A feast of fan action, from the Prologue in Prague to the finish in Passau

• 36 fan zones ensure visitors can enjoy the Central European Rally comfortably and safely from 16th to 19th October
• Grand Prologue in Prague on the preceding Sunday (12th October)
• Exciting start to the rally, with a large fan programme in Bad Griesbach Therme
• Final special stage in Peilstein and presentation ceremony in Passau’s Dreiländerhalle

Munich. From 16th to 19th October 2025, the tri-border region between Germany, Austria and the Czech Republic will be transformed into the beating heart of the rally world: the Central European Rally welcomes fans from all over the world to a four-day festival of motorsport, which has far more in store than just the thrilling, action-packed rally. One new feature: As the start has been moved to Bad Griesbach, in the competition region itself, the Czech capital Prague has taken on a new role. It will now take centre stage as early as the preceding Sunday (12th October), as the venue for the Prologue. As of Thursday, no fewer than 36 fan zones await spectators along the routes, while the host towns are putting on attractive event programmes for visitors. Each day will conclude at the Dreiländerhalle hall in Passau, where there will also be a varied and entertaining programme. As at the nearby Service Park, admission is free. Information for visitors, including all the schedules, can be found on the official homepage at centraleuropeanrally.eu.

From Prague to Passau: Rally feeling, even before the race gets started
The rally first steps into the spotlight on Sunday (12th October) – at the official Prologue in Prague. The grand parade, featuring Rally1 and Rally2 cars, will set off from the headquarters of Autoklub ČR (Opletalova), before travelling through the city to the photo and interview stop at the Rudolfinum (Jan Palach Square), and back to where it started. Accompanying the parade will be a fan photo competition – an emotional statement at the very start of the event. The stop at the Rudolfinum and the closing “Meet & Greet”, complete with autograph session, at Autoklub ČR are ideal opportunities to experience the stars of the rally scene in a more relaxed atmosphere. Next up for the teams on the Monday is the Recce, during which the teams will study the routes in detail for the first time and prepare for the challenging stages. Accompanying the sporting side of the event will be a vintage car exhibition entitled “Edles Blech und ewiger Stein”, which opens on Thursday in Hauzenberg at “Granitzentrum Bayerischer Wald” (Granite Centre of the Bavarian Forest). This is just the first of a whole host of activities centred around the rally, making the town an important port of call for fans and automobile enthusiasts for several days. The exhibition, staged in cooperation with the district and MSC Passau, runs up to and including Sunday.

Thursday: Rally gets underway with show start and festival atmosphere
Day one of the rally begins at 08:00 with the traditional Shakedown in Bad Griesbach, on which the cars will be put through their paces and fans will be treated to their first spectacular rally action. After starting out from the Service Park in Passau and the opening special stage in Bad Griesbach, the teams then head to the official welcome ceremony on the Kurplatz square in Bad Griesbach Therme from 14:45. The official welcome programme will take place during this extra-long regrouping, while visitors can look forward to an entertaining few hours with presenters, a big screen, interviews and autograph sessions. Later in the afternoon, the competitors return to the “Golf und Therme” stage on the second loop. The programme around Bad Griesbach is ultra compact: the Shakedown is a substantially shorter variant of SS ½, meaning the entire infrastructure can be used all day. Ideal for fans: from midday, shuttle buses will run from the nearby Karpfham festival ground to the thermal springs (regrouping) and the three fan zones. Anyone with a bit of time to spare during their trip to the rally can also take advantage of the thermal springs (Therme), where visitors with a valid rally ticket save 20 percent on the Thursday. In the evening, the rally caravan moves on to Passau: the cars will be presented in front of the stage in the Dreiländerhalle, with presenters providing commentary and interviews. The subsequent premiere of the “More than Machine” series promises to be a real highlight. Season two of the award-winning rally documentary provides insights into what goes on behind the scenes in the WRC teams. All in all, the opening day offers a perfect mix of sport, entertainment, and accessibility for fans.

