Rally New Zealand has not featured on a provisional 2021 World Rally Championship calendar published by the FIA today.
Nine rounds have been confirmed including the return of Rally Australia which was dropped in favour of New Zealand for 2020.
However, more rounds are expected to be added with series’ manufacturers pushing for a minimum of ten rounds.
Monte Carlo, Finland, Portugal, Sweden, Kenya, Spain, Italy, Japan and Australia are currently penciled in on the calendar with no dates revealed.
Spain makes a welcome return to the series having been shelved for 2020.
Following the cancellation of this year’s event, Rally NZ promoters have announced that plans are underway to see a return of the series in 2021.
“ATEED understands and supports the decision to cancel the 2020 event given the current global travel restrictions and uncertainty of when borders will reopen,” said Auckland Tourism, Events and Economic Development General Manager Steve Armitage in an earlier statement.
“While we appreciate this will disappoint many motorsport fans, there are clearly a range of practical issues that cannot be resolved in time for the event to proceed as scheduled. Of course, we welcome the opportunity to work with the promoter and the FIA in the future to explore the possibility of this iconic event returning to our shores in 2021.”
A finalised calendar is not expected to be revealed until the latter stages of the year as the WRC continue to piece together its truncated 2020 championship.
| Rally | Surface |
|---|---|
| Monte Carlo | Tarmac |
| Finland | Gravel |
| Portugal | Gravel |
| Sweden | Snow |
| Kenya | Gravel |
| Spain | Tarmac |
| Italy | Gravel |
| Japan | Tarmac |
| Australia | Gravel |
Rally Turkey should be included after a fantastic rally in 2020, against the covid 19 challenges that many other rally organisers were unable to deal with……