Sweet home victory | Central European Rally

The Czech crew Jan Černý / Ondřej Krajča in a Škoda Fabia RS Rally2 handled the challenging and ever-changing conditions of the Central European Rally stages the best. The Italian duo Roberto Daprà / Luca Guglielmetti finished third in the WRC2 Challenger category, while fifth place in the same category keeps Nikolay Gryazin and Konstantin Aleksandrov (Škoda Fabia RS Rally2) in contention for the drivers’ and co-drivers’ titles. 
 
The Central European Rally, the twelfth round of the FIA World Rally Championship, proved to be a tough challenge for the crews. As the only event contested across three countries – Germany, the Czech Republic and Austria – it offered a wide variety of asphalt surfaces and weather conditions. A mix of narrow, bumpy roads, smooth and wide tarmac sections, and rapidly changing weather featuring sunshine, rain, and fog, turned tyre choice into something of a gamble. 

The crews also struggled with constantly changing grip levels. “Sometimes the road is very dirty, but the grip isn’t that bad. Then, in the next corner, there is no grip at all,” explained eventual winner Jan Černý, describing one of the rally’s key challenges. He was one of the few who delivered a flawless performance, kept the car on the road, and could celebrate victory at the finish line.

Although he initially struggled to find the right pace, Černý climbed to third place in the overall WRC2 standings during Friday’s stages. He maintained that position throughout Saturday, matching the times of Léo Rossel and Alejandro Cachón, who were ahead of him. However, both drivers retired just before the end of the Saturday leg, allowing Černý and co-driver Krajča to take the lead. They went on to defend their advantage on Sunday, securing their first-ever WRC2 category victory.

Nikolay Gryazin and Konstantin Aleksandrov also demonstrated strong pace at the Central European Rally, consistently setting some of the fastest stage times. However, a puncture during Friday’s fifth special stage cost them around a minute and a half. The duo quickly began to recover, and by the end of the eleventh stage on Saturday, they had moved up to fourth place overall.

Unfortunately, a high-speed skid in the first afternoon stage led to a collision with a hay bale, causing significant damage to the car and forcing them to retire from the leg. They rejoined the rally on Sunday with a loss and finished fifth in the WRC2 Challenger category. This result brought valuable points, keeping them in the fight for the title. Gryazin currently sits third in the drivers' standings, while Aleksandrov holds second place among the co-drivers. 

In the WRC2 Challenger category, the Italian duo Roberto Daprà and Luca Guglielmetti also remain in title contention. They made a mistake early in the rally when Daprà cut a corner too sharply in the fifth stage, resulting in a hard impact and a puncture. Changing the tyre cost them more than two and a half minutes. However, they completed the remainder of the event without further issues and secured third place overall in both WRC2 and WRC2 Challenger. As a result, with two rounds remaining in the championship, Daprà sits second in the WRC2 Challenger standings, just four points behind the leader.