Central European Rally welcomes rally icon Walter Röhrl

• Röhrl is part of the ‘Slowly Sideways’ field in the supporting programme of the Central European Rally

• ⁠⁠German rally legend competes in a 1975 Opel Ascona A

• ⁠Two-time world champion competes in the original vehicle 50 years after his first world championship success

Walter Röhrl will be participating in the Central European Rally in a 1975 Opel Ascona A. He will be the star guest of the historic “Slowly Sideways” group in the supporting program.

A true great returns to the World Championship stage: Walter Röhrl, two-time World Rally Champion and motorsport icon, will be competing in a milestone car as part of the Central European Rally (16–19 October) supporting programme. In the historic 1975 Opel Ascona A – the car in which he won his first World Championship race 50 years ago – Röhrl will join car owner Wolf-Dieter Ihle in the ‘Slowly Sideways’ show appearance on selected special stages following the current cars of the FIA World Rally Championship (WRC). Around 30 original vehicles from rally history will bring World Championship icons back to the track on Friday and Saturday. In addition to the battle for World Championship points at the penultimate round of the FIA World Rally Championship, fans can look forward to an additional highlight. Visitors will be able to enjoy the spectacular battles between the best current rally drivers for even longer – they will begin on Thursday with the prologue stages near Bad Griesbach and continue until Sunday with a total of 18 stages in Germany, Austria and the Czech Republic. Tickets and further fan information are available at www.centraleuropeanrally.eu. 

Röhrl, two-time World Rally Champion in 1980 and 1982, will drive the original car that he drove to his very first World Rally Championship victory in Greece in 1975 on selected special stages in Germany and Austria.

Röhrl and the Ascona – a reunion with history

Walter Röhrl, undoubtedly Germany's most famous rally driver, will be making an appearance at the Central European Rally. Two world championship titles (1980 and 1982), four victories at the Monte Carlo Rally and an enthusiasm for precision driving that remains unbroken to this day have made him a living legend. It is therefore all the more exciting to see him back in action at the WRC event in October – in the very same Opel Ascona A with which he won his first World Championship race at the Acropolis Rally in 1975, exactly 50 years ago. The original vehicle comes from the collection of Wolf-Dieter Ihle, who will take the passenger seat to read the route notes from the ‘prayer book’ to Röhrl. Even though the 30 or so vehicles in the ‘Slowly Sideways’ group are not competing for any sporting honours and have no claim to top speeds, the lovingly restored rally cars keep the sporting heritage alive and give an impression of what it was like on the World Championship tracks in the 1970s to 1990s. Other highlights in the field include models such as a 1984 Porsche 911 SC RS in the iconic Rothmans design and a 1972 Group 2 BMW 2002, which Achim Warmbold drove in the legendary Olympia Rally.

Rally romance in Bad Griesbach and on the special stages

The centrepiece of the Slowly Sideways event is Bad Griesbach Therme in Rottal, where the historic rally cars set up their paddock and return to between runs. On Friday, they will be on the ‘Granit und Wald’ and ‘Böhmerwald’ stages in the late morning and afternoon. They will drive between the WRC cars' runs – a special treat for anyone who wants to experience both modern and historic rallying in equal measure. The service park in Passau also offers the opportunity to view the vehicles up close in the evening – and maybe even take a selfie with Walter Röhrl.

Motorsport with history also live on Saturdays in Hauzenberg and Freyung

On Saturday, the classics will also shorten the waiting time in the spectator areas at the special stages and attract visitors to Hauzenberg and Freyung. In the morning, the route will take them over the newly created ‘Made in FRG’ special stage before heading to the regrouping point in Hauzenberg. There, the vehicles will also be presented to the public and will, of course, provide an ideal photo opportunity in the picturesque town centre. In the afternoon, there will be another round on the nearby ‘Granit und Wald’ stage, which will be used exclusively by the starters of the ADAC Opel Electric Rally Cup and the Slowly Sideways participants on this day. In the early evening, the route will then lead to the Passage Control in the centre of Freyung, where the historic vehicles can be seen right in front of the WRC stars with their ultra-modern cars. Visitors can thus experience rallying in all its facets – from high-tech WRC cars to the sound of real rally legends. And that also applies in the Czech Republic on Saturday! There, the Keply and Klatovy special stages will be followed by a field of historic rally cars specially assembled for the occasion after the second run of the modern rally cars.