French driver Sébastien Ogier maintains a precarious 0.6-second lead at the Central European Rally after the first full day of competition, underscoring the intense contest unfolding across Germany, Austria, and the Czech Republic.
Ogier, driving a Toyota Yaris, concluded Friday’s six stages with a total time of 1:03:29.8 hours. His Toyota teammate, Finland’s Kalle Rovanperä, trails by the slimmest of margins.
Another Toyota driver, Britain’s Elfyn Evans, holds third position, 29.5 seconds behind the leader. Evans began the day with a five-second penalty incurred Thursday night for hitting an obstacle.
Despite his lead, Ogier won only one of Friday’s approximately 100 timed kilometers across six special stages. He described the challenge of opening the road on asphalt surfaces as “more challenging than usual.”
“We only had one good stage. Things are being decided in the details,” Ogier stated at the end of the day. “But it was a good day for us.”
Rovanperä claimed victory in three stages, while Evans secured the final stage win of the day. However, these individual stage victories were not enough to unseat Ogier from the top spot.
Belgium’s Thierry Neuville, driving a Hyundai i20, started the day aggressively but dropped to eighth position after suffering a tire puncture.
Rovanperä expressed enjoyment on the cleaner asphalt sections found in Germany and Austria, which he noted were in better condition than roads in the Czech Republic. “When the asphalt is clean, I have a lot of fun,” he said.
This event marks Rovanperä’s penultimate rally season, as he announced earlier this week his intention to switch to circuit racing.
Ogier arrived at this penultimate event of the season as the championship leader and a favorite to secure a ninth world title. The second stage of the rally is set for Saturday, featuring 103.64 kilometers divided into six special stages across Germany and the Czech Republic.