For the second time, the Richard Burns Award was rewarded at the round of the FIA European Rally Championship. Introduced by the Richard Burns Foundation in memory of the late 2001 World Rally Champion, the prize was - after the performance during the Croatia Rally - given to Hermann Gassner junior. The committee evaulated young driver from Germany mainly for his constant performance challenging the later winner Juho Hänninen. They saw Gassner as the biggest surprise of the event.