Pan-European rally highlight features 313 kilometres against the clock. Four days of rally action in the heart of Europe. Majority of stages in compact area between Germany, Austria and the Czech Republic.
Four days of competition, 313 kilometres of special stage against the clock, and a total distance of 1,650 km: the timetable for the Central European Rally, the penultimate round of this season’s FIA World Rally Championship WRC, is taking shape. The first two special stages will take place on the Thursday afternoon (26th October), after the start ceremony in the Czech capital Prague. Six stages are scheduled for both the Friday and the Saturday, followed by a further four special stages on the Sunday. By the time the presentation ceremony takes place in the centre of Passau at 14:30 on the final day of the rally, the route will have taken the best rally drivers in the world through 18 stages in the region bordering Germany, Austria and the Czech Republic. The individual legs each start and finish at the service park in Passau. Information, document downloads and the ticket shop for the event can be found on the official homepage at centraleuropeanrally.eu.
The opening days of the new rally are all about the challenging stages in the Czech Republic. After the start in Prague on Thursday (13:00) and the subsequent compact stage at Chuchle Racecourse on the outskirts of the Golden City, the teams head straight to South Bohemia. The early-evening stage in Klatovy takes place at a circuit with an excellent infrastructure and big areas for spectators. Day one of the rally ends at the service park in Passau, which will also form the central start and finish point in the following days. Friday sees the competitors make an early start to the six special stages in the Czech Republic. The engines will roar to life at 09:50, before the cars head to the Regrouping and Tire Fitting Zone in Prachatice around lunchtime. The second loop gets underway on the same routes at 14:32. The first cars return to Passau from 19:24.
On the Saturday and Sunday, the rally teams will be in action around the frontier between Germany and Austria, crossing the border between the two countries on several occasions. After the morning service in Passau at 08:15, the drivers first take on two stages in Austria. From 10:01, they get their first crack at the longest stage of the whole rally, which is just short of 28 kilometres. The teams then return to Passau for the midday service (from 13:00), from where they launch their assault on the second loop of the three Saturday stages from 15:15. The final day is a really compact one, with two stages early in the morning, each driven twice. The Böhmerwald special stage starts at 08:06, after which the route takes the drivers via a Regrouping to the first running of the Passauer Land stage (from 09:35). Böhmerwald part two starts at 10:34. “Wolf Powerstage Passauer Land” is the final showdown, with extra points up for grabs when the action kicks off at 12:15. From there, all that remains is to head back to the finish and the subsequent presentation ceremony in the centre of Passau.
The timetable at a glance*
Thursday, 26th October 2023 13:00 Start Ceremony (Prague, CZE) 14:05 SS 01 – Velká Chuchle (CZE) 2.44 km of SS 18:05 SS 02 –Klatovy Circuit (CZE) 8.92 km of SS 20:45 Arrival at Service Park Passau (GER)
Friday, 27th October 2023 07:00 Service, Service Park Passau (GER) 09:50 SS 03 – Vlachovo Březí 1 (CZE) 13.71 km of SS 10:42 SS 04 – Zvotoky 1 (CZE) 24.29 km of SS 12:15 SS 05 – Šumavské Hoštice 1 (CZE) 23.37 km of SS 13:02 Regrouping and Tire Fitting Zone Prachatice (CZE) 14:32 SS 06 – Vlachovo Březí 2 (CZE) 13.71 km of SS 15:24 SS 07 – Zvotoky 2 (CZE) 24.29 km of SS 16:59 SS 08 – Šumavské Hoštice 2 (CZE) 23.37 km of SS 19:24 Flexi Service and subsequent Parc Fermé, Service Park Passau (GER)
Saturday, 28th October 2023 07:00 Service, Service Park Passau (GER) 08:15 SS 09 – Schärdinger Innviertel 1 (AUT) 16.02 km of SS 10:01 SS 10 – Mühltal 1 (AUT) 27.83 km of SS 11:05 SS 11 – Knaus Tabbert Bayerischer Wald 1 (GER) 11.88 km of SS 13:00 Regrouping, Service Park Passau (GER) 15:15 SS 12 – Schärdinger Innviertel 2 (AUT) 16.02 km of SS 17:01 SS 13 – Mühltal 2 (AUT) 27.83 km of SS 18:05 SS 14 – Knaus Tabbert Bayerischer Wald 2 (GER) 11.88 km of SS 19:55 Flexi Service and subsequent Parc Fermé, Service Park Passau (GER)
Sunday, 29th October 2023 06:20 Service, Service Park Passau (GER) 08:06 SS 15 – Böhmerwald 1 (AUT) 17.25 km of SS 08:33 Regrouping Ulrichsberg (AUT) 09:35 SS 16 – Passauer Land 1 (GER) 16.37 km of SS 10:34 SS 17 – Böhmerwald 2 (AUT) 17.25 km of SS 11:01 Regrouping Ulrichsberg (AUT) 12:15 SS 18 – Wolf Powerstage Passauer Land 2 (GER) 16.37 km of SS 14:30 Finish / Podium, Passau (GER) *): The times refer to the arrival of the first competition car