Rovanperä takes the lead

The longest leg of the Central European Rally provided fans and drivers in the FIA World Rally Championship (WRC) with high tension and spectacular scenes – and a real motorsport drama. Sébastien Ogier (Toyota), who started the day in the lead, spun off the track after a collision on the selective second stage of the day in Keply, Czech Republic, and was forced to retire. This made it easy for his brand colleague Kalle Rovanperä, who had already closed the narrow gap to Ogier on the first stage and taken the lead: The Finn completed the remaining stages with a comfortable lead and went into the overnight break in the lead ahead of Ott Tänank (Hyundai i20 N Rally1). Ogier has the chance to limit the damage on Sunday, as there are valuable extra points up for grabs on the final day of competition, both for the separate “Super Sunday” and for the Wolf Powerstage. This means there will be plenty of excitement on the final 78 kilometers of special stages.

One man's joy is another man's sorrow: For Kalle Rovanperä, his teammate's retirement meant that he could finish Saturday's stage without any pressure. “It was a good day,” said the Finn after the final SS 14. “In the afternoon, it felt a bit more difficult for us, even though the conditions were good.” With an eye on the important extra points up for grabs on the final day, he added: “Tomorrow is the day that matters. I think it will be a close fight.” Since Thursday, Rovanperä had been engaged in an exciting duel with Ogier, which drove the two to one top performance after another. In the ten stages completed before Ogier's retirement, Rovanperä set the fastest time six times, while Ogier was the fastest twice. After the Frenchman's retirement, Takamoto Katsuta (Toyota, two fastest times), Ott Tänak and Thierry Neuville (both Hyundai) set the fastest times on the remaining Saturday stages, but these were not enough to pose a threat to Rovanperä.

Ogier out again this year

The Central European Rally continues to be an unlucky venue for World Championship leader Ogier: last year, he was forced to retire on Sunday in the battle for victory with Ott Tänak on the penultimate stage. This time, fate caught up with him on the second stage on Saturday: at full speed, he skidded off the track, crashed into a tree and then spun off the track with a torn-off wheel. “We had a flat tire on the front left,” explained the Frenchman, for whom the Bavarian rally region is his adopted home. “At the same time, a sensor wasn't working, so we didn't notice the tire problem. The car just wouldn't turn, there was nothing we could do.” Unlike last year, this time he has a chance to limit the damage, as a restart is possible on Sunday – provided the vehicle can be repaired by then.

A “Super Sunday” in terms of the fan program too!

The final Sunday will once again provide plenty of excitement, as the day's performances will be rewarded with extra points (5/4/3/2/1 points) as part of “Super Sunday.” Four special stages with a total of 77.78 kilometers of best times are still to be completed on the final day of competition, drawing attention to the German-Austrian rally region. The two runs (8:25 and 10:05) on the cross-border Beyond Borders special stage each lead from Lower Bavaria to the Austrian Mühlviertel region. The Mühltal stage (10:05 and 13:15) is located entirely in Austria. At 26.5 km, it is not only the longest stage of the entire event, but will also be counted as the “Wolf Powerstage” in the second run, with additional points awarded according to the same scoring system as Super Sunday. This means that the action will remain exciting right up to the end – and will also attract fans with an attractive program surrounding the Power Stage and award ceremony. At the finish in Peilstein, there will not only be several attractive spectator areas with spectacular views of the action, but also the “Flower Ceremony” for the overall winners immediately after the finish. The grand award ceremony will then begin at 4:30 p.m. directly in the Dreiländerhalle. As on all days, admission is free, giving every visitor the opportunity to be there live when the overall and class winners receive their well-deserved trophies.