LATVIA COULD MISS OUT ON 2020 WORLD RX SLOT
The Latvian World Rallycross round could be absent from the calendar next year.
Introduced to the series in 2016, the Raevents-promoted round, held on at the Bikernieki circuit, is widely regarded as the one of the best events on the schedule by teams, drivers and fans.
But, without the commitment of state funding that has supported the event so far, the Latvian round could be dropped from the roster.
Event director Raimonds Strokss explained: “At a time when it is necessary to agree on continuing our collaboration with the World Rallycross Championship promoter IMG about hosting an event here in Latvia, we have been put into a situation where, due to two incompatible circumstances, we cannot definitely say that it will be possible to organise a World Rallycross Championship round at the CSDD Bikernieki Circuit.
“IMG requires an answer [along with financial guarantees], but the Latvian national budget will only be prepared at the end of this year, which means that we are unable to give any guarantees at the moment. Since IMG cannot wait, and the Latvian government cannot change the way the budget is made, it is very likely that World RX of Latvia will not be part of the
2020 calendar.”
The meeting’s promoter hopes that it can encourage the Latvian government to reconsider decisions regarding funding for events to be made over a year in advance. It also hopes that even if it cannot host a round in 2020, it could return to the schedule for 2021.