Ogier was in strong form on the Super Special stage held near Prague at the racecourse. He pulled ahead to take the stage win and lead the rally by a margin of 0.6 seconds.
“Push and try to be hard (is the plan), it has been the case recently where we have had great pace on gravel but unfortunately we haven’t brought it to the end,” Ogier commented at the end of the stage.
Toyota’s drivers were on form, as all four of the team’s cars finished in the top six. Takamoto Katsuta claimed the second-fastest time (+0.6), followed by Hyundai’s Andreas Mikkelsen (+1.1). Elfyn Evans tied for fourth place with M-Sport Ford’s Adrien Fourmaux (+1.2), while Sami Pajari took sixth (+1.8).
Pajari is racing on tarmac with the Toyota Rally1 car for the first time.
“There is many things which will be challenging but the feeling is quite nice for the moment. If the weather stays like this it will be enjoyable as well. We are trying to stay on the safe side, there is no expectation of how it will go but we will see what happens,” Pajari previewed.
Series leader Thierry Neuville has a chance to secure his first drivers’ championship title at the Central European Rally. Hyundai’s Neuville finished the spectator stage in seventh place (+2.0).
“The gameplan is to get through the rally on a decent rhythm and enjoy it. We all hope to claim the title this weekend, but we have to see how the weekend goes,” Neuville remarked.
Ott Tänak, Neuville’s closest rival in the championship, finished eighth, just 0.2 seconds behind Neuville.
“We need to push to the maximum, that’s the target,” Tänak stated.
The Central European Rally will continue on Thursday with one more stage in the Czech Republic. On Friday, the competition will remain in the Czech Republic, before heading into stages in Germany and Austria on Saturday and Sunday.
Central European Rally standings 1/18:
| POS | Driver | Team | Time |
| 1. | Sebastien Ogier | Toyota | 1:49.3 |
| 2. | Takamoto Katsuta | Toyota | +0.6 |
| 3. | Andreas Mikkelsen | Hyundai | +1.1 |
| 4. | Adrien Fourmaux | Ford | +1.2 |
| 4. | Elfyn Evans | Toyota | +1.2 |
| 6. | Sami Pajari | Toyota | +1.8 |
| 7. | Thierry Neuville | Hyundai | +2.0 |
| 8. | Ott Tänak | Hyundai | +2.2 |
| 8. | Gregoire Munster | Ford | +2.2 |
Central European Rally itinerary (CET) :
Thursday, 17 October 09.31 Shakedown: Točná (2.11 km) 15.05 SS1: SSS Velká Chuchle (2.55 km) 18.26 SS2: Klatovy 1 (11.78 km) Friday, 18 October 08.02 SS3: Klatovy 2 (11.78 km) 09.32 SS4: Strašín 1 (26.69 km) 10.42 SS5: Šumavské Hoštice 1 (16.85 km) 13.11 SS6: Klatovy 3 (11.78 km) 14.28 Remote Service (30 min) 16.14 SS7: Strašín 2 (26.69 km) 17.24 SS8: Šumavské Hoštice 2 (16.85 km) Saturday, 19 October 07.58 SS9: Granit und Wald 1 (20.05 km) 09.05 SS10: Beyond Borders 1 (24.33 km) 10.34 SS11: Schärdinger Innviertel 1 (17.35 km) 12.10 Service (40 min) 14.28 SS12: Granit und Wald 2 (20.05 km) 15.35 SS13: Beyond Borders 2 (24.33 km) 17.04 SS14: Schärdinger Innviertel 2 (17.35 km) Sunday, 20 October 09.11 SS15: Am Hochwald 1 (12.17 km) 10.35 SS16: Passauer Land 1 (14.87 km) 11.33 SS17: Am Hochwald 2 (12.17 km) 13.15 SS18: Passauer Land 2 (14.87 km)
