{"id":3574,"date":"2025-10-18T20:28:07","date_gmt":"2025-10-18T20:28:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.worldrally.eu\/?p=3574"},"modified":"2025-10-18T20:28:11","modified_gmt":"2025-10-18T20:28:11","slug":"central-european-rally-rovanpera-leads-as-ogier-retires-after-day-3-crash","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.worldrally.eu\/index.php\/2025\/10\/18\/central-european-rally-rovanpera-leads-as-ogier-retires-after-day-3-crash\/","title":{"rendered":"Central European Rally: Rovanper\u00e4 Leads as Ogier Retires After Day 3 Crash"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Day 3 of the Central European Rally delivered another round of surprises and major changes to the leaderboard. The crews tackled three stages run twice \u2014 one in Germany (Made in FRG) and two in the Czech Republic (Keply and Klatovy).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The day began with S\u00e9bastien Ogier in the lead, just 0.6 seconds ahead of Kalle Rovanper\u00e4, with Elfyn Evans sitting third at +29.5 seconds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the opening morning stage (SS9), Rovanper\u00e4 set the fastest time, snatching the lead from Ogier and opening a gap of 0.7 seconds. However, the battle didn\u2019t last long.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Ott T\u00e4nak and Martin J\u00e4rveoja \/ Photo by Goretti @worldrally.eu<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Just one stage later, in SS10, the rally took a dramatic turn. Ogier suffered a front-left puncture. Because a sensor malfunctioned, he wasn\u2019t alerted to the issue in time. As he entered a fast corner around 18km into the stage, the car failed to turn properly and slid into a ditch, hitting a tree. Fortunately, both Ogier and his co-driver Vincent Landais were unharmed. They will return on Sunday to fight for Super Sunday points. As Rovanper\u00e4 said:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cIt will be flat out. Seb will go for it with full risk \u2014 he has nothing to lose.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

With Ogier out of contention on Saturday, the lead changed hands once again. Evans moved up to second, while T\u00e4nak climbed to third, finishing the morning loop just 1.3 seconds behind Evans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The afternoon stages ran smoothly for most WRC crews. In SS12 (Keply), T\u00e4nak was the quickest, overtaking Evans to claim second place overall.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the end of Day 3, the standings looked like this:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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  1. Kalle Rovanper\u00e4 and Jonne Halttunen \u2013 1:56:14.7<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. Ott T\u00e4nak and Martin J\u00e4rveoja \u2013 +36.3<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. Elfyn Evans and Scott Martin \u2013 +44.7<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
    \"\"
    Elfyn Evans and Scott Martin \/ Photo by TG MotorPhoto<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

    In WRC2, the day brought its share of setbacks. Rally leader Alejandro Cach\u00f3n hit a hay bale in the final Saturday stage, breaking his rear-right suspension and forcing him to retire. L\u00e9o Rossel also dropped out due to electrical problems during a road section after the stage, though he plans to restart on Sunday. With those retirements, Jan \u010cern\u00fd now leads the WRC2 category, followed by Filip Mare\u0161 and Roberto Dapr\u00e0.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    As the rally heads into its final day, the championship remains wide open. With crucial points still on offer, drivers will be pushing hard on Super Sunday to finish strong and keep their title hopes alive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n