The 2023 Central European Rally (also known as the Central Europe Rally 2023) was a motor racing event for rally cars which was held from 26 to 29 October 2023.[2] It marked the first running of the Central European Rally, and was the twelfth round of the 2023 World Rally Championship, World Rally Championship-2 and World Rally Championship-3. The event was based in Passau, Bavaria, Germany, and was contested over eighteen special stages covering a total competitive distance of 311.79 km (193.74 mi).[1]
| 2023 Central European Rally Central Europe Rally 2023 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Round 12 of 13 in the 2023 World Rally Championship
| |||
.jpg) Rally winners Thierry Neuville and Martijn 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 Neuville Martijn Wydaeghe Hyundai Shell Mobis WRT2:52:39.9 | ||
| Power Stage winner |  Elfyn Evans Scott Martin Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT8:42.3 | ||
| Support category results | |||
| WRC-2 winner |  Nicolas Ciamin Yannick Roche3:04:33.0 | ||
| WRC-3 winner |  Filip Kohn Tom Woodburn3:23:04.4 | ||
Thierry Neuville and Martijn Wydaeghe won their second rally of the season. Their team, Hyundai Shell Mobis WRT, were the manufacturer's winners.[3] Kalle Rovanperä and Jonne Halttunen became the 2023 World Rally Champions after finishing second.[4] Nicolas Ciamin and Yannick Roche won the World Rally Championship-2 category, while Andreas Mikkelsen and Torstein Eriksen won the 2023 WRC-2 title.[5] Filip Kohn and Tom Woodburn won the World Rally Championship-3 category.
Background
editEntry list
editThe following crews entered into the rally. The event was opened to crews competing in the World Rally Championship, its support categories, the World Rally Championship-2, World Rally Championship-3 and privateer entries that were not registered to score points in any championship. Ten entered under Rally1 regulations, as were thirty-one Rally2 crews in the World Rally Championship-2 and three Rally3 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 |
Route
editThe route was initially revealed in July 2023.[9] The first leg would be competed in the Czech Republic, while the second and third leg would be run across Austria and Germany.[10]
Itinerary
editAll dates and times are CEST (UTC+2) from 25 to 28 October 2023 and CET (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] | ||||
Report
editWRC Rally1
editClassification
editSpecial stages
editChampionship standings
edit- Bold text indicates 2023 World Champions.
| 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 | ||||||
WRC-2 Rally2
editClassification
editSpecial stages
editChampionship standings
edit- Bold text indicates 2023 World Champions.
| 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 | |||||
WRC-3 Rally3
editClassification
edit| 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 |
Special stages
edit| 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 | |
Championship standings
edit- Bold text indicates 2023 World Champions.
| 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 | ||
Notes
edit- ^ Nikolay Gryazin is Russian, but he competes as a neutral competitor using the ANA flag as Russian national emblems were banned by the association due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.[8]
- ^ Konstantin Aleksandrov is Russian, but he competes as a neutral competitor using the ANA flag as Russian national emblems were banned by the association due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.[8]
References
edit- ^ a b c "Itinerary Central European Rally 2023". eWRC-results.com. Retrieved 28 June 2023.
- ^ "WRC poewrs into 2023 with exciting new-look calendar". wrc.com. WRC Promoter GmbH. 25 November 2022. Retrieved 25 November 2022.
- ^ "Sensational Rovanperä clinches 2023 WRC title". wrc.com. WRC Promoter GmbH. 29 October 2023. Retrieved 29 October 2023.
- ^ Wood, Ida (29 October 2023). "Rovanperä wins the 2023 World Rally Championship". dirtfish.com. DirtFish. Retrieved 29 October 2023.
- ^ "Mikkelsen claims WRC2 title in last-gasp Central European Rally push". wrc.com. WRC Promoter GmbH. 29 October 2023. Retrieved 30 October 2023.
- ^ "Entry List Central European Rally 2023". eWRC-results.com. Retrieved 7 October 2023.
- ^ "Central European Rally 2023". Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile. 26 October 2023. Retrieved 16 November 2023.
- ^ a b "FIA announces World Motor Sport Council decisions in relation to the situation in Ukraine". Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile. 1 March 2022. Retrieved 1 March 2022.
- ^ Barry, Luke (12 July 2023). "Route revealed for Central European Rally". dirtfish.com. Retrieved 2 October 2023.
- ^ Barry, Luke (11 August 2023). "Central European Rally alters its route". dirtfish.com. Retrieved 2 October 2023.
External links
edit
Wikimedia Commons has media related to 2023 Central European Rally.
- Official website (in German and English)
- 2023 Central European Rally at eWRC-results.com
- 2023 Central European Rally at rally-maps.com (in English, German, and Polish)