Friday: Action and culture in three countries
Friday is the first full day of competition and takes the elite of the World Rally Championship through three countries and on some of the most demanding stages of the rally. First up is the “Granit und Wald” special stage around Hauzenberg, where spectators have two opportunities to watch the action unfold. The rally then leads via “Böhmerwald” in Austria to the brand-new “Col de Jan” special stage, which, with its attractive route and picturesque scenery, is sure to become a crowd favourite. Between the two loops there, Český Krumlov is transformed into a unique backdrop: the UNESCO World Heritage Site on the Vltava river, with its distinctive castle and medieval alleys, is the venue for the regrouping and offers a historic atmosphere that impressively combines motorsport and culture. A second fan hotspot is Hauzenberg: between the two loops on the “Granit und Wald” and “Böhmerwald” stages, spectators can look forward to top-class rally entertainment with the field of the ADAC Opel Electric Rally Cup and the vintage “Slowly Sideways” cars. A three-day rally programme also kicks off with a real cracker in Hauzenberg: from 17:30, the WRC field will pass the granite town, where an interview zone has been set up on the town square. This will be accompanied by entertainment, interviews and fan offerings. The town will remain a constant for visitors to the rally over the following days. In the evening, Passau is the place to be for fans: from 19:00, they will be able to check out the Slowly Sideways cars in the Dreiländerhalle, before the WRC field rolls straight through the hall. A “Meet the Crews”, complete with interviews, and a concert from the band “Dis M” will make for a real festival atmosphere.

Saturday, a mix of cult and home feeling – the CER comes to Klatovy and Freyung
Saturday features a busy schedule with six demanding special stages: “Made in FRG” in Röhrnbach, “Keply” in the Czech Republic, and cult stage “Klatovy” will each be tackled twice. Between loops, the “Made in FRG” stage offers a perfect opportunity to pay a flying visit to nearby Freyung, where the rally will stop at a drive-through checkpoint: here, fans can check out their rally heroes at first hand, as well as enjoying moderation, short interviews and an entertaining support programme from 15:00. Between runs one and two of the Czech stages, the drivers head to the regrouping in Klatovy – the centre of an extensive event programme, with live broadcasts on an LED screen, shows, and many fan activities. At the historic marketplace, visitors can check out the teams and cars, while other attractions include exhibitions and presentations. In the evening, fans will again be drawn back to the Service Park in Passau. Here, the WRC field will roll through the hall to the service, while the leading drivers and selected team representatives will be invited onto the stage for an interview. Band “Inferno” will then get the Service Park rocking – the perfect way to end an action-packed day!

Sunday: Power stage, emotions and presentation ceremony
The final day brings with it the conclusion of the battle for world championship points – and the spectacular “Beyond Borders” and “Mühltal” stages in Germany and Austria. One particular highlight is the power stage (Mühltal 2), which finishes in Peilstein – every fraction of a second counts here for one final time. The market town in the Innviertel region will be a real CER hotspot, with plenty on offer for fans as the rally reaches its climax. Multiple fan zones have been erected within 500 metres here, allowing spectators to enjoy the rally action from several different perspectives. Among the spectacular scenes on offer will be a jump and, shortly before the finish, a winding passage, in which fans also have a great view of the action (FZ L4 / FZ L5). The rally’s top crews head to the ceremonial flower ceremony shortly after reaching the end of the stage. After the action in Peilstein, the focus shifts back to Passau for one last time: the Dreiländerhalle hosts the final presentation ceremony and the big reception for teams and fans – a worthy conclusion to an international motorsport festival. At the same time, Hauzenberg will celebrate the outcome of the ADAC Opel Electric Rally Cup: from late morning, the support programme kicks off in the heart of the granite town with a drive-through checkpoint for the Opel starters, who then contest their final metres on the “Beyond Borders” special stage.

