Last week, crowds once again lined the streets of the Czech capital to meet, greet and cheer the cars and crews out of the city and on the road south for one of the season’s biggest adventures.
There’s no doubt, plenty of kilometres were covered, but this sustainably-fuelled road show took the scintillating and stunning WRC spectacle and placed it in front of three European countries – for a sell-out four days.
A new service park in Karpfham was packed with fans through Saturday while the historic German city of Passau provided the perfect backdrop for the ceremonial finish. But between those places came some of the most awesome backdrops, beautiful mountains and complicated conditions.
Tue 22 Oct 2024
WRC's three-in-one adventure delivers again
The world’s fastest rally cars were reduced to a crawl, the world’s fastest rally drivers had to stop and stare. As a start venue for a round of the FIA World Rally Championship, they don’t come much more spectacular than Prague Castle.
The weather was supposed to be straightforward, but Saturday morning kept the rally on its toes and sent plenty to the grass with the limits of adhesion breached time and again.
Hearts were in mouths for the massed ranks of Thierry Neuville fans as his Hyundai tried to bump its way back to the track. The Belgian managed it after a moment which takes this thriller of a season down to the wire. All roads lead east to Japan and more asphalt action next month.
But for now, thousands of fans and an exceptional WRC round offered a brilliant demonstration of how three into one can work.
Japan
Poland
Turkey