onto the rally lead to take his second win of the season. Despite not taking a stage win Neuville ended the rally with a 57.6 second lead over Kalle Rovanperä. However, neither driver was likely pushing on the final day as for Rovanperä he had a championship to secure. While Neuville wanted to win his second of the season.
The third day of the Central European Rally has come to an end. Emil Lindholm retains the WRC2 class lead on the day.
SS9, Schärdinger Innviertel 1
Nicolas Ciamin kicked off the third day of the Central European Rally with a stage win. Posting a time 4.9 seconds faster than Nikolay Gryazin to take the stage win. Erik Cais finished third fastest on the stage, 1.7 seconds slower than Gryazin. Sami Pajari set the fourth fastest time on the stage, 1.5 seconds slower than Cais. Josh McErlean rounded out the top five on the stage, 1.5 seconds slower than Pajari.
SS10, Mühltal 1
Emil Lindholm topped the 10th stage of the weekend. With the Fin setting a time 3.2 seconds faster than Nicolas Ciamin. Nikolay Gryazin finished third on the stage, 2.6 seconds slower than Ciamin. Erik Cais posted the fourth fastest time on the stage, 0.3 seconds slower than Gryazin. Kajetan Kajetanoiwcz rounded out the top five on the stage, 10.7 seconds slower than Cais.
SS11, Knaus Tabbert Bayerischer Wald 1
Nicolas Ciamin rounded out the morning loop of the third day of the Central European Rally with a stage win. Posting a time 0.3 seconds faster than Emil Lindholm to take the stage win. Erik Cais finished third fastest on the stage, 0.7 seconds slower than Lindholm. Nikolay Gryazin set the fourth fastest time on the stage, 0.9 seconds slower than Cais. Miko Marczyk rounded out the top five on the stage, 7.7 seconds slower than Gryazin.
SS12, Schärdinger Innviertel 2
Gus Greensmith took the stage win on the twelfth stage of the weekend. Setting a time 1 seconds faster than Nikolay Gryazin to take the stage win. Nicolas Ciamin finished third fastest on the stage, 0.3 seconds slower than Gryazin. Sami Pajari posted the fourth fastest time on the stage, 3.3 seconds slower than Ciamin. Emil Lindholm rounded out the top five on the stage, 0.1 seconds slower than Pajari.
SS13, Mühltal 2
Emil Lindholm topped the thirteenth stage of the weekend. Posting a time 1.2 seconds faster than Nikolay Gryazin to win the stage. Nicolas Ciamin finished third fastest on the stage, 2.4 seconds slower than Gryazin. Erik Cais set the fourth fastest time on the stage, 0.5 seconds slower than Ciamin. Kajetan Kajetanowicz rounded out the top five on the stage, finishing 9 seconds slower than Cais.
SS14, Knaus Tabbert Bayerischer Wald 2
Emil Lindholm capped off the third day of the Central European Rally with a stage win. Setting a time 1.2 seconds faster than Gus Greensmith. Erik Cais finished third fastest on the stage, 0.4 seconds slower than Greensmith. Nicolas Ciamin posted the fourth fastest time on the stage, 2.8 seconds slower than Cais. Kajetan Kajetanowicz and Sami Pajari rounded out the top five on the stage. With both drivers finishing 5.6 seconds slower than Ciamin.
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.
The second day of the Central European has come to an end. Emil Lindholm took the WRC2 class lead on the day.
SS3, Vlachovo Brezi 1
Emil Lindholm kicked off the second day of the Central European Rally with a stage win. With Lindholm posting a time 1.6 seconds faster than Andreas Mikkelsen. Nicolas Ciamin finished third fastest on the stage, 4.9 seconds slower than Mikkelsen. Erik Cais set the fourth fastest time on the stage, 4.7 seconds slower than Ciamin. Georg Linnamäe rounded out the top five on the stage, finishing 6.1 seconds slower than Cais.