All the highlights at a glance

Sunday, 12th October 2025 – Prologue in Prague
13:30 – 14:00	Car exhibition and briefing, Autoklub ČR HQ (Opletalova)
14:00 – 14:15	Start of Prologue, city tour
14:15 – 14:55	Media area – interviews and photos, Rudolfinum (Jan Palach Platz)
14:55 – 15:20	Continuation of Prologue, city tour
15:30 – 16:00	“Meet & Greet” and autograph session, Autoklub ČR HQ
Monday, 13th October 2025
Afternoon	Start of Recce for WRC teams
Midday	Golf tournament with WRC team members, Beckenbauer Course
Wednesday, 15th October 2025
Morning	Technical scrutineering for WRC Cars, Passau Service Park (DEKRA)
Thursday, 16th October 2025
All day	Oldtimer show “Edles Blech und ewiger Stein” (Precious Metal and Eternal Stone), Granitzentrum Bayerischer Wald in Hauzenberg (runs until Sunday, 19th October 2025)
08:00 – 12:00	Shakedown, Bad Griesbach
From 13:30	Shuttle service from Karpfham to thermal springs and fan zones on SS 1/2
13:55	Start section 1, Passau Service Park
14:30	SS1 “Golf und Therme 1”
14:55	Regrouping, interviews and autograph session, Kurplatz, Bad Griesbach Therme: 15:30 Autograph session, Kurplatz, Bad Griesbach Therme 16:00 Group photo WRC, fountain, Bad Griesbach Therme 17:37 Departure through gate, with moderation
18:05	SS2 “Golf und Therme 2”
19:00 – 20:15	Drive-through, moderation and interviews, Dreiländerhalle Passau
20:15	Presentation and launch of “More Than Machine” season 2, Dreiländerhalle Passau
Friday, 17th October 2025
07:11	Start of day 2, Passau Service Park
08:30	SS3 “Granit und Wald 1”
09:30	SS4 “Böhmerwald 1”
11:25	SS5 “Col de Jan 1”
12:20 – 13:10	Regrouping at UNESCO World Heritage Site Český Krumlov: fan programme with LED screen, interviews, historical reviews on the LED screen
14:45	SS6 “Col de Jan 2”
17:20	SS7 “Böhmerwald 2”
From 17:30	Interview zone and fan programme, Hauzenberg town square
18:15	SS8 “Granit und Wald 2”
19:00	Presentation of Slowly Sideways, DEKRA Service Park Passau
19:15	Parc Fermé and WRC drive-through, Dreiländerhalle Passau
20:15	Meet the Crews – WRC drivers and team principals, Dreiländerhalle Passau
20:30	“Dis M” concert, Dreiländerhalle Passau
Saturday, 18th October 2025
07:00	Start of day 3, Passau Service Park
08:15	SS9 “Made in FRG 1”
10:35	SS10 “Keply 1”
11:35	SS11 “Klatovy 1”
12:15 – 12:45	Regrouping and fan programme, Klatovy marketplace: LED screen, autograph session, Hyundai show
14:05	SS12 “Keply 2”
15:05	SS13 “Klatovy 2”
15:00	Rally party with drive-through checkpoint, Freyung town square: Assembly of participants from the ADAC Opel Electric Rally Cup and Slowly Sideways
18:25	SS14 “Made in FRG 2”
19:35	WRC drive-through, Dreiländerhalle Passau
20:35	Meet the Crews – WRC drivers and team principals, Dreiländerhalle Passau
21:00	“Inferno” concert, Dreiländerhalle Passau
Sunday, 19th October 2025
07:00	Start of day 4, Passau Service Park
08:25	SS15 “Beyond Borders 1”
10:05	SS16 “Mühltal 1”
From 11:00	Support programme and drive-through checkpoint for ADAC Opel Electric Rally Cup, Hauzenberg town square
11:10	SS17 “Beyond Borders 2”
13:15	SS18 “Mühltal 2” – Wolf Power Stage At the finish in Peilstein: spectator viewpoint of winding section, flower ceremony
From 16:30	WRC podium and presentation ceremony, Dreiländerhalle Passau