The Central European Rally returns for its second edition from 17-20 October 17-20, bringing high-octane action to the FIA World Rally Championship (WRC). This rally, known for its unique format across Austria, Czech Republic, and Germany, promises sealed-surface stages that will challenge the world’s best drivers. With multiple championships hanging in the balance, anticipation is building for this penultimate round of the WRC season.
All eyes will be on Thierry Neuville and Martin Wydaeghe (Hyundai Shell Mobis World Rally Team), who could clinch Belgium’s first-ever WRC title on this all-asphalt rally. The Hyundai duo needs to outscore Ott Tänak/Martin Järveoja by two points, avoid losing more than 10 points to Sébastien Ogier (Toyota GAZOO Racing WRT), or stay within 15 points of team-mates Elfyn Evans if Evans takes victory. The stakes are high, and a flawless performance is required on unfamiliar terrain.
Once again, the Central European Rally will unfold across Czechia, Germany, and Austria, maintaining its status as one of the most unique border-crossing events on the WRC calendar. The rally covers 302.51km of competitive distance, with a mix of contrasting tarmac surfaces across the three countries. With the terrain shifting between fast-flowing roads and narrow technical sections, drivers will rely heavily on their pace notes as frequent surface changes make car setup particularly challenging.
Adding to the difficulty, autumn weather will play a critical role, potentially transforming what should be high-grip asphalt into mud-laden, slippery surfaces with limited traction. Teams will need to adapt quickly to these unpredictable conditions to stay competitive.
For 2024, the rally brings fresh challenges with three new stages making their debut:
- Granit und Wald (SS9/12, 20.05 km) – a technical test through dense forest regions
- Beyond Borders (SS10/13, 24.33 km) – a stage that pushes across both Austria and Germany
- Am Hochwald (SS15/18, 14.87 km) – the rally’s final showdown, doubling as the Wolf Power Stage
Meanwhile, Strašín (SS4/7, 26.69 km) returns with a twist – this year, the stage will feature a new start and finish, reworking last year’s popular Zvotoky test. These changes to the itinerary promise to shake things up, providing a fresh challenge for crews aiming to conquer this multi-national rally.
What the WRC Drivers Have to Say
Thierry Neuville: “Last year we had a great victory at the very first Central European Rally. We know we usually perform well on tarmac, and winning in Germany was super cool for the whole team. Despite difficult conditions, we performed well. Because of the stage changes we need to do some video work, so we will be studying those as much as possible to get a good feel of the new areas. We will test at a small pre-event rally in Austria to have enough time to get back into a rhythm and also work on the car setup. The main goal is to manage our championship so we can take many points as possible. Of course, we would like to get that title in our pocket, but our first focus will be having a consistent run.”
Ott Tänak: “I personally enjoy the type of roads at Central European Rally the most of all tarmac rallies. Large sections of the roads will be new again this year, which should make it interesting. Last year road position was very important on the first day; because of the wet weather, the road was getting dirty quickly from every car that came through. The weather will certainly play a critical role this year as well. Austria and Germany are very similar to each other with roads in between fields and many junctions, but the Czech roads are usually in the forest with broken tarmac and many cuts. We will only find out during the recce what the roads look like this year. The manufacturers’ championship is in an interesting place, and we are going there with the target of scoring maximum points and putting pressure on our competitors.”
Andreas Mikkelsen: “I remember Central European Rally very well from last year, it’s the rally where we ended up clinching the WRC2 title. Overall, I would say it is a difficult rally because there’s so much gravel and mud being pulled out from the road. The conditions are very demanding; there’s a lot of cutting going on and very easy to make a mistake. I’m really looking forward to the rally because I will have a pretty different approach compared to Monte Carlo and Croatia. At that time, the car was still quite new for me so there were still things to get used to. I will have that new approach in Central European Rally, go there and give a good result to help the team maintain its lead in the drivers’ and manufacturers’ championships.”
Sebastien Ogier: “Although I didn’t manage to score the result I was personally hoping for in Chile, I’m pleased we managed to make a perfect weekend as a team and come back much closer in the manufacturers’ championship, which was always my main target for this season. So we are really motivated now to push for the last two events on asphalt. In Central Europe, it’s nice to have another home rally for me, close to where I live now in Germany, and with a lot of fans watching the stages. From last year, we know that the conditions can be really challenging with very narrow roads, some quite dirty sections and very low grip. So we’ve been working to have a car that can give us maximum confidence for these tricky stages.”
Elfyn Evans: “After a great team performance in Chile, it was nice to be back on the podium and now we want to get the most out of these last two asphalt rounds to end the season. We know that both Central Europe and Japan can be quite difficult rallies in terms of the weather and such events are a challenge as a driver to try and get right, especially with the added dimension of working with our route note crews. Our driving time on this surface is quite limited during the year, but at least the conditions we expect are not so different to Croatia. The car was working well there, so we’ve had a good base to work from while trying to find some improvements that can put us in a good place for the event.”
