The Finn’s third win of the season was effectively sealed on Saturday morning when championship leader Sébastien Ogier crashed out. After his team-mate’s misfortune, Rovanperä no longer needed to push at maximum pace.
The Toyota star collected 31 points from the asphalt event spanning Germany, the Czech Republic and Austria, moving him up to a share of second place in the championship alongside Ogier.
Toyota’s Elfyn Evans took over the lead in the standings after finishing second in Central Europe. Before the rally, Rovanperä had trailed the lead by 21 points — now the gap is down to just 13.
Ogier, who rejoined the rally on Sunday, delivered an impressive recovery drive, taking ten valuable points by winning both Super Sunday and the Power Stage.
Hyundai’s Ott Tänak also remains mathematically in contention for the championship, although it would require a major collapse from Toyota’s trio over the final rounds. Tänak sits 50 points adrift of Evans.
See the full World Rally Championship standings here!
Toyota sealed the manufacturers’ title in Central Europe after scoring maximum points. With a commanding 168-point advantage and just two rounds remaining, the Japanese team is now uncatchable.
The next rally takes place in Japan in early November, before the season finale in Saudi Arabia at the end of the month.
