The final day of the Central European Rally brought both celebration and drama, as drivers tackled four stages: Beyond Borders (run between Austria and Germany) and Mühltal (in Austria), each repeated twice.
The day began with Kalle Rovanperä comfortably leading the rally, followed by Ott Tänak at +36.3 seconds and Elfyn Evans at +44.7 seconds. While Rovanperä appeared firmly in control, the fight for second place remained intense.
The morning opened with SS15, but it was quickly paused after Thierry Neuville suffered a heavy crash just 4.23 km into the stage. His car struck a bridge after what was described as a pace note error that led to a braking mistake. The car came to rest blocking the road, forcing the stage to be cancelled. Neuville and co-driver Martijn Wydaeghe were taken to hospital for precautionary checks, and thankfully, both were reported to be fine.
From there, Rovanperä maintained his lead and brought home a confident victory, his third win of the season, following earlier triumphs in the Canary Islands and Finland. After crossing the finish line, Rovanperä reflected:
“It’s been great to be back on tarmac again. I think the pace Séb and I had was really strong compared to the others. I’m hungry for the title now — we’ve improved our chances, it won’t be easy, but we’ll keep fighting.”
With his retirement from WRC competition already announced, Rovanperä’s determination to end his season on a high was clear.
The battle for second place, however, took a twist in the afternoon. Tänak had a close call in SS17 at the same bridge where Neuville had crashed earlier, losing valuable time and reducing his advantage over Evans to just 1.1 seconds. Evans then set a fastest time in the Power Stage than Tänak snatching second place on the final podium from him.
Meanwhile, despite his retirement on Saturday, Sébastien Ogier returned strong on Super Sunday, winning all Sunday stages and earning maximum points from both the Super Sunday and Power Stage. The Power Stage results were a full sweep for Toyota, with points going to Ogier, Evans, Rovanperä, Takamoto Katsuta, and Sami Pajari.
There was even more reason to celebrate for the team, Toyota sealed its fifth consecutive World Rally Championship manufacturers’ title, and its ninth overall, surpassing Citroën’s total of eight and sitting just one title behind the all-time record held by Lancia.
Behind the podium, Katsuta finished a strong fourth, followed by Fourmaux, Pajari and McErlean. Munster finished 27th and Ogier 29th.
With just two rounds remaining, Japan and Saudi Arabia, the championship title remains wide open. The question now is whether Evans can clinch his first world title, or if Rovanperä or Ogier will close the season on top.
🏆 Final Overall Standings (WRC)
🥇 Kalle Rovanperä and Jonne Halttunen – 2:36:20.1
🥈 Elfyn Evans and Scott Martin – +43.7
🥉 Ott Tänak and Martin Järveoja – +49.3
Final Standings – WRC2
1️⃣ Jan Černý and Ondřej Krajča – 2:47:11.2
2️⃣ Filip Mareš and Radovan Bucha – +30.1
3️⃣ Roberto Daprà and Luca Guglielmetti – +3:00.3
Overall Championship Standings after Central Europe (rd. 12)