SS4, Zvotoky 1
Nikolay Gryazin took his first stage win of the weekend on SS4. Setting a time 11.7 seconds faster than Emil Lindholm and Alejandro Cachòn on the stage. Miko Marczyk finished with the third fastest time on the stage, 4.5 seconds slower than Lindholm and Cachòn. Erik Cais posted the fourth fastest time on the stage, 2.2 seconds slower than Marczyk. Kajetan Kajetanowicz rounded out the top five fastest times on the stage, finishing 1.6 seconds slower than Cais.
SS5, Sumavske Hostice 1
Nikolay Gryazin also took the stage win on the fifth stage of the Central European Rally. Posting a time 16.2 seconds faster than Gus Greensmith to take the stage win. Emil Lindholm finished third fastest on the stage, 3.2 seconds slower than Greensmith. Kajetan Kajetanowicz set the fourth fastest time on the stage, 0.8 seconds slower than Lindholm. Sami Pajari rounded out the top five on the stage, 2.3 seconds slower than Kajetanowicz.
SS6, Vlachovo Brezi 2
Cancelled due to spectator issues.
SS7, Zvotoky 2
Nicolas Ciamin took his first WRC2 stage win on SS7. Setting a time 1.7 seconds faster than Nikolay Gryazin to win the stage. Erik Cais finished third fastest on the stage, 1.1 seconds slower than Gryazin. Kajetan Kajetanoiwcz posted the fourth fastest time on the stage, 3.5 seconds slower than Cais. Gus Greensmtih rounded the top five on the stage, 1.7 seconds slower than Kajetanowicz.
SS8, Sumavske Hostice 2
Nikolay Gryazin capped off the second day of the Central European Rally with a stage win. Posting a time 5.7 seconds faster than Emil Lindholm to win the stage. Erik Cais finished third fastest on the stage, 3.1 seconds slower than Lindholm. Gus Greensmith set the fourth fastest time on the stage, 3.3 seconds slower than Cais. Georg Linnamäe rounded out the top five on the stage, 1.1 seconds slower than Greensmith.
Rossel Out
Yohan Rossel’s event and championship hopes ended on SS3. Rossel would go into a corner slightly too fast and go off the road. Normally this would be insignificant. However, on tarmac tires driving on grass is like driving on ice. There’s no grip to be had so the car just slides. Unfortunately for Rossel that sliding ended up with him knocking a few trees over.
Trouble For Mikkelsen
The second day of the Central European Rally wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows for Andrea’s Mikkelsen. Besides the fact that there was very little sun at all during the day. Mikkelsen suffered a puncture during the morning loop and spent the afternoon loop nursing the car. With no service between the loops, day two was effectively a drive to survive for all drivers. Mikkelsen likely won’t be scoring any championship points this weekend now. As he sits over 11 minutes behind the rally leader and over 9 behind the final points-scoring position.
The second day of the Central European Rally has come to an end. Kalle Rovanperä took the lead from Thierry Neuville on the day.
SS3, Vlachovo Brezi 1
Kalle Rovanperä started the second day of the Central European Rally with a stage win. With Rovanperä posting a time 1.8 seconds faster than Esapekka Lappi to win the stage. Elfyn Evans finished third fastest on the stage, 1.6 seconds slower than Lappi. Thierry Neuville set the fourth fastest time on the stage, 1.1 seconds slower than Evans. Ott Tänak rounded out the top five on the stage, 5.1 seconds slower than Neuville.
SS4, Zvotoky 1
Kalle Rovanperä once again took the stage win on SS4. With the championship leader setting a time 10.1 seconds faster than Esapekka Lappi to win the stage. Elfyn Evans once again finished third fastest on the stage, 4.5 seconds slower than Lappi. Thierry Neuville posted the fourth fastest time on the stage, 4.9 seconds slower than Evans. Ott Tänak rounded out the top five on the stage, finishing 4 seconds slower than Neuville.
SS5, Sumavske Hostice 1
Kalle Rovanperä also took the win on the fifth stage of the Central European Rally. With the Fin posting a time 6.4 seconds faster than championship rival Elfyn Evans to win the stage. Thierry Neuville finished third fastest on the stage, 5.6 seconds slower than Evans. Ott Tänak set the fourth fastest time on the stage, 3.4 seconds slower than Neuville. Sebastien Ogier rounded out the top five on the stage, 5.8 seconds slower than Tänak.
