LE MANS COULD BE PUSHED BACK TO OCTOBER OR NOVEMBER
This year’s Le Mans 24 Hours could be run in October or November, and possibly behind closed doors, due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
In March the race was, due to the virus, pushed back from its usual mid-june date to a new September 19-20 slot by its organiser the Automobile Club de I’ouest. However ACO president Pierre Fillon in a #thinkingforward interview with Motorsport
Network has said that further delay as well as severe spectator restrictions remain possible.
“If at the end of July the authorities tell us ‘impossible in September but 100% possible in October or November’, of course, we would do that,” Fillon said. “It will not be the same 24 Hours that we are used to, but we are professional and we have great drivers.
“Yes, [running the event behind closed doors] it’s an option. At this time, nobody knows what will happen in September! We have a lot of big events planned in France before then, like the Tour de France and Roland Garros. The question is are we able to organise an event with more than 100,000 people? I don’t know the answer to that.
“Option one [that ACO is considering] is that we’re allowed to run our event with fans, maybe with some constraints like masks and so on. The second option is we have no more than 5000 people, or something like that. And, for sure, this is not a true Le Mans.
“It’s not just about the race, it’s an experience for all the spectators. And option three is that it’s impossible to organise the 24 Hours of Le Mans event at all. At this moment, we cannot exclude that.”