With tight alpine hairpins, gravel-strewn descents, and sweeping forest stretches, the change of scenery brought a fresh challenge, to the competitors of the EHRC.

Vienna’s own Karl Wagner seized a hugely popular home win, powering his Porsche 911 SC to the top of the podium in front of a jubilant local crowd. With long-time co-driver Zauner Gerda alongside, the multiple EHRC event winner held his nerve across a dramatic two-day contest to take not only overall victory, but also top honours in Category 3.

But Wagner was made to fight for it. A fierce final-stage battle with Polish charger Maciej Lubiak kept the Austrian fans entertained. Lubiak, in his rapid Porsche 911 Carrera RS 3.0, threw everything he had at the Austrian in a nail-biting finish. He had to settle for second overall but took a hard-earned win in FIA Category 2, continuing a strong season for the Polish crew.

There was more drama late in the event, as the Category 4 fight went right down to the wire. Britain’s Will Graham and co-driver Matt Edwards claimed victory in Category 4 in their BMW M3 E30, also finishing third overall, a solid haul of points for the Flexifly Rally Team. Sweden’s Tobias Johansson and Jenny Strandberg, driving an Audi Quattro A2, pushed hard and briefly looked set to take the class win, but ultimately had to settle for second in category after being edged out in the final stages.

Elsewhere, consistency paid off once again for Ernie Graham. The British driver added another FIA 1600cc Trophy win to his growing tally, guiding his trusty Ford Escort MkII to the finish without drama. In the Front Wheel Drive Trophy, Czech talent Olda Kovarik Jnr lived up to expectations in his Škoda Favorit 136 L, continuing his strong form.

Category 1 honours went to his father, Olda Kovarik Senior, who took a solo class win in his Škoda Octavia TS.

Not everyone made it to the finish, though. Hungarian title hopeful Tibor Érdi looked unstoppable in his Ford Sierra RS Cosworth 4x4 before an engine failure ended his run on day two. French driver Bertrand Métivier also suffered a heartbreaking retirement with mechanical issues.