2020 Rally New Zealand
| 2020 Rally New Zealand 40. Rally New Zealand | |
|---|---|
| Part of the 2020 World Rally Championship | |
 Rally New Zealand's return to the World Rally Championship was cancelled as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. | |
| Host country | New Zealand |
| Rally base | Auckland, Auckland Region |
| Held on | Scheduled for 3–6 September 2020 |
| Stage surface | Gravel |
| Statistics | |
| Cancellation | Rally cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic. |
The 2020 Rally New Zealand (also known as the Rally New Zealand 2020) was a motor racing event for rally cars that was scheduled to be held over four days between 3 and 6 September 2020,[1] but was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[2] It was set to mark the forty-fifth running of Rally New Zealand and planned to be the ninth round of the 2020 World Rally Championship, World Rally Championship-2 and World Rally Championship-3. The 2020 event was scheduled to be based in Auckland in Auckland Region.
Sébastien Loeb and Daniel Elena were the overall reigning rally winners.[3] Citroën Total World Rally Team, the team they drove for in 2012, when Rally New Zealand held a World Rally Championship event last time, were the defending manufacturers' winners.[3] However, they would not defend the rally either as they withdrew from the championship at the end of 2019.[4]
Background
Preparation and cancellation
The rally had been planned to be the mark of Rally New Zealand after an eight-year absence from the championship, sharing a spot with Rally Australia in the WRC calendar since 2020.[5] However, concerns regarding whether the rally should be held were raised in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.[6] On 4 June 2020, it was officially announced that the rally would not be held in 2020, but a 2021 event is expected.[7]
References
- ^ Herrero, Daniel (27 September 2019). "Australia drops off WRC calendar in 2020". speedcafe.com. Speedcafe. Retrieved 28 September 2019.
- WRC Promoter GmbH. 4 June 2020. Retrieved 4 June 2020.
- ^ a b Evans, David (24 June 2012). "Sebastien Loeb clinches Rally New Zealand win as Citroen gets another one-two". autosport.com. Motorsport Network. Retrieved 4 June 2020.
- ^ Evans, David (20 November 2019). "Citroen ends WRC programme, cites Ogier's exit as reason". motorsport.com. Motorsport Network. Retrieved 20 November 2019.
- ^ Herrero, Daniel (27 September 2019). "Australia drops off WRC calendar in 2020". speedcafe.com. Speedcafe. Retrieved 28 September 2019.
- ^ Rauli, Giacomo; Thukral, Rachit (23 May 2020). "WRC News: New Zealand and Japan rallies set to be axed as a result of pandemic". motorsport.com. Motorsport Network. Retrieved 4 June 2020.
- ^ Brockie-David, Merran (4 June 2020). "Rally New Zealand look towards the future after WRC event cancelled". rallynz.org.nz. Rally New Zealand. Retrieved 4 June 2020.
External links
- Official website (in English)
- 2020 Rally New Zealand at ewrc-results.com
- The official website of the World Rally Championship
