Victory hands Toyota landmark ninth title and sets up thrilling finale to 2025 season.
Kalle Rovanperä showcased nerves of steel to claim victory at the Central European Rally 2025, guiding Toyota Gazoo Racing to their fifth consecutive FIA World Rally Championship manufacturers’ crown. His composed drive also ignited one of the most intense drivers’ title battles in modern WRC history.
The Finnish driver seized control on Saturday after teammate Sébastien Ogier crashed in treacherous conditions, maintaining a measured pace to secure victory by 43.7 seconds. The win marked Rovanperä’s third triumph of the year, following earlier victories in the Canary Islands and Finland. It also gave Toyota their ninth manufacturers’ title, surpassing Citroën’s eight and closing in on record-holder Lancia’s ten.
“It’s been great to be back on Tarmac again, and I think the pace Séb and I had was pretty fast compared to the others. Huge congratulations to everyone in the workshop — clearly, we are super good as a team. I’m hungry for the title now; we increased our chances. It still won’t be easy, but we’ll try to continue.”
said Rovanperä
Behind him, Elfyn Evans snatched second place from Ott Tänak in dramatic fashion on the Wolf Power Stage. After a close chase, Tänak’s error on SS17 (Beyond Borders 2) — the same section that had earlier claimed Thierry Neuville — gave Evans the opening he needed. The Welshman powered through the final stage to seal a Toyota one-two finish by 5.6 seconds.
Ogier’s Saturday crash proved decisive in the championship standings. Arriving in Passau two points ahead of Evans, his misfortune flipped the leaderboard — Evans now leads with a 13-point buffer. Ogier’s maximum haul of Super Sunday and Power Stage points keeps him tied with Rovanperä, setting up an electrifying three-way title fight heading into the final rounds.
Further down the order, Takamoto Katsuta impressed with a fourth-place finish, while Adrien Fourmaux rounded out the top five despite understeer issues. Sami Pajari, continuing his breakout season, finished sixth — his fifth consecutive points finish.
In WRC2, Oliver Solberg — already crowned champion — claimed eighth overall, with Czech stars Jan Černý and Filip Mareš completing the top 10. The FIA Junior WRC title was decided in spectacular fashion, as Mille Johansson edged out Taylor Gill by just 1.6 seconds after a final-stage showdown.
Rally Classification (Top 6):
- K. Rovanperä / J. Halttunen (FIN) – Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 – 2h 36m 20.1s
- E. Evans / S. Martin (GBR) – Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 – +43.7s
- O. Tänak / M. Järveoja (EST) – Hyundai i20 N Rally1 – +49.3s
- T. Katsuta / A. Johnston (JPN) – Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 – +1m 06.8s
- A. Fourmaux / A. Coria (FRA) – Hyundai i20 N Rally1 – +2m 04.6s
- S. Pajari / M. Salminen (FIN) – Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 – +2m 13.9s
WRC Drivers’ Standings (After Round 12 of 14):
- Elfyn Evans – 247 pts
- Sébastien Ogier – 234 pts
- Kalle Rovanperä – 234 pts
The championship now moves to FORUM8 Rally Japan (6–9 November) and concludes with Rally Saudi Arabia (26–29 November) — where the 2025 season will reach a historic finale.
