Ott Tänak Triumphs at WRC Central European Rally, Taking Title Battle to Japan

The 12th round of the 2024 World Rally Championship (WRC), dubbed the WRC Central European Rally, brought a weekend of intense action across Czech, German, and Austrian roads, ending, with Ott Tänak and co-driver Martin Järveoja emerging victorious. The Estonian duo’s win has closed the gap between them and championship leaders Thierry Neuville and Martijn Wydaeghe to just 25 points, denying Neuville’s crew an early title clinch and setting the stage for an exciting finale at the WRC FORUM8 Rally Japan scheduled for November 21-24, 2024.

The rally, held from October 17-20, was marked by intense competition and dramatic moments, Takamoto Katsuta and Aaron Johnston delivered a stellar performance, winning three stages out of 18 and securing maximum points for the power stage. Their consistent performance throughout the rally saw them finish strongly in the overall standings.

The battle for first place was a nail-biting affair, with Ott Tänak’s crew and Sébastien Ogier’s crew exchanging the lead multiple times. The time difference between the two crews varied from 1.5 to 4.5 seconds until disaster struck for Ogier on Sunday morning. Ogier’s car went off the road 0.6 km into Special Stage (SS) 16, crashing out of the rally and ending his title hopes.

Thierry Neuville started the rally strongly, leading by 6.4 seconds at the end of Friday. However, a costly off-road excursion on Saturday morning saw him lose 35.8 seconds and drop to third place overall. Despite the setback, Neuville managed to finish third, 32.8 seconds behind Elfyn Evans and Scott Martin, who secured second place with a total time lost of 2:37:41.6. The rally was not without its share of drama. Andreas Mikkelsen crashed his Hyundai i20 N Rally1 Hybrid 12.8 km into SS 5, blocking the road and leading to the cancellation of the stage. Mikkelsen managed to restart on Saturday morning and finished 31st with a time of 3:21:54.6.

WRC1 rookie Sami Pajari had a strong run, finishing Saturday in fifth place, only to lose it all in a roll on the first stage of Sunday morning. His performance, though, showcased his potential and resilience.

The WRC Central European Rally 2024 has set the stage for an electrifying finale at the WRC FORUM8 Rally Japan. With the championship battle now down to the wire, fans can look forward to another thrilling round of high-octane action.