News and Quotes SS10 (Beyond Borders)

The 24.33 km "Beyond Borders" stage was the second test of Saturday morning at the Central European Rally, taking drivers through both Austria and Germany on the same road. With a damp surface, most crews played it safe—especially after the chaos of the first stage. However, Adrien Fourmaux wasn’t as lucky. Ongoing issues with his Ford Puma led to a spin into a wall, forcing him to retire. Elfyn Evans took the stage win for Toyota, and the leaderboard grew even tighter. Sébastien Ogier reclaimed second place from Ott Tänak, while Tänak is now just 5.7 seconds behind leader Thierry Neuville after nine stages. WRC2 had its own drama. Yohan Rossel, who had to win to claim the title, lost another 13 minutes after going off-road. Meanwhile, his teammate Nikolay Gryazin took another stage win. Oliver Solberg, Rossel’s closest rival, kept battling handling issues, allowing local favorite Filip Mareš to gain time.

#9 Andreas Mikkelsen (NOR) / Torstein Eriksen (NOR), Hyundai i20 N Rally1 Hybrid“The tires were good, this stage was much easier—drier, with fewer anti-cuts, so things stayed clean. We had a smooth run. Not much to do today, just getting through the stages, getting some mileage in, and preparing for tomorrow.”

#19 Jourdan Serderidis (GRE) / Frédéric Miclotte (BEL), Ford Puma Rally1 (non-Hybrid)“This stage was tougher. We’re struggling with power—there’s nothing, no boost. It’s like the engine’s dead. Still, it’s a fun stage, but I don’t know what’s going on with the car.”

#13 Grégoire Munster (LUX) / Louis Louka (BEL), Ford Puma Rally1 Hybrid“We got lucky—slippery braking, pulled the handbrake, and just clipped a kerb. Checked for a puncture, slowed down a bit, but better safe than sorry.”

#16 Adrien Fourmaux (FRA) / Alexandre Coria (FRA), Ford Puma Rally1 Hybrid“It’s so hard to drive. I should’ve slowed down more, but sometimes it feels fine, and then suddenly everything goes wrong. Not our rally, definitely.”

#5 Sami Pajari (FIN) / Enni Mälkönen (FIN), Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 Hybrid“Tricky conditions. I saw some lines off the road, so it’s tough out there for others too.”

#18 Takamoto Katsuta (JPN) / Aaron Johnson (IRL), Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 Hybrid“It’s okay. Just steady driving, nothing special. It’s slippery in spots, but no drama—just one wide moment into a field, no big deal.”

#33 Elfyn Evans (GBR) / Scott Martin (GBR), Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 Hybrid“Conditions are different from when the gravel crew passed. The fog’s adding moisture, so even when it looks dry, it’s not. Grip’s unpredictable—sometimes fine, sometimes not.”

#8 Ott Tänak (EST) / Martin Järveoja (EST), Hyundai i20 N Rally1 Hybrid“All good. No issues.”

#17 Sébastien Ogier (FRA) / Vincent Landais (FRA), Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 Hybrid“Grip’s a bit more consistent here than the previous stage, so I enjoyed it more.”

#11 Thierry Neuville (BEL) / Martijn Wydaeghe (BEL), Hyundai i20 N Rally1 Hybrid“It’s tricky. Dirtier than expected, worse than yesterday. But it is what it is. Lots of cuts, anti-cuts pulling dirt onto the road, making it tough. We adjusted the setup and I felt better. A bit surprised by how tricky it was this morning, but now we’re in rhythm.”

#22 Nikolay Gryazin (BUL) / Konstantin Aleksandrov (ANA), Citroën C3 Rally2“I love my gravel crew, but something’s off. Where they said dry, it wasn’t. Maybe the fog’s messing with the conditions.”

#20 Oliver Solberg (SWE) / Elliott Edmondson (GBR), Škoda Fabia RS Rally2“Same story—hit the grass, slid downhill, had to scramble back up. Car feels awful, nervous, understeering. I wanted to make changes before the stage, but ran out of time. So yeah, the car was awful to drive.”