| 2023 Central European Rally Central Europe Rally 2023 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Round 12 of 13 in the2023 World Rally Championship
| |||
.jpg) Rally winnersThierry Neuville andMartijn Wydaeghe during the event. | |||
| Host country |
| ||
| Rally base | Passau,Bavaria,Germany | ||
| Dates run | 26 – 29 October 2023 | ||
| Start location | Velká Chuchle,Prague,Czech Republic | ||
| Finish location | Passau, Bavaria, Germany | ||
| Stages | 18 (311.79 km; 193.74 miles)[1] | ||
| Stage surface | Tarmac | ||
| Transport distance | 1,355.29 km (842.14 miles) | ||
| Overall distance | 1,667.08 km (1,035.88 miles) | ||
| Statistics | |||
| Crews registered | 68 | ||
| Crews | 67 at start, 54 at finish | ||
| Overall results | |||
| Overall winner |  Thierry NeuvilleMartijn Wydaeghe Hyundai Shell Mobis WRT2:52:39.9 | ||
| Power Stage winner |  Elfyn EvansScott Martin Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT8:42.3 | ||
| Support category results | |||
| WRC-2 winner |  Nicolas CiaminYannick Roche3:04:33.0 | ||
| WRC-3 winner |  Filip KohnTom Woodburn3:23:04.4 | ||
The2023 Central European Rally (also known as theCentral Europe Rally 2023) was amotor racing event forrally cars which was held from 26 to 29 October 2023.[2] It marked the first running of theCentral European Rally, and was the twelfth round of the2023 World Rally Championship,World Rally Championship-2 andWorld Rally Championship-3. The event was based inPassau,Bavaria,Germany, and was contested over eighteenspecial stages covering a total competitive distance of 311.79 km (193.74 mi).[1]
Thierry Neuville andMartijn Wydaeghe won their second rally of the season. Their team,Hyundai Shell Mobis WRT, were the manufacturer's winners.[3]Kalle Rovanperä andJonne Halttunen became the 2023 World Rally Champions after finishing second.[4]Nicolas Ciamin andYannick Roche won the World Rally Championship-2 category, whileAndreas Mikkelsen andTorstein Eriksen won the 2023 WRC-2 title.[5]Filip Kohn andTom Woodburn won the World Rally Championship-3 category.
The following crews entered into the rally. The event was opened to crews competing in the World Rally Championship, itssupport categories, the World Rally Championship-2, World Rally Championship-3 andprivateer entries that were not registered to score points in any championship. Ten entered underRally1 regulations, as were thirty-oneRally2 crews in the World Rally Championship-2 and threeRally3 crews in the World Rally Championship-3.[6][7]
| No. | Driver | Co-Driver | Entrant | Car | Tyre |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 55 | Filip Kohn | Tom Woodburn | Filip Kohn | Ford Fiesta Rally3 | P |
| 56 |  Fabio Schwarz |  Bernhard Ettel | Fabio Schwarz | Ford Fiesta Rally3 | P |
| 57 |  Martin Ravenščak | Dora Ravenščak | Marin Ravenščak | Ford Fiesta Rally3 | P |
| No. | Driver | Co-Driver | Entrant | Car | Championship eligibility | Tyre |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 24 | Adrien Fourmaux | Alexandre Coria | M-Sport Ford WRT | Ford Fiesta Rally2 | — | P |
| 63 |  Zoltán László | Gábor Zsiros | Zoltán László | Škoda Fabia RS Rally2 | Masters Driver | P |
The route was initially revealed in July 2023.[9] The first leg would be competed in theCzech Republic, while the second and third leg would be run acrossAustria andGermany.[10]
All dates and times areCEST (UTC+2) from 25 to 28 October 2023 andCET (UTC+1) on 29 October 2023.
