The organizers of Central European Rally announced the route of their event which will be held on October 16-19.
Events on Thursday will focus on the golf and spa resort town of Bad Griesbach. The shakedown will take place that morning on a short 5 km variant of the opening stages, which then officially open sporting proceedings in the afternoon. Starting in front of the picturesque backdrop of the thermal baths, the schedule features two runs on the “Golf und Therme” stage before a return to Passau.
For the first time in the history of the WRC, Friday will see competitive action on stages in three different countries on the same day – including the challenge of adjusting tyres and setup to match the changes in road surface. The action starts with the “Granit und Wald” stage in Germany. Visitors and fans will be familiar with the layout around the granite town of Hauzenberg from 2024. The next stage, “Böhmerwald” in Austria, uses parts of a stage that saw action in 2023, which have now been combined with some new sections. The new “Col de Jan” stage in the Czech Republic rounds off the morning’s events. A real highlight is provided by the UNESCO World Heritage site of Český Krumlov. Regrouping will take place in the historic town centre, before the teams proceed to the nearby remote service area. The afternoon loop then features the same stages in reverse order, followed by a return to Passau.
The completely new “Made in FRG” stage near Röhrnbach guides attention to the district of Freyung-Grafenau on Saturday, ahead of two stages in the Czech Republic. After the “Keply” stage, drivers head to Klatovy, which is sure to be the most popular event once again: The morning loop ends with the first run on the extended stage near the historic Bohemian town. The subsequent regrouping in the town centre and the extremely popular spectator areas on the edge of Klatovy are sure to be a hotspot for fans. The afternoon then features the two Czech stages and a return to Freyung, where passage control will take place in the heart of town, with the chance to get some autographs. A large supporting programme is also being planned there – in similar fashion to the prize ceremony for the ADAC 3 Cities Rally, the precursor of the German part of the CER that took place here until 2022. The route back to Passau then includes the second run on the “Made in FRG” stage.
The grand finale of the Central European Rally takes place on Sunday in Germany and Austria. The day opens with the cross-border stage “Beyond Borders”, before the action moves to the “Mühltal” stage in Austria after a brief regrouping. There is then another run on the “Beyond Borders” stage, where drivers hit the gas to leave the district of Passau and cross the border at Wegscheid, and regrouping before the big showdown.
The Mühltal 2 stage is classified as the “Wolf Power Stage“, with valuable extra points up for grabs. The drivers then complete the final kilometres in Peilstein, which is also the location for the “Flower Ceremony” to celebrate the winner of the WRC event. This represents the perfect opportunity for the rally hotbed in the Mühlviertel region to put on a proper motorsport party. The Flower Ceremony will only feature drivers and co-drivers, but the main prize ceremony takes place in the afternoon at the service park in Passau: the cars will pass the finish ramp and fans will have plenty of opportunities to get a look at the teams. This will of course be rounded off by the prize ceremony for all classes and an extensive supporting programme.
Photo Credits: Toyota
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