The FIA World Rally Championship(WRC) has updated about the changes to come on its 2020 calendar due to COVID-19 pandemic as Manuel Maldonado has signed to compete in Euroformula Open.
Following the postponement of WRC rallies in Argentina and Italy, while Portugal getting cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic, the latest note from the FIA has updated about the discussions ongoing regarding the rest of the 2020 calendar.
The FIA states that Argentina re-scheduling will only take place for the final three months of 2020 calendar, whereas a new date for Italy is being looked at amid the other European races. At the moment, Rally Safari is the next WRC round on July 16-19.
The decision on the WRC round in Kenya will be taken by May 15 when the Government will update on its future plans. The same is the situation with Rally Finland, which is scheduled for August 6-9, but they are looking at new dates in September or October.
Any decision on that will be taken early June, while Rally New Zealand (September 3-6) will decide by May end. For now, Rally Turkey (September 24-17), Rally Germany (October 15-18), Rally Wales GB (October 29 – November 1) and Rally Japan (November 19-22) remains on schedule.
“Our goal is to now continue to monitor as best as we can with the evolving situation around the pandemic and the Government restrictions,” said the joint statement. “No decisions on event dates will be made before updates on the respective emergency status are available.
“There is a duty of care to all stakeholders including fans, drivers, teams, media, suppliers and others to protect not only ourselves but also the wider community, and this remains our key focus. We remain committed to continuing with as many rallies as we can either on their current date, or where possible, a rescheduled date.
“There remains constant dialogue amongst FIA, WRC Promoter, teams and event organisers to evaluate all options for running events, including but not limited to:
• Event format (competition days, event overlay, competitive distance)
• Championship requirements (counting rounds and points)
• Logistics (facilities, locations, transport)
• Any required social distancing, health, safety and medical requirements for competitors, teams, media and spectators
“FIA and WRC Promoter remain focused on the need to keep professional and private/customer teams, drivers and sponsors engaged and viable ongoing concerns for when the season can resume.”
In a single-seater news, Pastor Maldonado’s brother Manuel has signed with Team Motopark to compete in EF Open in 2020 alongside Cameron Das and Niklas Krutten. The Venezuelan graduates from British F3, where he raced for two years.
It is not his debut as Maldonado entered in one round during the 2019 season with Fortec Motorsport. “I am extremely excited to be joining Motopark for the upcoming season, having done the winter testing in 2019, I can say that it is a privilege to be part of such a team, who works around the clock to be the best,” he said.
“There is no doubt of what they are capable of achieving and this is the reason I wanted to join the team so much. We now wait eagerly for the season to start. Despite of the current situation, the team and I are ready to go for when it is safe to do so.”
Here’s the official site for more details: http://www.euroformulaopen.net/en/
Here’s last from WRC on Rally Portugal cancellation