Sebastien Ogier takes overnight lead of WRC Central European Rally
16th October 2025Toyota’s eight-time world champion, Sebastien Ogier stands as the overnight leader after the Central European Rally’s first day of running.
Feature image credit: Jaanus Ree // Red Bull Content Pool
After a morning shakedown, two-stage repeated run lined up the first tests of the event, Golf und Therme, a 12.83km test. It was first run in the afternoon, before the second and final pass was conducted as the sun began to set.
Ogier set the benchmark pace out of the blocks after the Frenchman was the first to hit the road, having benefitted from his leading championship position. It was a quick 6:24.5 sprint through the 12.83km first test, but he couldn’t pip his teammate, Kalle Rovanpera, on the second pass.
As such, the eight-time world champion leads the pack with a 12m 48.4s overall rally time, ahead of Rovanpera, who embarks on his final three WRC events after announcing his departure from the sport.
Hyundai’s Adrien Fourmaux, who set the second fastest time on the first run, fell to third to complete the top three, 3.9 seconds away from Ogier.
It left the Toyota’s of Sami Pajari and Takamoto Katsuta, to round off the top five, in fourth and fifth, respectively, ahead of the Hyundai pair of Ott Tanak (sixth) and Thierry Neuville (seventh).
Championship contender, Ogier’s closest title rival and teammate, Elfyn Evans, fell to eighth overall just ahead of the M-Sport Ford duo, headed by Gregoire Munster and Joshua McErlean in ninth and 10th.
The action will return on Saturday morning, 8:30 local time, with the 10.86km Granit und Wald stage. Six stages will line up the action across Friday.
Read more WRC here:
- Sebastien Ogier tops first run of Central European Rally shakedown
- Central European Rally: the schedule of the WRC weekend
- Hyundai make big WRC signing ahead of upcoming Central European Rally
- Central European Rally: the latest forecast ahead of the rally
- Opinion: Oliver Solberg WILL be Kalle Rovanpera’s WRC replacement in 2026
- World Rally Championship launches ‘spectator safety’ campaign
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Hi, I’m Kamron. I created ApexMotorsports.co.uk in the dying embers of the 2021 Formula 1 world championship. It allowed me freedom to write whatever I wanted to write about which was all things motorsports, my passion.
I have put a lot of effort in over the years to keep this website in its best shape and I’ve loved seeing the brand grow consistently, month-on-month, year-on-year. My ambition is to keep watching this brand grow into a primary outlet of news for all things motorsports whilst fueling my desire to pursue a career in sports journalism, specialising in motorsports.
Kamron Kent
Hi, I'm Kamron. I created ApexMotorsports.co.uk in the dying embers of the 2021 Formula 1 world championship. It allowed me freedom to write whatever I wanted to write about which was all things motorsports, my passion. I have put a lot of effort in over the years to keep this website in its best shape and I've loved seeing the brand grow consistently, month-on-month, year-on-year. My ambition is to keep watching this brand grow into a primary outlet of news for all things motorsports whilst fueling my desire to pursue a career in sports journalism, specialising in motorsports.
