GOVERNMENT DECISION TO SEAL FATE OF FOREST RALLIES
Mass-gathering debate resolution could scupper remainder of 2020 calendar for the UK
Despite Motorsport UK giving rallying the green light to resume earlier this month, there’s a very real chance that forest rallying could be outlawed for the rest of the year.
Currently no events of any kind can be held on private forest land because of government-enforced rules that dictate that gatherings larger than 30 are not allowed . The UK government is expected to review this in October with the devolved nations following soon after.
The Carlisle Stages is meant to go ahead on October 24, but rally manager Colin Heppenstall is just “25%” confident the event will go ahead. Nevertheless, he has created a 13-page document outlining how rallying can resume which has been sent to Motorsport UK.
This, and other variables, has also forced the cancellation of the Nicky Grist Stages in November and subsequently the BTRDA Rally Series, which was the only 2020 championship left standing until it was cancelled last week.
By Luke Barry
There could be absolutely no forest rallies held in the UK for the rest of
2020 should the next UK government meeting on mass gatherings decide they can’t be held.
Currently, social gatherings cannot exceed 30 people in England and Wales while that number is halved in Scotland. As a consequence, all events of any type on Forestry Commission land have been outlawed until October when the UK government is next set to review these restrictions.
The Galloway Hills Rally has therefore been provisionally rescheduled from September 19 to October 31. But other events like the Nicky Grist Stages, rescheduled to November 28, were cancelled last week – taking the BTRDA series with it – because there were too many variables to make it viable. And the fate of the Wexford Stages on September 7-8 will be decided on August 11, the day after the next Irish Government announcement is due. If it does run, overseas competitors won’t be allowed.
The M-sport Return to Rally Stages on August 22 however can still run as Gresytoke is a privately owned forest.
Carlisle Stages rally manager Colin Heppenstall has written a document detailing how he plans to run the rally on October 24 with recommendations on how rallying can restart on forestry land. The paper has been passed onto Motorsport UK but the decision lies in the Forestry Commission’s hands.
When asked how confident he is that forest rallying will happen, Heppenstall told MN: “It is 25% down I would say. It is entirely down to the head office of Forestry England with regards to whether they want to allow any events on their land this year. The main forestry man in Kielder has said he expects there to be no rallying whatsoever this year but he said he’d put my paper forward, so we’ll just have to wait and see.
“Single venues can always be locked down and stop spectators coming in because it’s spectators that are the problem,” Heppenstall added. “[That’s why] circuit rallying is not a problem because it’s a single venue, it’s got fences all around it and the owners Motorsport Vision can control spectators on the track and trace scenario The ‘motorsport bubble’ can get away with it through self-declaring you don’t have Covid-19.”
Heppenstall expects events in early 2021 to still be governed by Covid-19 restrictions with “smaller entries dictated by the Forestry Commission.”
Rallycross legend Per
Eklund will join double World Rallycross champion Johan Kristoffersson and compete in Rallyx Nordic’s headline Supercar category at Arvika in Sweden next week.
The pair made their rallycross returns in the long-awaited seasonopener at Holjes in Sweden, for the opening two rounds of Rallyx Nordic earlier this month. Driving a Kristoffersson Motorsport built and now redeveloped Volkswagen Polo, Kristoffersson claimed victory in wet conditions during round two.
Former European rallycross champion Eklund, meanwhile, made his first rallycross Supercar start in five years in the Legends category, driving one of his team’s Volkswagen Beetle Supercars, a fortnight after his
74th birthday. He finished fifth.
Kristoffersson will continue to race his own squad’s Polo – and not the works-built car he will contest World RX with this year – although he will test that car in the next two weeks in Sweden. Eklund again drive his Beetle.
“It’s great that we have a world champion driving at our home race in Arvika,” Eklund told MN. “Johan grew up in my tent in the paddock, it’s really good he will do this race before the world championship begins.”
Motorsport News understands that Eklund may also race in the European Rallycross Championship round at Holjes, subject to getting an entry, alongside the opening round of the World Rallycross Championship next month. Frenchman Herve Lemonnier raced a Citroen DS3 in selected World RX rounds last year, aged 72, but Eklund would be the oldest participant of a World RX event in any of the categories should he compete.