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. 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 .
Thierry Neuville and Martijn Wydaeghe won their second rally of the season. Their team, Hyundai Shell Mobis WRT, were the manufacturer's winners. Kalle Rovanperä and Jonne Halttunen became the 2023 World Rally Champions after finishing second. Nicolas Ciamin and Yannick Roche won the World Rally Championship-2 category, while Andreas Mikkelsen and Torstein Eriksen won the 2023 WRC-2 title. Filip Kohn and Tom Woodburn won the World Rally Championship-3 category.
Background Entry list The 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.
+ No. Driver Co-Driver Entrant Car Championship eligibility Tyre 3 Teemu Suninen Mikko Markkula Hyundai Shell Mobis WRT Hyundai i20 N Rally1 Driver, Co-driver, Manufacturer 4 Esapekka Lappi Janne Ferm Hyundai Shell Mobis WRT Hyundai i20 N Rally1 Driver, Co-driver, Manufacturer 7 Pierre-Louis Loubet Benjamin Veillas M-Sport Ford WRT Ford Puma Rally1 Driver, Co-driver, Manufacturer 8 Ott Tänak Martin Järveoja M-Sport Ford WRT Ford Puma Rally1 Driver, Co-driver, Manufacturer 11 Thierry Neuville Martijn Wydaeghe Hyundai Shell Mobis WRT Hyundai i20 N Rally1 Driver, Co-driver, Manufacturer 13 Grégoire Munster Louis Louka M-Sport Ford WRT Ford Puma Rally1 Driver, Co-driver 17 Sébastien Ogier Vincent Landais Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 Driver, Co-driver, Manufacturer 18 Takamoto Katsuta Aaron Johnston Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 Driver, Co-driver 33 Elfyn Evans Scott Martin Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 Driver, Co-driver, Manufacturer 69 Kalle Rovanperä Jonne Halttunen Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 Driver, Co-driver, Manufacturer
+ No. Driver Co-Driver Entrant Car Championship eligibility Tyre 20 Andreas Mikkelsen Torstein Eriksen Toksport WRT 3 Škoda Fabia RS Rally2 Driver, Co-driver, Team 21 Yohan Rossel Arnaud Dunand PH Sport Citroën C3 Rally2 Driver, Co-driver 22 Gus Greensmith Jonas Andersson Toksport WRT 3 Škoda Fabia RS Rally2 Driver, Co-driver, Team 23 Sami Pajari Enni Mälkönen Toksport WRT 2 Škoda Fabia RS Rally2 Team 25 Nikolay Gryazin Konstantin Aleksandrov Toksport WRT 2 Škoda Fabia RS Rally2 Challenger Driver, Challenger Co-driver, Team 26 Kajetan Kajetanowicz Maciej Szczepaniak Kajetan Kajetanowicz Škoda Fabia RS Rally2 Challenger Driver, Challenger Co-driver 27 Emil Lindholm Reeta Hämäläinen Hyundai Motorsport N Hyundai i20 N Rally2 Driver, Co-driver, Team 28 Mikołaj Marczyk Daniel Dymurski Mikołaj Marczyk Škoda Fabia RS Rally2 Challenger Driver, Challenger Co-driver 29 Lauri Joona Tuukka Shemeikka Lauri Joona Škoda Fabia RS Rally2 Challenger Driver, Challenger Co-driver 30 Georg Linnamäe James Morgan Georg Linnamäe Hyundai i20 N Rally2 Challenger Driver, Challenger Co-driver 31 Erik Cais Daniel Trunkát Erik Cais Škoda Fabia RS Rally2 Challenger Driver, Challenger Co-driver 32 Josh McErlean James Fulton Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy Hyundai i20 N Rally2 Challenger Driver, Challenger Co-driver 34 Fabrizio Zaldivar Marcelo Der Ohannesian Hyundai Motorsport N Hyundai i20 N Rally2 Challenger Driver, Challenger Co-driver, Team 35 Alejandro Cachón Alejandro López Alejandro Cachón Citroën C3 Rally2 Challenger Driver, Challenger Co-driver 36 Nicolas Ciamin Yannick Roche Nicolas Ciamin Škoda Fabia RS Rally2 Challenger Driver, Challenger Co-driver 37 Roope Korhonen Anssi Viinikka Roope Korhonen Škoda Fabia Rally2 evo Challenger Driver, Challenger Co-driver 38 Jan Skála Jiří Skořepa Jan Skála Hyundai i20 N Rally2 Challenger Driver, Challenger Co-driver 39 Simon Wagner Gerald Winter Simon Wagner Škoda Fabia RS Rally2 Challenger Driver, Challenger Co-driver 40 Matteo Gamba Nicolò Gonella Matteo Gamba Škoda Fabia RS Rally2 Challenger Driver, Challenger Co-driver 41 Adam Březík Ondřej Krajča Adam Březík Škoda Fabia