SS6, Vlachovo Brezi 2
Elfyn Evans stopped Rovanperä’s dominance with a stage win on SS6. Evans would set a time 1.1 seconds faster than Thierry Neuville to take his first stage win of the day. Kalle Rovanperä finished third fastest on the stage, 0.6 seconds slower than Neuville. Ott Tänak posted the fourth fastest time on the stage, 6.9 seconds slower than Rovanperä. Grégoire Munster rounded out the top five on the stage, 2.9 seconds slower than Tänak.
SS7, Zvotoky 2
Kalle Rovanperä was back to his ways on the seventh stage of the Central European Rally. With Rovanperä posting a time 8 seconds faster than Thierry Neuville to take the stage win. Elfyn Evans finished third fastest on the stage, 1.7 seconds slower than Neuville. Ott Tänak set the fourth fastest time on the stage, 7.9 seconds slower than Evans. Sebastien Ogier rounded out the top five on the stage, 6.6 seconds slower than Tänak.
SS8, Sumavske Hostice 2
Thierry Neuville capped the second day of the Central European Rally with a stage win. The Belgian would set a time 1.1 seconds faster than Kalle Rovanperä to win the stage. Elfyn Evans finished third fastest on the stage, 10 seconds slower than Rovanperä. Sebastien Ogier posted the fourth fastest time on the stage, 5.7 seconds slower than Evans. Ott Tänak rounded out the top five on the stage, finishing 6.4 seconds slower than Ogier.
Rovanperä Dominates
Kalle Rovanperä was at his A-game today. Winning 4 out of the day’s 6 stages and taking a 36.4-second lead over Thierry Neuville into day three. This is ideal for Rovanperä who has a chance to win the championship this weekend. Rovanperä sits 47.2 seconds up on his championship rival Elfyn Evans. All Rovanperä has to do now is hold his lead. This is Rovanperä however and he will likely continue to push tomorrow. As if he didn’t, there may be cause for concern.
Not Again
Esapekka Lappi is once again out of the rally due to an accident. His rally lasted 4 stages longer than it did in Chile earlier this month. However, on SS5 Lappi would go wide on a corner and clip a tree. Flinging his car into a berm and then off the road. His i20 was too damaged to continue. He may rejoin the event tomorrow but it’s looking unlikely.
What To Expect From Day Three Of The Central European Rally
Day three of the Central European Rally will see drivers compete two loops of three stages yet again. This time the loops are shorter, only totalling 54.75 km for each loop. Making the total stage kilometres on the stage 109.50. This time however Kalle Rovanperä won’t be the first on the road. He will be the last Rally1 car to drive the stage. Being the current rally leader is a slight disadvantage for Rovanperä on tarmac. As overtime, the more drivers cut on the stage the more dirt and mud will go out onto the road. Pierre-Louis Loubet will be first on the road as he currently sits last. Then Grégoire Munster second and Teemu Suninen third.
The first day of the Central European Rally has come to an end. Yohan Rossel leads the WRC2 class at the end of the day.
SSS1, Velka Chuchle
WRC2 Championship leader Andreas Mikkelsen started the Central European Rally with a stage win. Mikkelsen would set a time 0.2 seconds faster than Miko Marczyk to take the stage win. Yohan Rossel finished third fastest on the stage, 0.1 seconds slower than Mikkelsen. Simon Wagner posted the fourth fastest time on the stage, 0.1 seconds slower than Rossel. Nicolas Ciamin rounded out the top five on the stage, finishing 0.8 seconds slower than Wagner.
SSS2, Circuit Of Klatovy
Yohan Rossel took the win on the second stage of the weekend. Posting a time 2.9 seconds faster than Kajetan Kajetanowicz to take the stage win. Gus Greensmith finished third fastest on the stage, 0.5 seconds slower than Kajetanowicz. Nikolay Gryazin and Andreas Mikkelsen tied for the fourth fastest time on the stage. With both drivers posting a time 0.1 seconds slower than Greensmith. Nicolas Ciamin rounded out the top five times on the stage, finishing 1.1 seconds slower than Gryazin and Mikkelsen.
