2025 Central European Rally: Spectacular, Compact, Attractive

• CER organisers already fine-tuning first new features for the 2025 WRC event
• First and foremost, liaison stages to be much shorter next year
• Young drivers in FIA Junior WRC to race for the first time at the Central European Rally

Munich. The dust has hardly settled on the special stages after the 2024 Central European Rally, yet plans are already in full swing for next year’s event in Germany, Austria and the Czech Republic. From 16th to 19th October 2025, the heart of Europe will once again welcome the world’s top rally drivers. The central hub will again be the Service Park on the exhibition grounds in Passau, to which the rally returns after this year’s visit to Bad Griesbach. However, the rally organisers will continue to take advantage of the excellent infrastructure in Bad Griesbach’s thermal hotels. Compared to the first two editions of the rally, which takes place in three countries and is the only event of its kind in the world, the 2025 CER will be streamlined significantly by shortening the liaison stages.

“In doing so, we are meeting the wishes of the drivers and teams, as well as the spectators, for a more compact event,” explains Tomáš Kunc, one of the managing directors of the organising company CER Event GmbH. “The different characteristics of the special stages in Germany, Austria and the Czech Republic are popular with drivers, teams and spectators alike, and will be retained in a more compact format. However, we are discussing and working hard on the format for the Show Start on the Thursday and the Super Special Stage in Prague.” “We are in close contact with the WRC promoter, who is supporting us in our efforts to reduce the total length of the rally,” says Andreas Bachmeier, CER Managing Director. “Our thoughts are focussed on the event format for the Thursday, as well as the possible merging of two presentation ceremonies, as was previously the case, into one TV-friendly format. One thing is already certain: as well as Passauer Land, there will also be attractive routes in the Freyung-Grafenau district again.”

A compact event concept is also expected to attract more competitors. “Fewer kilometres in total, fewer nights in hotels, and thus lower costs” – a formula that will be well received by private rally teams in particular. And a larger number of competitors will also go down well with the spectators, for whom there is already good news. The WRC promoter recently announced the calendar for the Junior World Championship, with the Central European Rally providing the stage for the finale of the 2025 season. Not only will the top stars of the rally scene go racing in Germany, Austria and the Czech Republic, but also the best young drivers in the world. They will include the female driver selected to compete in the Junior World Championship after the “Beyond Rally” trial at this year’s Central European Rally. Germany’s Claire Schönborn has a great chance of being that driver. At the same time, drivers and teams from the three host countries will receive special support to help them compete in the CER. The organisers are already in initial discussions on this subject with the respective associations.

The ticket system is another focus of improvement measures. In order to significantly improve the service for fans and visitors, it will be possible to purchase and receive tickets digitally in the future, as well as by post and at regional ticket offices. This change will not only simplify the process of getting tickets, but will also make it easier to monitor spectators on site. The rally organisers also wish to improve the spectator guidance system. The second year of the Central European Rally saw far fewer traffic jams and a general improvement in travel to the special stages. For example, shuttle buses were employed in places. This not only reduced traffic congestion, but also the CO2 footprint of the whole event. The ADAC Pendlernetz App, which encourages people to share lifts, was also instrumental in this success.