Central Europe – Thierry Neuville dominates the Shakedown despite a scare

Thierry Neuville dominated the proceedings on the asphalt roads near Passau (Germany), ahead of Sébastien Ogier (Toyota) for a little over a second.

Neuville will join Stig and Richard Burns as the third reigning World Champion not to win a Rally of the season pic.twitter.com/B7dijzniJ8

— Burgrid⑯ (@Burgrid16) October 16, 2025

The pilot Hyundai saw his i20 N Rally1 slightly damaged after going wide at the very first junction of the 4,57km course, but he recovered well to complete his third run in 2:15.5, the fastest of the morning.

« I braked a little too late in the first corner, the wheels locked up and I arrived a little fast, but nothing serious, the car is fine ", explained Neuville, who wants to start his weekend ideally.

Behind him, Ogier confirmed his current good form. The championship leader approaches this 12th round of the WRC with two points ahead of his teammate Elfyn Evans, third in the shakedown, just a tenth behind the Frenchman.

« It's been a great season so far, but there's still work to be done, commented Ogier. We have prepared well for this meeting, now we must convert the test on the field. »

Evans, for his part, admitted that he needed time to adapt after several months away from the asphalt: " It's been a while since we've driven on asphalt, so it's a bit of a shock to the system. The conditions are changeable, the roads very variable. »

Ott Tänak (Hyundai) took fourth place ahead of Grégoire Munster (M-Sport), author of a great performance after breaking a universal joint during his first pass. Adrien fourmaux (Hyundai) ranked sixth.

WRC – Central European Rally
Ranking – Shakedown:

Times and TV channels of the special stages – WRC Central European Rally

Thursday October 16
14h30 - SS1 (Canal+ Sport 360) – Golf und Therme 1 – 12.83 km
18h - SS2 (Canal+ Sport 360) – Golf und Therme 2 – 12.83 km

ALSO READ > Schedule, TV program, entries: the complete program for the 2025 Central Europe Rally