World Championship in Austria

“We still have a heart for motorsport!”

Thierry Neuville is currently leading the rally.

(Bild: Jaanus Ree / Red Bull Content Pool)

"The only thing that mattered was getting through," says Thierry Neuville, who leads Sébastien Ogier by 6.4 seconds after completing eight of a total of 18 special stages at the Central European Rally. On Saturday, the WRC stars can finally be admired in Upper Austria. 

Two farms, a few cows and tractors and nothing else far and wide! But when the Central European Rally with the world's best drivers comes to Upper Austria on Saturday, there will suddenly be more than a few mooing noises to be heard in Unterharmansedt, a district of the village of St. Roman with a population of 1782.

"Farmers have nothing against it"
Especially as the Schärdinger Innviertel special stage will be completed twice and the hybrid cars of Thierry Neuville and Co. equipped with 550 horsepower will race between the two farms. "But the farmers have nothing against it, they even provide a meadow for parking," says Johann Penzinger, commander of the Rain fire department, which is deployed with 65 men and will cater for up to 3,000 PS fans in the "Krone" fan zone.

There are seven fan zones (G and H) in Upper Austria.

(Bild: Krone KREATIV/GEPA)

Helicopter sightseeing flights
There will also be a large video wall with a speaker and a large VIP area. Helifly also offers helicopter tours with a spectacular view of the rally from above. A total of 7 fan zones "We don't know what to expect. But it's great that we can be part of such an event, we are definitely well prepared," says Penzinger. There are also three additional official spectator points in the Innviertel region, which not only provide great views of the cars, but also ensure the safety of the spectators and drivers.

Fan zone for 6000 spectators
There are three fan zones on Upper Austrian soil on the second special stage through Upper Austria under the illustrious name Beyond Borders (start in Wegscheid in Germany, finish near Sarleinsbach). The largest is located in Kollerschlag and has been approved by the authorities for 6000 spectators.

Jump as a highlight 
"You can see the cars here for a good three kilometers, which is relatively long," says MSC Kollerschlag chairman David Richtsfeld, who is responsible for the fan zone, which also has a very special highlight. This is because the SS runs across the premises of the Fesl company, with the World Championship drivers racing over a "natural jump". "This is simply a great experience for us and we are happy to go to all the trouble because we still have a heart for motorsport," says Richtsfeld.