On the penultimate special stage of the rally, Rovanperä set the second-fastest time, losing 4.6 seconds to stage winner Sébastien Ogier. Rovanperä, however, continues to lead the overall classification with a 42.9-second margin over Hyundai’s Ott Tänak.
“Obviously the road was getting a lot dirtier than expected, so no chance to match Seb. If we can be on a similar pace to Elfyn and Ott we are in a good pace. We try to go for it in the power stage. I hope the condition will be a bit more equal there,” Rovanperä summarised.
Hyundai’s Estonian star Tänak came close to disaster in the same spot where his teammate Thierry Neuville went off earlier in the morning. Tänak managed to save the situation but clipped a bridge slightly. He remains second overall, though Toyota’s Elfyn Evans is now just 1.1 seconds behind
“It was the same place as Thierry. I managed to save it, but I went off,” Tänak commented.
In the Super Sunday standings, Ogier continues to lead, having gone all-out after his retirement on Saturday. The Frenchman was one of three drivers who managed to drive the Beyond Borders stage in the morning, and as a result, he produced a commanding stage time. Ogier’s lead is now 5.7 seconds over Evans, with Rovanperä third, 6.4 seconds behind Ogier.
“Pretty similar to this morning. Nothing special to say. In the previous one it was better to have new tyres, but in this one it was better that we did it once,” Ogier admitted.
“I would say the experience is better. Obviosuly not the best run, but if you had the experience you would know all the places,” Evans added.
Toyota’s Takamoto Katsuta continues solidly in fourth place. Hyundai’s Adrien Fourmaux and Toyota’s Sami Pajari are battling for fifth position.
“It’s a really narrow section in a forest towards the end, almost so narrow just a car can fit. I would prefer the experience from the first pass,” Pajari commented.
In seventh place overall is M-Sport Ford’s Josh McErlean, ahead of the fastest Rally2 driver, Oliver Solberg.
The Central European Rally now has only the final Power Stage remaining, which starts at 14:15 Finnish time.
Central European Rally standings after SS17/18:
| POS. | Driver | Team | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Kalle Rovanperä | Toyota | 2:22:19.3 |
| 2. | Ott Tänak | Hyundai | +42.9 |
| 3. | Elfyn Evans | Toyota | +44.0 |
| 4. | Takamoto Katsuta | Toyota | +1:04.8 |
| 5. | Adrien Fourmaux | Hyundai | +1:51.9 |
| 6. | Sami Pajari | Toyota | +2:07.8 |
| 7. | Josh McErlean | Ford | +5:22.5 |
| 8. | Oliver Solberg | Toyota | +8:05.1 |
Super Sunday Standings:
| POS. | Driver | Team | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Sebastien Ogier | Toyota | 25:58.2 |
| 2. | Elfyn Evans | Toyota | +5.7 |
| 3. | Kalle Rovanperä | Toyota | +6.4 |
| 4. | Takamoto Katsuta | Toyota | +12.9 |
| 5. | Ott Tänak | Hyundai | +13.0 |
Central European Rally – Stage itinerary (CET):
Thursday, 16 October
08:01 Shakedown – Test Stage (4.57 km)
14:30 SS1: Golf und Therme 1 (12.83 km)
18:05 SS2: Golf und Therme 2 (12.83 km)
Friday, 17 October
08:30 SS3: Granit und Wald 1 (10.86 km)
09:20 SS4: Böhmerwald 1 (15.27 km)
11:25 SS5: Col de Jan 1 (23.37 km)
13:40 Tyre fitting zone (15 min)
14:45 SS6: Col de Jan 2 (23.37 km)
17:20 SS7: Böhmerwald 2 (15.27 km)
18:15 SS8: Granit und Wald 2 (10.86 km)
Saturday, 18 October
08:15 SS9: Made in FRG 1 (14.30 km)
10:35 SS10: Keply 1 (21.95 km)
11:35 SS11: Klatovy 1 (15.57 km)
12:50 Tyre fitting zone (15 min)
14:05 SS12: Keply 2 (21.95 km)
15:05 SS13: Klatovy 2 (15.57 km)
18:25 SS14: Made in FRG 2 (14.30 km)
Sunday, 19 October
08:25 SS15: Beyond Borders 1 (12.37 km)
10:05 SS16: Mühltal 1 (26.52 km)
11:10 SS17: Beyond Borders 2 (12.37 km)
13:15 SS18: Mühltal 2 (26.52 km) Power Stage
