Stars from the World Rally Championship met at the Golf Resort

A rally service park in the middle of a golf paradise: This is also unusual for the World Rally Championship. But this weekend, the rally world is looking to Bad Griesbach, which, with a total of nine golf courses, is considered Europe's largest golf resort. The rally centre, service area and media centre are located here - which means that organisers, WRC officials and, of course, the competitors will also meet here. And a number of them take the opportunity to play a game of golf before the start of the reccee on Tuesday. 

The golf event also offered the best opportunity to look ahead to the events of the coming days with important protagonists before the potentially decisive WRC round. WRC leader Thierry Neuville (Hyundai) is already looking forward to the challenge: "The Central European Rally is a tough one. We are travelling in three countries with very different routes. That makes it complex in all respects and a technical and logistical challenge. I like that. In my opinion, rallying should always retain a little bit of adventure."

Even though he currently leads the title fight by 29 points ahead of his team-mate Ott Tänak, the Alsatian is very cautious when it comes to making a prediction: "If things go well, we will have enough points for the WRC title. But that's not the biggest goal, it's to score points and keep the lead. Everything else will follow."

On the other hand, Toyota spearhead Sébastien Ogier is likely to launch an attack on the special stages in Germany, Austria and the Czech Republic. In third place, he is currently 41 points behind the championship leader - with up to 30 points up for grabs per WRC round, this is a significant but not insurmountable gap. 

German rally legend Walter Röhrl is only there as a spectator. "Unfortunately, the WRC event comes 20 years too late for me to be involved. But it's unique for the region," enthuses the two-time world rally champion. "I watched the shakedown last year: It's incredible how many people this event attracts here."

Championship leader Neuville is also looking forward to the numerous rally fans and has an important appeal to all spectators on site: "I hope for a lot of support from the fans this weekend - and sensible behaviour! Have fun and look after your safety. We drivers will take care of the show!"