Sebastien Ogier tops first run of Central European Rally shakedown
16th October 2025Toyota’s eight-time world champion, Sebastien Ogier set the fastest time of the first run in shakedown, pipping Hyundai championship rival Ott Tänak.
Feature image credit: Jaanus Ree // Red Bull Content Pool
The first run of shakedown has been completed and eight-time world champion, and the current championship leader, Ogier set the benchmark pace on the first run of the weekend.
Toyota’s championship leader narrowly beat his competitors as he set the fastest time on the board, a 2m 20.6s sprint through the short test. Tänak followed close behind, 0.3 seconds slower, after being unleashed from manufacturers points to chase his own championship bid.
The departing two-time world champion Kalle Rovanpera, Toyota, completed the top three 0.4s as the Finn fights for his third drivers title before he leaves the sport.
Hyundai’s Adrien Fourmaux was best of the rest in fourth, 1.2 seconds off the pace ahead of Toyota’s championship contender Elfyn Evans, who rounded out the top five.
The Welshman was followed by his teammates; Takamoto Katsuta and Sami Pajari, in sixth and seventh as M-Sport Ford’s Joshua McErlean completed the Rally1 top 10, in eighth.
They were accompanied by WRC2 contenders Oliver Solberg and Alejandro Cachon, who finished ninth and 10th.
Hyundai’s Thierry Neuville had trouble out on stage and lost time, finishing 12.9 seconds off Ogier’s best. However, M-Sport’s Gregoire Munster completed the Rally1 entries 50.9 seconds behind.
Read more WRC here:
- 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
- Kalle Rovanpera set to leave WRC for circuit racing in 2026
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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.
