All or nothing for Rossel at Central European Rally

The Frenchman, piloting a Citroën C3 Rally2 for WRC2 Teams’ champions DG Sport Compétition, arrives at the tri-nation event second in the WRC2 standings, 12 points behind leader Oliver Solberg.

With Solberg having already contested the maximum seven rounds and unable to score further points, Rossel must win this week to surpass the Swede’s total and stay in the title fight. Meanwhile, third-placed Sami Pajari, who is driving a Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 HYBRID in the WRC’s top category at this event, will resume his WRC2 campaign at FORUM8 Rally Japan next month, where the championship will ultimately be decided.

Rossel’s teammate, Nikolay Gryazin, is out of the running for the overall WRC2 crown, but his chances of winning the WRC2 Challenger title are still alive. A second-place finish or better will extend his fight to the season finale. Škoda Fabia RS Rally2 driver Kajetan Kajetanowicz must win this weekend to remain in contention for the Challenger title as well.

Ireland’s rising stars are well represented at this event, with Josh McErlean in a Fabia and 2023 FIA Junior WRC champion William Creighton entering a Ford Fiesta Rally2. Newly crowned WRC Masters Cup champion Armin Kremer also returns for his ‘home’ WRC round, joined by European Rally Championship frontrunners Miko Marczyk and Filip Mareš, along with Marijan Griebel and Maxime Potty.