Ott Tänak and Martin Järveoja won the Central European Rally and will face off for the WRC title against their Hyundai teammates, Thierry Neuville and Martijn Wydaeghe. Sébastien Ogier (Toyota) crashed out during the penultimate stage while he was in contention for the win.
For the first time since 2021, the WRC titles for drivers, co-drivers, and manufacturers will be decided in the final round of the season, the Forum8 Rally Japan. Ott Tänak returned to the top of the podium at the Central European Rally, with Martin Järveoja as his co-driver, cutting the gap to Thierry Neuville down to 25 points. The Belgian driver, who could have secured the title in this round, made a mistake on Saturday morning, spinning out and losing time, but managed to recover to finish in third place.
Between the two Hyundai Shell Mobis drivers were Elfyn Evans and Martin Scott (Toyota Gazoo Racing), finishing 7 seconds behind the winners. Sébastien Ogier and Vincent Landais (Toyota Gazoo Racing) led the rally and were vying for victory, just 1.5 seconds behind Tänak, when they crashed in the penultimate stage, ending the French driver’s bid for a ninth title in his part-time season.
Takamoto Katsuta and Aaron Johnston secured fourth place, helping Toyota to close the gap to Hyundai in the Manufacturers' Championship, setting the stage for their push for the title in the Japanese round. Nikolay Gryazin (Citroën) dominated in WRC2, while Mattéo Chatillon claimed his first victory in WRC3 with Renault.
The decisive Forum8 Rally Japan will take place from November 21 to 24.