Top-class motorsport with a golden autumn backdrop: The 2nd Central European Rally (CER) will be held this October – subject to the FIA, the governing body of motorsport, and the committees of ADAC e.V. granting final approval at the end of February – from the 17th to the 20th, meaning it will be earlier than originally planned. After last year’s successful premiere, the twelfth of 13 races that make up the World Rally Championship (WRC) will once again be a three-country affair held in Germany, the Czech Republic, and Austria. What will be new, however, is the location of the service park, which will move from the Messepark Kohlbruck in Passau to Rottaler Bäderdreieck, where fans will be able to admire the pacy rally cars at the Karpfham fair site.
For organizational reasons, the CER will not be held on the originally scheduled All Saints’ Day weekend. Since the Dreiländerhalle in Passau, which was used as the service park last year, was already booked up for other events for the new dates, the CER organisational team had to look for an alternative location that had areas that were large enough. They found what they were looking for in Bad Griesbach – the service park will set up camp on the site of one of the biggest Bavarian fairs in the Karpfham district, where the ADAC 3-Städte-Rallye was based up until 2017 as part of the German Rally Championship (DRM). The rally control centre and the media centre will be set up in the nearby hotels Maximilian and König Ludwig.
“After highly constructive discussions with politicians and the fair organisers, we are delighted that we were able to find this solution for 2024,” said the CER. “We would also like to thank the city of Passau for its amazing support and are looking forward to including the City of Three Rivers as a rally destination once again for this year’s event. Our thanks also go to the district of Passau and the city of Bad Griesbach. The whole region is pulling together for the rally.”
Spectacular sections between Vltava, the Bavarian Forest, and Innviertel
The routing of the special stages covering around 300 kilometres, however, is sticking to the tried and tested regions selected by the ADAC and its partners in Austria (AMF) and the Autoclub of the Czech Republic (ACR): The rally showdown in three countries, which attracted a total of 125,000 spectators on site at the premiere, is – according to current plans – due to get underway with the opening ceremony and the first special stage in Prague on Thursday 17th October. The following day will take the drivers to the iconic rally region of Šumava/Krumlov along the Vlatva. Then on Saturday and Sunday, special stages in the Lower Bavarian districts of Freyung-Grafenau (Bavarian Forest) and Passau are on the agenda once again, alternating with spectacular sections in the Upper Austrian regions of Mühlviertel and Innviertel, which will be taken on by the world’s best drivers.
Start in Prague, podium ceremony in Passau – images in more than 100 countries around the world
The podium ceremony is due to be held at Rathausplatz in Passau once again, against the backdrop of Veste Oberhaus. There was double reason to celebrate last year; Belgium’s Thierry Neuville (Hyundai i20 N Rally1 Hybrid) was unbeatable on the 18 demanding special stages and was crowned the first winner of the Central European Rally. Second place was enough for Finland’s Kalle Rovanperä (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 Hybrid) to be crowned world champion and defend his title before the final race of the season.
Sustainability: Modern hybrid engines and eFuels
The organisers of the FIA World Rally Championship are once again placing a strong emphasis on sustainability in 2024; the WRC top teams are racing in modern hybrid vehicles that are filled up with non-fossil fuels (eFuels). The innovative ADAC Opel Electric Rally Cup – the first electric one-make rally cup – will also be in action as part of the Central European Rally once again.