NESTE RALLY FINLAND NOT IMMUNE TO GLOBAL PANDEMIC: RALLY FINLAND RESCHEDULED FOR 2021
Posted: June 3, 2020 10:18 AM
The 2020 Neste Rally Finland was due to take place 6 - 9 August in and around Jyväskylä in Central Finland, the traditional home of the event. The rally, which is the biggest annual sporting event in Finland, was also supposed to celebrate its 70th anniversary in conjunction with this year’s event. Instead, the organiser AKK Sports Ltd will now immediately start the wind-down of the 2020 event.
Although the situation regarding Covid-19 in Finland and internationally has improved, there are too many ongoing factors with regard to health and safety risks with organising Neste Rally Finland, given the event is only two months away.
Together with the unknown progress of Covid-19, there are other major uncertainties affecting this decision. For example, the lack of information on whether current restrictions imposed by the state on public events will continue after July, and how foreign participants, teams and spectators will be able to safely travel to Finland.
- Even though we had already made some preparations with the possible cancellation of Neste Rally Finland in mind, it’s clear that this naturally is devastating news for all of us, in many different ways. By cancelling the event this year, we want to show responsibility towards each and every one of the stakeholders as well as the whole society. Health and well-being are always a priority. We will confidently move our focus into 2021, when we will finally be able to organise the well-deserved 70th anniversary celebrations in an amazing atmosphere and in great spirits together with the spectators, competitors as well as our long-term and new partners, says Neste Rally Finland Promoter Jani Backman.
- We also investigated the options of postponing the event this year, but after evaluating this option, the amount of unknowns and risks unfortunately directed us to cancel. We would like to thank all the volunteers who are already committed to the event and have been working alongside our professional organising team ever since last autumn – we will get through this and come back next year, Neste Rally Finland Clerk of the Course Kai Tarkiainen adds.
The organiser of Rally Finland, AKK Sports Ltd, has got an agreement with the WRC Promoter GmbH for arranging the Finnish round of the World Rally Championship in 2021.
The 2021 FIA WRC calendar will be confirmed later this year.
Even though the gravel roads of Central Finland will now quiet down when it comes to this year’s World Rally Championship, WRC driving will still carry on in the world of digital rallying. More information on the new Rally Finland gaming concept, aimed at both driving game enthusiasts and the general public alike, will be published during June.
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