What To Expect From Day Two Of The Central European Rally
The first full day of the Central European Rally will see drivers face two loops of three stages totalling 60.90 km each loop and 121.80 km total. Andreas Mikkelsen will be first on the road for the WRC2 class. Road sweeping won’t be an issue for Mikkelsen as with any event the Rally1 cars will run beforehand. However, Mikkelsen is in the best WRC2 position as overtime more mud and dirt will get swept out onto the stage via drivers cutting. Yohan Rossel will be second on the road with Gus Greensmith third.
The first day of the Central European Rally has come to an end. Thierry Neuville leads the rally after the day.
SSS1, Velka Chuchle
Ott Tänak kicked off the Central European Rally with a stage win. Tänak would set a time 0.7 seconds faster than Sebastien Ogier to win the opening stage. Thierry Neuville finished third fastest on the stage, 0.3 seconds slower than Ogier. Esapekka Lappi posted the fourth fastest time on the stage, 0.6 seconds slower than Neuville. Teemu Suninen rounded out the top five on the stage, finishing 0.8 seconds slower than Lappi.
SSS2, Circuit Of Klatovy
Thierry Neuville topped the second stage of the weekend. Posting a time 2.2 seconds faster than Ott Tänak to take the rally lead. Kalle Rovanperä finished third fastest on the stage, 0.7 seconds slower than Tänak. Esapekka Lappi set the fourth fastest time on the stage, 0.1 seconds slower than Rovanperä. Sebastien Ogier rounded out the top five on the stage, 3.1 seconds slower than Lappi.
Not The Start Evans Was Hoping For
Elfyn Evans is in the pressure zone this weekend. As his championship hopes are on the line. Evans didn’t have the greatest start to the Central European Rally. As he currently sits 8th overall 10.7 seconds behind Thierry Neuville. More importantly, he sits 4.8 seconds behind his championship rival and teammate Kalle Rovanperä. Evans won the last time the WRC had a tarmac event. However, that was all the way back in April. There is a reason why Evans is behind, however. As on SSS2 he overshot a corner and lost time after his brakes locked up. Overall Evans probably doesn’t have much to worry about, however, those 4.8 seconds could be the difference maker in his championship hopes staying alive or ending this weekend.
What To Expect From Day Two Of The Central European Rally
The first full day of the Central European Rally will see drivers face two loops of three stages totalling 60.90 km each loop and 121.80 km total. Kalle Rovanperä will be the first on the road all day long. As he is the championship leader. This isn’t much of an issue for Rovanperä however. As tarmac rallies don’t require sweeping like gravel events do. It also is ideal for Rovanperä on the first run through each stage as over time more mud will be pulled out of corners from drivers cutting. The current forecast says the stages will be wet tomorrow. Which in turn means more mud for drivers to pull out and slicker roads overall.
Much like the WRC1 Championship the WRC2 Championship can also be won this weekend. Find out how below.
Who Can Win?
Andreas Mikkelsen, Gus Greensmith and Yohan Rossel are the only drivers who have a chance to win the WRC2 championship. However, only Andreas Mikkelsen can win this weekend at the Central European Rally. Find out how below and how Rossel and Greensmith can stop him.
Andreas Mikkelsen
Andreas Mikkelsen leads the WRC2 championship heading into the Central European Rally. Mikkelsen actively has a 4-point lead over Rossel and an 8-point lead over Greensmith. Meaning Mikkelsen can win the championship in the following ways.
-Score more points than Rossel and Greensmith.
-Score the same amount of points as Rossel and Greensmith.
-Score within 4 points less than Rossel.
-Score within 8 points less than Greensmith.
Yohan Rossel
Yohan Rossel can prevent Mikkelsen from claiming the championship this weekend by scoring 5 or more points than Mikkelsen. However, even if Rossel outscores Mikkelsen it will likely only delay the inevitable. As this weekend at the Central European Rally is Rossel’s final event of the WRC2 season. For Rossel to have a chance at winning the WRC2 championship he will have to score at as possible over Mikkelsen. The maximum Rossel can score over Mikkelsen this weekend is 24. As the highest a driver can earn with a victory in WRC2 is 28 which also includes a Powerstage win.