| Date | No. | Time span | Stage name | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25 October | — | After 16:01 | Tittling [Shakedown] | 3.38 km |
| 26 October |  | After 13:00 | Opening ceremony,Hradčany Square | — |
| SS1 | After 14:05 | Velká Chuchle | 2.37 km | |
| SS2 | After 18:05 | Klatovy | 8.92 km | |
 | 20:45 – 21:33 | Flexi service A,Passau | — | |
| 27 October | | 7:00 – 7:10 | Service B,Passau | — |
| SS3 | After 9:50 | Vlachovo Březí 1 | 13.66 km | |
| SS4 | After 10:42 | Zvotoky 1 | 23.81 km | |
| SS5 | After 12:15 | Šumavské Hoštice 1 | 23.43 km | |
 | 13:52 – 14:07 | Tyre fitting zone,Prachatice | — | |
| SS6 | After 14:32 | Vlachovo Březí 2 | 13.66 km | |
| SS7 | After 15:24 | Zvotoky 2 | 23.81 km | |
| SS8 | After 16:57 | Šumavské Hoštice 2 | 23.43 km | |
| 19:22 – 20:10 | Flexi service C,Passau | — | |
| 28 October | | 7:00 – 7:16 | Service D,Passau | — |
| SS9 | After 8:15 | Schärdinger Innviertel 1 | 16.02 km | |
| SS10 | After 10:01 | Mühltal 1 | 27.83 km | |
| SS11 | After 11:05 | Knaus Tabbert Bayerischer Wald 1 | 11.88 km | |
| 13:45 – 14:16 | Service E,Passau | — | |
| SS12 | After 15:15 | Schärdinger Innviertel 2 | 16.02 km | |
| SS13 | After 17:01 | Mühltal 2 | 27.83 km | |
| SS14 | After 18:05 | Knaus Tabbert Bayerischer Wald 2 | 11.88 km | |
| 19:35 – 19:23 | Flexi service F,Passau | — | |
| 29 October | | 6:30 – 6:46 | Service G,Passau | — |
| SS15 | After 8:15 | Böhmerwald 1 | 17.25 km | |
 | After 8:33 | Regroup,Ulrichsberg | — | |
| SS16 | After 9:35 | Passauer Land 1 | 16.37 km | |
| SS17 | After 10:33 | Böhmerwald 2 | 17.25 km | |
| After 11:01 | Regroup,Ulrichsberg | — | |
| SS18 | After 12:15 | Passauer Land 2 [Power Stage] | 16.37 km | |
 | After 14:30 | Official finish,Passau | — | |
| Source:[1] | ||||
| Position | No. | Driver | Co-driver | Entrant | Car | Time | Difference | Points | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Event | Class | Event | Stage | |||||||
| 1 | 1 | 11 | Thierry Neuville | Martijn Wydaeghe | Hyundai Shell Mobis WRT | Hyundai i20 N Rally1 | 2:52:39.9 | 0.0 | 25 | 4 |
| 2 | 2 | 69 | Kalle Rovanperä | Jonne Halttunen | Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT | Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 | 2:53:37.5 | +57.6 | 18 | 0 |
| 3 | 3 | 8 | Ott Tänak | Martin Järveoja | M-Sport Ford WRT | Ford Puma Rally1 | 2:54:32.7 | +1:52.8 | 15 | 1 |
| 4 | 4 | 17 | Sébastien Ogier | Vincent Landais | Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT | Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 | 2:54:48.5 | +2:08.6 | 12 | 3 |
| 5 | 5 | 18 | Takamoto Katsuta | Aaron Johnston | Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT | Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 | 2:55:28.2 | +2:48.3 | 10 | 2 |
| 6 | 6 | 3 | Teemu Suninen | Mikko Markkula | Hyundai Shell Mobis WRT | Hyundai i20 N Rally1 | 2:55:46.2 | +3:06.3 | 8 | 0 |
| 7 | 7 | 13 | Grégoire Munster | Louis Louka | M-Sport Ford WRT | Ford Puma Rally1 | 2:57:02.2 | +4:22.3 | 4 | 0 |
| 10 | 8 | 7 | Pierre-Louis Loubet | Benjamin Veillas | M-Sport Ford WRT | Ford Puma Rally1 | 3:04:44.2 | +12:04.3 | 1 | 0 |
| 31 | 9 | 33 | Elfyn Evans | Scott Martin | Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT | Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 | 3:32:38.1 | +39:58.2 | 0 | 5 |
| Retired SS5 | 4 | Esapekka Lappi | Janne Ferm | Hyundai Shell Mobis WRT | Hyundai i20 N Rally1 | Accident | 0 | 0 | ||
| Pos. | Drivers' championships | Co-drivers' championships | Manufacturers' championships | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Move | Driver | Points | Move | Co-driver | Points | Move | Manufacturer | Points | ||||
| 1 |  | Kalle Rovanperä | 235 | | Jonne Halttunen | 235 | | Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT | 504 | |||
