Toyota Leads Hyundai Heading To Central Europe

Toyota Gazoo Racing can seal the WRC manufacturers’ crown at Central European Rally (Oct. 16-19) as Sébastien Ogier and Elfyn Evans resume their two-point drivers’ title fight on asphalt.

Toyota holds a 125-point lead over Hyundai and will clinch a fifth straight manufacturers’ title in Passau if it avoids being outscored by more than five points. Hyundai’s hopes rest on Thierry Neuville and Adrien Fourmaux, with Ott Tänak no longer nominated for manufacturer points as the squad prioritises his personal championship bid.

Ogier arrives in Germany just two points clear of team-mate Evans after claiming his fifth victory of the year in Chile – his 66th career WRC win and a perfect 35-point haul that turned a five-point deficit into a slender lead. Opening the road is generally a disadvantage on gravel, but on Central Europe’s autumnal asphalt roads it is expected to tilt conditions slightly in the Frenchman’s favour.

The 41-year-old, targeting a record-tying ninth world title, has never finished off the podium in 2025 and knows another top-step result would further tighten his grip heading to Japan and Saudi Arabia.

“I expect everyone will be giving their best, and I know that our competitors can be strong on asphalt, so it’s very much game on and I’m looking forward to an intense battle,” Ogier said.

Evans, meanwhile, is still seeking a maiden world title after four career runner-up finishes and knows that with two of the final three rounds on asphalt, the next fortnight could be decisive in toppling the eight-time champion. Kalle Rovanperä, third in the standings and 21 points adrift, will also be eyeing a strong result to keep his own hopes alive, while Takamoto Katsuta and Sami Pajari complete a five-strong GR Yaris Rally1 entry.

For Hyundai, Central Europe is about damage limitation in the manufacturers’ race but also an opportunity for defending champion Neuville to strike back on asphalt. The Belgian, winner of the event’s inaugural edition in 2023, sits fifth in the standings on 166 points and has shown flashes of form despite a tough year for the team.

Tänak’s i20 N Rally1 will not fight for manufacturers’ championship points – a strategic move by Hyundai to free him from engine-allocation restrictions after his Chile retirement. The Estonian’s title hopes were all but extinguished by that failure, yet he remains a potential threat for rally wins over the final three rounds.

M-Sport Ford fields a pair of Puma Rally1s for Grégoire Munster and Josh McErlean – the former returning to the event on which he scored a career-best result in 2024.

Central European Rally’s cross-border itinerary again mixes narrow Austrian farm roads, bumpy Czech lanes and fast, wide German asphalt, often in unpredictable weather where rain, fog and temperature swings can make tyre choice a lottery.

The event begins on Thursday afternoon with the ceremonial start in Passau followed by three days of high-speed action totalling more than 300km across 18 special stages.