Publications
Partners
- Fifth WRC event to be cancelled due to global pandemic
- Concerns over large gatherings
- Next scheduled race in Turkey in September
The Wales Rally GB has been cancelled due to the global coronavirus pandemic, organisers announced on Tuesday.
This year's event had been due to take place from October 29 to November 1 as the penultimate round on the 2020 World Rally Championship (WRC) schedule.
Continued concerns over COVID-19 and the current restrictions on large-scale gatherings and international travel prompted the decision.
It is the fifth leg of the championship to be cancelled as a result of the global health crisis.
David Richards, chairman of Rally GB organiser Motorsport UK, said: "This is not a decision that we have taken lightly but, in close consultation with our chief funding partner the Welsh government, it is sadly one we are obliged to make in light of the ongoing global coronavirus pandemic.
"This is not the appropriate time for us to be planning for and promoting an event that brings tens of thousands of visitors, many from outside the country, into rural Welsh communities."
The WRC season has been badly disrupted by the virus, with stops in Argentina and Italy postponed in addition to the cancellations.
Three rounds, in Monte Carlo, Sweden and Mexico, were raced.
The next scheduled race is the Rally of Turkey, in late September.