Takamoto Katsuta: “I’m looking forward to being back in the car and driving on a totally different surface for the last two rallies of the year. I really like driving on asphalt and I hope to find a good feeling and perform well. Central European Rally is a big challenge for everybody with a lot of surface changes and dirt on the road. Last year, the Friday on Czech roads was especially difficult with rain and a lot of cuts. With that experience it should be easier to return this year but there will still be many new stages, so we need to focus on making good pacenotes and communicating well with our route note crew. I will try to be patient, be there to score points for the team and if everything goes well, it will be easier for me to push at Rally Japan.”
Sami Pajari: “This will be my first time with the Rally1 car on asphalt and I’m sure it will be a big challenge. I did the rally in WRC2 last year and it was really tricky in places, with some more enjoyable parts as well. The stages are a bit different in each of the three countries, and at this time of year the weather can be quite unpredictable. But at the moment for myself it’s all about facing these challenges and learning from them. I think we did quite a solid job in Finland and Chile and I’m sure it will be a similar story on this rally too: when we’re feeling good we can do some nice times, and if there’s more risk or tricky conditions, step back a little bit to gain the experience and not rush too much.”
Adrien Fourmaux: “Central European Rally takes us back to Tarmac rallying for the first time in nearly six months! It’s nice to be driving on Tarmac again, and we had a good day’s testing last week. We know at this time of year the weather can be very wet and make the rally very complicated, with a lot of mud getting brought up from the cuts on the road. Last year Alex and I finished first in the RC2 class, which was a really good result. We want to do our best this year on this event to get back on the podium, so we’re going to do our best. We’re really pleased to be back in Europe but also back on Tarmac!”
Grégoire Munster: “Central Europe was the first Tarmac event I did in a Rally1 car, and the roads and weather conditions in this part of Europe suit me very well. So I’m looking forward to this event! We had a really good pre-event test last week near the border of the Czech Republic and Austria, and it went very well in tricky conditions – so we are well prepared for the event. I like that we cross three countries during this event, it makes the roads very diverse and this way we can see so many fans from different areas of Europe, which is really nice.”
Jourdan Serderidis: “After a good result on Acropolis rally, I wanted to conclude the 2024 season with M-Sport and my teammates Adrien, Alex, Greg and Louis with a super nice challenge, and this Tarmac event in Central Europe definitely represents that! I hope to achieve a similar result to our Acropolis finish and have as much fun as we did there.”
High Stakes for WRC2 Contenders at Central European Rally
The Central European Rally presents a make-or-break scenario for Yohan Rossel. If the Citroën C3 Rally2 driver wants to stay in the hunt for the FIA WRC2 Championship, a victory is essential ahead of the season finale at Forum8 Rally Japan next month.
Rossel’s DG Sport Competition teammate, Nikolay Gryazin, also faces a crucial task. He must finish in the top two of the WRC2 Challenger category to block Sami Pajari from clinching the championship. However, if Gryazin finishes third or lower and Kajetan Kajetanowicz (Škoda Fabia RS) does not win, the title will go to Pajari, whose stellar performances earlier this season have kept him firmly in contention.
Meanwhile, Oliver Solberg tops the WRC2 standings, but he is only eligible to score points for his team, Tokspot WRT 2. His teammate, Josh McErlean, backed by the Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy, will also be looking for a strong result to close out his season.
Adding to the excitement, Filip Mareš (Toyota GR Yaris) steps up from the FIA European Rally Championship for his home rally, while Miko Marczyk (Škoda Fabia RS) will juggle his participation in Central Europe with competing in Rally Silesia in Poland from October 11-13, the ERC season finale.
Veteran driver Armin Kremer, fresh off his WRC Masters Cup win at the Acropolis Rally Greece, will take part in his home event in a Škoda Fabia RS. His protégé, Marijan Griebel—a multiple German rally champion—will compete in the WRC2 Challenger class in a similar car, hoping to make a mark on familiar tarmac.
All WRC2 crews will attend a mandatory FIA First-on-Scene safety briefing on Monday in Bad Griesbach, underscoring the FIA’s commitment to improving safety within the sport.
Promising Talent in WRC3
Beyond the WRC2 drama, the rally will also see a strong WRC3 lineup, including drivers from the WRC Beyond Rally program. Lyssia Baudet, Suvi Jyrkiäinen, and Claire Schönborn will continue their campaigns, with each driver aiming to impress in the Ford Fiesta Rally3s they earned through the FIA’s driver development programme.
Also competing in WRC3 is Filip Kohn, a Czech driver and winner of the ERC Fiesta Rally3 Trophy, who enters his home rally to build on his growing reputation. Another local talent, Jan Černý, will race in the Rally3-based category, driving a Renault Clio Rally3, with Matteo Chatillon seeded at the top of the WRC3 field.
With multiple storylines unfolding simultaneously – Neuville chasing his first WRC title, female drivers fighting for a Junior WRC prize, and experienced competitors returning for redemption – the Central European Rally promises a thrilling spectacle.