A lack of spectators is by no means the reason why the Central Europe Rally, which is part of the World Cup, will be held for the last time from Thursday after three editions. Many thousands of motorsport fans are expected this time too. The race in the border triangle, which runs through the Mühlviertel, Bavaria and the Bohemian Forest, is a reflection of the closed society that the World Rally Championship now represents. While a top star like Sebastien Ogier is aiming for his ninth career title, it is simply not affordable for local heroes like Simon Wagner.
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The Upper Austria guest performance: While the music plays every year at the January rally in the Freistadt area, the Rohrbach district is once again the big hotspot for the cross-border World Cup race. After the start on Thursday in the Bavarian health resort of Bad Griesbach, on Friday the action will move to Upper Austria for the first time in addition to Bavaria, where the service center is in Passau, and the Czech Republic. The special stage “Böhmerwald” is 15.27 kilometers long and leads through the towns of Kriegwald and Kleinsagberg to Nebelberg. On the final race day, Sunday, the decision about victory will also be made in the Mühlviertel: the special stage “Beyond Borders” will be completed twice, which after crossing the border from Bavaria comes to the municipality of Kollerschlag and goes via Mistlberg, Lamprechtswiesen and Haselbach to Schöffgattern. The Mühltal special stage will also be run twice. The longest section of the rally at 26.52 kilometers is also counted as a power stage in the second round and has an attractive spectator point in Peilstein. After a short “Flower Ceremony” there, we continue to the award ceremony in Passau. A total of 18 special tests (306 kilometers) have to be completed.
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Image: Sportmediapics.com/ MB
Source: Nachrichten
