FIVE EVENTS TO FORM THE RUN-IN FOR 2020 WORLD RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP
September start for the resumption of top-flight competition
The World Rally Championship is “back in business” with confirmation of a restart schedule creating a minimum of eight total events.
Following months of toil to save the season amid the coronavirus pandemic, the FIA and WRC Promoter announced their “restart” calendar last week with newcomer Estonia the first event from September 4-6.
Likely to be run over two days only as the WRC embraces a new, cost-saving normal, inclusion of the rally provides a welcome boost for a championship on hold since Rally Mexico ended on March 14, one day earlier than scheduled as Covid-19 began to take hold.
Clear signal sent
Oliver Ciesla, who delayed his exit from WRC Promoter to oversee the company’s response to the calendar crisis, said the “restart announcement sends a clear signal the 2020 WRC is back in business”.
He added: “WRC Promoter has worked tirelessly with the FIA, our competitors, teams and potential rallies, in exceptional circumstances, to revise the calendar. [Today’s] news allows the WRC to restart at an appropriate time and ensure a season worthy of world championship status. The expectation across the sport will build rapidly from now ahead of September’s restart.”
Confident for eight
FIA rally director Yves Matton said: “I am confident we will secure a minimum of eight events this year and this is thanks to the great commitment and work from organisers. As one of the newly proposed rounds, Rally Estonia will be reopening the season from an already solid foundation. Also, extensive work was made with [Italian federation] ACI and organisers of Rally Italia Sardegna to reschedule the event and I am happy that they could find a workable slot at the end of October.”
Italy on, Argentina off
Although the WRC’S restart calendar confirmed the rescheduling of Rally Italy to what would have been Wales Rally GB’S October 29November 1 slot, Argentina is, as expected, officially off.
While organisers had proposed a double-header to WRC Promoter, the logistics and costs, plus the impracticalities of bringing the world championship to a country still deep in lockdown, combined to force the rally’s cancellation (see page eight).
Still hope for Ypres
Along with the Croatia Rally, the Ypres Rally remains one of two “calendar options” with its hopes of inclusion dependent on Rally Turkey taking place a week earlier than its September 24-27 date due to the time it will take to travel to Belgium from Marmaris on Turkey’s Mediterranean coast.
Planning issues mean Ypres is locked into its October 2-4 slot and teams are understood to be lobbying organisers in Turkey to attempt to move their event forward to September 17-20. Motorsport News has contacted Rally Turkey for comment which has yet to be forthcoming.
If Rally Turkey is rescheduled and Belgium handed its WRC debut and should Japan follow the country’s bike and car grands prix by being axed due to Covid-19, then the preferred eight-round schedule will be maintained. If Japan does survive, then a nineround calendar would certainly appeal to a WRC Promoter keen on maximising revenue.
British Rally Championship manager Iain Campbell has hailed the boost in profile the Esports contest has given the BRC in what has otherwise been a difficult year.
BRC organisers launched the EBRC Invitational series for its competitors during lockdown. Two 30-minute highlight programmes were created and streamed per rally and bosses have reported a bigger audience than the Channel 4 broadcasts previously earned. While the BRC has been without a title sponsor since 2019, the Esports series attracted one after just its second round.
“We have thoroughly enjoyed this competition,” Campbell said. “Esports as a discipline is growing all the time and I think what we achieved in a short space of time with this series has really turned some heads. We have had over 400,000 views and to have people watching around the world is exciting to see, as we continue to take the BRC to new audiences.”
Rhys Yates’ co-driver James Morgan was the star of the show, taking a clean sweep of the rounds with Josh Mcerlean and Matt Edwards completing the championship podium. “I am over the moon with that result; four from four, absolutely delighted,” Morgan said. “I would like to thank the BRC for putting it all on, it was a great way to pass the time in lockdown and hopefully we will see more BRC Esports competitions in the future.”
The adjacent EBRC series for all Motorsport UK members – the first Esports competition to award a Motorsport UK title - will receive a real-life test in an EDSL Sport Ford Fiesta R2. Alan Scott was poised to win the prize when MN went to press.