Moving Rally Italia dates forward a blessing in disguise

Italy was overwhelmed by Covid-19 cases and deaths earlier in the year but has sufficiently recovered for authorities to open up the country from a near total lockdown.

The country will host WRC Rally Italia Sardegna as Germany and Japan cancel their fixtures.

The Italian round scheduled for November 6-8 has been moved forward by three weeks  to October 8-11 to avoid a date clash with Formula One Grand Prix at Imola.

The request to reschedule the race came from event organiser Automobile Club d’Italia and was agreed by the FIA, motorsport’s governing body, and WRC Promoter following the forced cancellation of ADAC Rallye Deutschland.

The move forward offers the prospect of better weather on the Mediterranean island for the gravel road fixture, as well as additional daylight hours as Europe moves deep into autumn.

Angelo Sticchi Damiani, president of Automobile Club d’Italia, said finalising a date which aligned with other championship calendars was a tricky task.

“In ACI we have worked hard to redefine the new dates for the 2020 Rally Italia Sardegna,” he explained. “It has not been easy to find the right days which could put together the needs of all stakeholders and could work well for the region of Sardinia.

“In this very difficult year ACI has wanted, as already shown with the F1 GPs in Monza, Mugello and Imola, to protect national and international motorsport by confirming also our competition. I personally thank the region of Sardinia for their absolute support to make all this happen.”

The change was made possible after ADAC Rallye Deutschland was called off. The Bostalsee-based event was set for October 15-18 as the sixth round of the season, but organisers cancelled it due to Covid-19  restrictions on mass gatherings in Germany.

A disappointed Koji Takahashi, chairman of the Rally Japan 2020 executive committee, said the focus would now turn to preparations for the 2021 event in the Aichi and Gifu regions. Japan is one of nine rounds already confirmed for next season’s FIA WRC calendar, together with Kenya.

Belgium will host a round of the FIA World Rally Championship for the first time after Renties Ypres Rally Belgium was added to the 2020 calendar.

The asphalt event will take place on November 19-22 replacing Rally Japan as the eighth and final round of the season.

Japan’s return to the WRC after 10-year has been regrettably called off due to border entry restriction policies imposed by the government due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Belgium will become the 34th nation to stage a WRC round since the series started in 1973.

Ypres was first held in 1965 and has become established as one of Europe’s most demanding rallies.

Previous winners include current Hyundai Motorsport WRC driver and home hero Thierry Neuville in 2018 and team-mate Craig Breen last season.

It will feature about 300km of special stages across three full days of competition. 

Sunday’s final leg will be focused on the iconic Spa race circuit, with the rally-closing Wolf Power Stage featuring the famous Eau Rouge/Raidillon section of the track.

A service park in the heart of Ypres’ historic Grote Markt will be the rally hub and Simon Larkin, WRC Promoter’s senior director events, said the rally would provide a unique test for competitors.

“For many years Ypres was a hugely popular cornerstone of the FIA European Rally Championship. Its elevation to the WRC will provide one of the sternest challenges of the year for competitors and a fitting finale to the 2020 season,” he said in a statement.

FIA Rally Director Yves Matton said in a statement: “We’re very disappointed Rally Japan will not happen this year due to the pandemic, in particular given all the hard work undertaken by the Japanese authorities, the Japanese Automobile Federation and the organising team. I thank them for that.”