It is time for the penultimate round of the WRC season, the first of two consecutive events on tarmac, and there is still all to play for in the drivers’ and constructors’ standings, in one of the most challenging rounds of the season. The Central Europe Rally looks like being a tough one, not just because of the different characteristics of the roads in the three different countries it visits – Czech Republic, Austria and Germany – but also because of the weather, which tends to be cold and damp, as well as because of the format, which sees the first flexi-service not scheduled until Friday evening, after eight special stages and two remote services, with tyre changes.
The Challenge
Even though the route is more compact with fewer kilometres of link section than last year, the CER still presents the teams with a significant test, also from a technical point of view and introduces new challenges compared to last year’s rally, which was already demanding.
There are two new special stages and the established ones feature several sections that have been modified, particularly those that pass through the forests.
The rally starts on the slippery roads in the Czech Republic, with the start ceremony taking place in Prague on Thursday followed by the show stage and the first of three runs through the 11.78 km Klatovy stage, which is different in parts to the 2023 edition. On Friday, before the service in Bavaria, the rally continues on Czech roads, while on Saturday and Sunday, the majority of the special stages run over twisty German tarmac roads, with the exceptions being SS 11 and 14 (Schärdinger Innviertiel), the only ones to be run entirely on the fast Austrian roads, with a revised route compared to last year. The Granit Und Wald (SS 9 and 12) is completely new, as are the two runs through Am Hochwald on Sunday morning, while the Passau power stage is exactly the same as in 2023.
Pirelli Quote
Terenzio Testoni, Pirelli Rally activity manager: “I expect the rally to be no less tough than last year’s, when the Cinturato Wet played a vital role in very difficult conditions, with rain combined with dirt on the asphalt making for very poor grip. Obviously, we can assume most of the work will be down to the soft tyres which have demonstrated their versatility several times already in recent years. Let’s see what the weather does, but the right combination of soft and wet weather tyres will probably hold the key to success. The challenges the drivers will face will be intensified by the fight for the titles which means they cannot afford to be too cautious or focus too much on tactics.”
The Pirelli tyres at the CER
The available tyres are:
P Zero RA WRC: Pirelli’s asphalt tyre is available in two compounds. For the CER, the prime choice is the soft compound version (P Zero RA WRC SB), favoured on asphalt that is by its nature more slippery, or when wet from rain and overnight frost. The option is the hard compound version (P Zero RA WRC HB), best suited to tackle more abrasive surfaces and the longer stages. Both these tyres are actually making their debut at the CER, the first time that new versions of the previous types (SA and HA) will be used. The new versions are stronger, based on experience and data gathered over several rallies, while also adapting to the evolution of the Rally1 cars over this season.
P Zero RA: this is the product range for Rally2 and Rally3 cars. In this case also, there is a soft compound version (RA7+) which at CER is the prime, and the hard compound (RA5A) as the option. The P Zero RA tyres share many of the characteristics of the WRC tyres fitted to the top-tier cars.
Cinturato RW: available for all four-wheel drive categories is a rain tyre suited to wet or very damp asphalt. The Cinturato WRC RWB has been developed exclusively for the Rally1 cars. Rally2 have the RWC, while the Rally3 cars will use the Cinturato RW1C.
The rules allow for the Rally1 cars to each use up to 28 tyres over the course of the entire rally. The allocation consists of 28 prime P Zero RA WRC SB, 18 option P Zero RA WRC HB and 12 Cinturato RWB wet weather tyres. The WRC2 and WRC3 cars can use up to 26 tyres with the allocation being 26 prime, 18 option and 12 for the wet.
Women’s Programme
Making their debut on the Central Europe Rally will be Lyssia Baudet, Suvi Jyrkiäinen and Claire Schönborn, three women drivers chosen from the Women’s Programme, a project launched by the WRC Promoter, backed by Pirelli to support and accelerate the rallying careers of talented youngsters.