Gus Greensmith
Gus Greensmith can prevent Mikkelsen from winning the championship this weekend by scoring 9 more points than him. However much like Rossel this doesn’t mean Greensmith will have a chance at the championship. It will once again only delay the inevitable. The maximum amount of points Greensmith can score over Mikkelsen is 20. There’s a slim margin of error for Greensmith if he wants to win the WRC2 championship. The Central European Rally is also Greensmith’s final event of the season.
The Shakedown stage for the Central European Rally has come to an end. Thierry Neuville set the fastest time on the stage.
Shakedown WRC1
Thierry Neuville topped the shakedown stage for the WRC1 class. Neuville would set a time 1.4 seconds faster than Kalle Rovanperä. Rally Chile BioBio winner Ott Tänak finished third fastest on the shakedown stage, 0.1 seconds slower than Rovanperä. Elfyn Evans posted the fourth fastest time on the stage, 0.7 seconds slower than Tänak. Esapekka Lappi rounded out the top five on the shakedown stage, 0.6 seconds slower than Evans.
Shakedown WRC2
Yohan Rossel topped the shakedown stage in the WRC2 class. Rossel would post a time 0.8 seconds faster than Adrien Fourmuax. Gus Greensmith finished with the third fastest time on the shakedown stage, 0.4 seconds slower than Fourmaux. WRC2 Championship leader Andreas Mikkelsen set the fourth fastest time on the shakedown stage, 0.8 seconds slower than Greensmith. Nikolay Gryazin rounded out the top five in WRC2 on the stage, 0.2 seconds slower than Mikkelsen.
Stage Interrupted
The shakedown stage was brought to a stop. It was stopped due to emergency traffic needing to get through to a non-rally related emergency. Luckily this didn’t interfere with anyone’s run on the stage or prevent drivers from running the stage.
What To Expect From Day One Of The Central European Rally
Tomorrow (October 26th) marks the start of the first-ever Central European Rally. The event will kick off with two SuperSpecial stages. The first SuperSpecial is 2.55 km long and the second is 8.92km long. Not much will be decided tomorrow. As normally gaps on a SuperSpecial stage are tenths of a second between the top runners. However, with a near 9km stage, it’s possible there will be a couple seconds between the top drivers to end the day. Seconds that could help a driver win the event.
The 2023 World Rally Championship season continues this weekend with the twelfth round, the Central European Rally.
Championship Rundown
Andreas Mikkelsen maintained the championship lead after Rally Chile BioBio despite not attending the event. There was a strong chance for Yohan Rossel or Gus Greensmith to take the class lead at the event. However, neither of them did. Both closed the gap between themselves and Mikkelsen however. As Rossel now sits just 4 points behind Mikkelsen and Greensmith sits 5 behind Rossel. The Central European Rally will be Rossel and Greensmith’s final event of the season. Meaning it’s their final chance to win the championship. Oliver Solberg moved back into the championship top five after taking home the win in Chile. However, Solberg has no more points-scoring rounds and will not be attending the event this weekend. Sami Pajari rounds out the championship top five, however, Pajari also doesn’t have any points-scoring rounds remaining. Pajari will be attending the event this weekend for experience. With Pajari not scoring points, it leaves the door open for Nikolay Gryazin to move into fifth this weekend. As just 21 points separate the two Toksport drivers.
A Newish Experience
This weekend will mark the first-ever Central European Rally. With the event taking place in the Czech Republic, Germany and Austria. Some drivers have past experience on German tarmac, however, nobody has experience on it in a current Rally2 car. Outside of Pre-event testing of course. Which is something all teams did before the event. As this is the first time tarmac has been seen in the WRC since April for the Croatia Rally. A new rally means it’s hard to know what to expect from every driver. This means the ones who are willing to take the risks could be rewarded big time, or have their chances at a win ended abruptly.