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There is nothing new in rallies that cross borders to another country. Perhaps the most famous is Monte Carlo which has always been run almost entirely in France, having hosted only occasional super special in the actual principality in Monaco. Also Rally Sweden has hosted a stage which crossed over to neighbouring Norway. But to hold an event where substantial amount of stages are held in different nations is a novel one.
That is the premise behind Central European Rally which is run over stages in Austria, Czech Republic and Germany. It is a completely new event with no previous history although organisers do claim some heritage from a similar event called 3-Stadte-Rally, organised from 1960s and run in same general area.
Central European Rally is a tarmac event and as it's held late in the spring, changeable weather conditions are expected to play a role. Nature of the roads will change according to which country they are held in. Czech stages are narrow and technical but fast. Stages in Austria have lots of angular junctions while German stages are more winding and likely dirtiest.
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| 2023:
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Neuville, Thierry
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Hyundai i20 N Rally1
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107.73 km/h
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Character of the roads are different in each country. Here Sebastien Ogier enjoys the more flowing and open natured roads found in Austrian part of the event.
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Hyundai's Esapekka Lappi tackling narrow forest road. Incidentally, he had an accident in similar place during inaugural 2023 running of the event as rear flicked out on slippery road and he careened into trees..
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Road getting more and more dirty is a common problem for asphalt rallies. When it's wet like in late season Central European Rally, dirt becomes mud and that is very slippery. Here Ott Tanak is tackling section of the road where pollution is especially evident..
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Driver wins
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Neuville, Thierry (1)
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Manufacturer wins
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Hyundai (1)
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