2021 Plains Rally - CANCELLED

Plains Rally Saturday 14th August 2021 – Cancellation Announcement

Posted: June 26, 2021 7:19 AM

The organisers of the Plains Rally, Knutsford & District Motor Club Limited, regret to announce the cancellation of this year’s event.

After careful and detailed consideration, the Plains Rally, scheduled to run on Saturday 14th August, and a qualifying round of the Fuchs Lubricants Motorsport UK British Historic Rally Championship, Fuchs Lubricants RACRMC Asphalt/Rally2 Mixed Surface Rally Championship, Crew 25 Rally Championship, MRF Tyres BTRDA® Rally Series, Pirelli Motorsport UK Welsh Forest Stage Championship, ANWCC Forest Rally Championship, SD34 Stage Rally Championship, and 2021 Lion Cup, has sadly been cancelled.

The current spread of delta variant CV19, and the ability to travel, is a major concern for the organisers. Most of the organising team are based in Northwest England, and while there are no travel bans in place, between Northwest England, and Wales, the current official advice is to avoid travel to/from areas of high infection. The organisers have a duty of care and social responsibility to the residents of the local communities that our event passes through, and we feel that it’s important that we respect the official advice and not travel at this time to conduct the necessary pre-event public relations work, which, on completion, would allow us to move forward to a fully authorised event. The organisers are also concerned that as delta variant CV19 continues to spread, travel restrictions, be they voluntary, or mandatory, would lead to a loss of entries and marshals, since we will be respecting official travel advice, we cannot expect others to ignore it. Equally, the question of inviting spectators to the event, was a cause for concern. As enthusiasts, our natural inclination, is to invite spectators and welcome them with open arms, allowing them to enjoy a full spectator experience. But, while spectators are enjoying that experience, the event organisers are responsible for their safety under Motorsport UK Regulations; while CV19 restrictions remain in place, that responsibility extends to ensuring spectators stay within their own bubble and maintain social distancing, we must also work within, and respect Local Authority guidance to protect public health under CV19 legislation, and we simply do not have the necessary resources to achieve these requirements.

It is hugely disappointing that we have had to cancel the event, but we take our responsibilities to the sport, the residents of the local communities the event travels through, and members of the public visiting these communities and forests, be they spectators, or engaged in other leisure pastimes, very seriously. With the help of NRW and R4W, the organisers had planned a compact route, utilising classic mid-Wales stages, all of which being in exceptionally good condition. We are incredibly grateful to everyone that has helped us develop our event, and sorry that all their hard work can’t deliver the event we were looking forward to. Our attention now turns to the 2022 Plains Rally on Saturday, 21st May.

Les Sharp
Clerk of Course

Event Postponed

Posted: January 15, 2021 12:02 PM

The organisers of the Plains Rally have taken the decision to postpone the event scheduled for Saturday 22nd May. While the decision to postpone was difficult, the organisers feel that it was the only sensible decision given the current position with respect to the COVID-19 pandemic. A qualifying round of the following prestigious National and Regional Rally Championships:

• Fuchs Lubricants Motorsport UK British Historic Rally Championship
• Fuchs Lubricants RACRMC Asphalt/Rally 2 Mixed Surface Rally Championship
• MRF Tyres BTRDA Rally Series
• Motorsport UK Pirelli Welsh Rally Championship
• ANWCC Forest Stage Championship
• SD34 Stage Rally Championship

The organisers are provisionally looking to reschedule the event to an early August date, which has been agreed with the Championship organisers. The organisers are just awaiting confirmation from our event partners, Natural Resources Wales, before we officially announce the rescheduled date.

Our plans for the 2021 Plains Rally include:

• 8 Special Stages
• 43 Stage Miles
• 15 Second Use Stage Miles
• All Two-Wheel Drive Cars will run first on the road, in reverse order

We will make another announcement as soon as possible.

Plains Rally