| 2 | | Elfyn Evans | 191 | | Scott Martin | 191 | | Hyundai Shell Mobis WRT | 399 | |||
| 3 | | Thierry Neuville | 184 | | Martijn Wydaeghe | 184 | | M-Sport Ford WRT | 271 | |||
| 4 | | Ott Tänak | 162 | | Martin Järveoja | 162 | ||||||
| 5 | | Sébastien Ogier | 114 | | Vincent Landais | 114 | ||||||
| Pos. | Open Drivers' championships | Open Co-drivers' championships | Teams' championships | Challenger Drivers' championships | Challenger Co-drivers' championships | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Move | Driver | Points | Move | Co-driver | Points | Move | Manufacturer | Points | Move | Manufacturer | Points | Move | Driver | Points | ||||||
| 1 | | Andreas Mikkelsen | 111 | | Torstein Eriksen | 130 |  1 | Toksport WRT 2 | 188 | | Sami Pajari | 118 | | Enni Mälkönen | 118 | |||||
| 2 | 1 | Gus Greensmith | 111 | 1 | Jonas Andersson | 111 |  1 | Toksport WRT 3 | 176 | | Kajetan Kajetanowicz | 108 | | Maciej Szczepaniak | 108 | |||||
| 3 | 1 | Yohan Rossel | 104 | 1 | Arnaud Dunand | 104 | | M-Sport Ford WRT | 146 | | Nikolay Gryazin | 96 | | Konstantin Aleksandrov | 96 | |||||
| 4 | | Oliver Solberg | 91 | | Elliott Edmondson | 91 | | Toksport WRT | 135 | 1 | Mikołaj Marczyk | 77 | | Szymon Gospodarczyk | 65 | |||||
| 5 | | Sami Pajari | 86 | | Enni Mälkönen | 86 | | Hyundai Motorsport N | 128 | 1 | Marco Bulacia | 72 | | Diego Vallejo | 62 | |||||
| Position | No. | Driver | Co-driver | Entrant | Car | Time | Difference | Points | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Event | Class | ||||||||
| 24 | 1 | 55 | Filip Kohn | Tom Woodburn | Filip Kohn | Ford Fiesta Rally3 | 3:23:04.4 | 0.0 | 25 |
| 51 | 2 | 56 | Fabio Schwarz | Bernhard Ettel | Fabio Schwarz | Ford Fiesta Rally3 | 4:24:35.4 | +1:01:31.0 | 18 |
| 53 | 3 | 57 | Martin Ravenščak | Dora Ravenščak | Martin Ravenščak | Ford Fiesta Rally3 | 5:15:43.8 | +1:52:39.4 | 15 |
| Stage | Winners | Car | Time | Class leaders |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SD | Kohn /Woodburn | Ford Fiesta Rally3 | 2:27.2 | — |
| SS1 | Schwarz /Ettel | Ford Fiesta Rally3 | 2:05.8 | Schwarz /Ettel |
| SS2 | Kohn /Woodburn | Ford Fiesta Rally3 | 5:01.6 | Kohn /Woodburn |
| SS3 | Schwarz /Ettel | Ford Fiesta Rally3 | 8:36.6 | |
| SS4 | Schwarz /Ettel | Ford Fiesta Rally3 | 14:40.4 | |
| SS5 | Kohn /Woodburn | Ford Fiesta Rally3 | 15:19.1 | |
| SS6 | Stage cancelled | |||
| SS7 | Kohn /Woodburn | Ford Fiesta Rally3 | 14:45.4 | Kohn /Woodburn |
| SS8 | Kohn /Woodburn | Ford Fiesta Rally3 | 16:09.8 | |
| SS9 | Kohn /Woodburn | Ford Fiesta Rally3 | 9:56.7 | |
| SS10 | Kohn /Woodburn | Ford Fiesta Rally3 | 19:18.0 | |
| SS11 | Kohn /Woodburn | Ford Fiesta Rally3 | 10:27.6 | |
| SS12 | Kohn /Woodburn | Ford Fiesta Rally3 | 9:47.8 | |
| SS13 | Kohn /Woodburn | Ford Fiesta Rally3 | 19:24.4 | |
| SS14 | Kohn /Woodburn | Ford Fiesta Rally3 | 9:23.8 | |
| SS15 | Schwarz /Ettel | Ford Fiesta Rally3 | 9:35.6 | |
| SS16 | Schwarz /Ettel | Ford Fiesta Rally3 | 10:07.7 | |
| SS17 | Schwarz /Ettel | Ford Fiesta Rally3 | 9:27.5 | |
| SS18 | Schwarz /Ettel | Ford Fiesta Rally3 | 10:04.7 | |
| Pos. | Drivers' championships | Co-drivers' championships | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Move | Driver | Points | Move | Co-driver | Points | |||
| 1 | | Roope Korhonen | 100 | | Anssi Viinikka | 100 | ||
| 2 | | Diego Dominguez Jr. | 87 | | Rogelio Peñate | 87 | ||
| 3 | | Tom Rensonnet | 55 | | Loïc Dumont | 55 | ||
| 4 | 10 | Filip Kohn | 52 | | Liam Regan | 51 | ||
| 5 | 1 | William Creighton | 51 | | Conor Mohan | 49 | ||
| Previous rally: 2023 Rally Chile | 2023 FIA World Rally Championship | Next rally: 2023 Rally Japan |
| Previous rally: New event | 2023 Central European Rally | Next rally: 2024 Central European Rally |