Rally2 evo Challenger Driver, Challenger Co-driver 44 Štěpán Vojtěch Michal Ernst Štěpán Vojtěch Škoda Fabia R5 Challenger Driver, Challenger Co-driver 45 Albert von Thurn und Taxis Jara Hain Albert von Thurn und Taxis Škoda Fabia RS Rally2 Challenger Driver, Challenger Co-driver 46 Martin Roßgatterer Jürgen Heigl Martin Roßgatterer Škoda Fabia Rally2 evo Challenger Driver, Challenger Co-driver 47 Michal Horák Ivan Horák Michal Horák Škoda Fabia R5 Challenger Driver, Challenger Co-driver 48 Armin Kremer Ella Kremer Armin Kremer Škoda Fabia RS Rally2 Challenger/Masters Driver, Challenger Co-driver 49 Johannes Keferböck Ilka Minor Johannes Keferböck Škoda Fabia RS Rally2 Challenger/Masters Driver, Challenger Co-driver 50 Osamu Fukunaga Misako Saida Osamu Fukunaga Škoda Fabia RS Rally2 Challenger/Masters Driver, Challenger Co-driver 51 Eamonn Boland Michael Joseph Morrissey Eamonn Boland Citroën C3 Rally2 Challenger/Masters Driver, Challenger/Masters Co-driver 52 Miguel Díaz-Aboitiz Rodrigo Sanjuan de Eusebio Miguel Díaz-Aboitiz Škoda Fabia RS Rally2 Challenger/Masters Driver, Challenger Co-driver 53 Filippo Marchino Pietro Ometto Filippo Marchino Škoda Fabia R5 Challenger Driver, Challenger Co-driver 54 Henk Vossen Radboud van Hoek Henk Vossen Ford Fiesta Rally2 Challenger/Masters Driver, Challenger/Masters Co-driver
+ No. Driver Co-Driver Entrant Car Tyre 55 Filip Kohn Tom Woodburn Filip Kohn Ford Fiesta Rally3 56 Fabio Schwarz Bernhard Ettel Fabio Schwarz Ford Fiesta Rally3 57 Martin Ravenščak Dora Ravenščak Marin Ravenščak Ford Fiesta Rally3
+ No. Driver Co-Driver Entrant Car Championship eligibility Tyre 24 Adrien Fourmaux Alexandre Coria M-Sport Ford WRT Ford Fiesta Rally2 63 Zoltán László Gábor Zsiros Zoltán László Škoda Fabia RS Rally2 Masters Driver
Route The route was initially revealed in July 2023. The first leg would be competed in the Czech Republic, while the second and third leg would be run across Austria and Germany.
Itinerary All 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:
Report WRC Rally1 Classification Position Driver Co-driver Entrant Car Time 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
Special stages Stage Winners Car Time Class leaders SD Neuville / Wydaeghe Hyundai i20 N Rally1 1:57.5 SS1 Tänak / Järveoja Ford Puma Rally1 1:51.2 Tänak / Järveoja SS2 Neuville / Wydaeghe Hyundai i20 N Rally1 4:14.7 Neuville / Wydaeghe SS3 Rovanperä / Halttunen Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 7:08.2 SS4 Rovanperä / Halttunen Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 12:30.8 Rovanperä / Halttunen SS5 Rovanperä / Halttunen Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 13:13.5 SS6 Evans / Martin Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 7:15.0 SS7 Rovanperä / Halttunen Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 12:55.5 SS8 Neuville / Wydaeghe Hyundai i20 N Rally1 13:46.5 SS9 Evans / Martin Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 8:17.4 SS10 Neuville / Wydaeghe Hyundai i20 N Rally1 16:06.7 SS11 Neuville / Wydaeghe Hyundai i20 N Rally1 7:38.4 Neuville / Wydaeghe SS12 Ogier / Landais Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 8:15.0 SS13 Ogier / Landais Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 16:24.2 SS14 Rovanperä / Halttunen Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 8:04.5 SS15 Ogier / Landais Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 8:14.4 SS16 Evans / Martin Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 8:36.5 SS17 Ogier / Landais Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 8:11.1 SS18 Evans / Martin Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 8:42.3
Championship standings Bold text indicates 2023 World Champions. Drivers' championships Co-drivers' championships Manufacturers' championshipsMoveDriverPointsMoveCo-driverPointsMoveManufacturerPoints 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 Classification