2020 ADAC Rallye Deutschland, the scheduled sixth round of the FIA World Rally Championship, has been cancelled after being unable to receive the required permits needed for the event to take place.
The German asphalt event, which was planned to take place between October 15-18, had already been heavily modified following the COVID-19 pandemic, but will not take place after being unable to be approved by the local authorities in the Saarland and Rhineland regions of the country.
News of the cancellation has enabled Rally Italia Sardegna to move its date in the calendar forwards three weeks to the weekend of October 9-11, with the event now not clashing with the Formula 1 event at Imola, which was originally taking place on the same weekend (October 30-November 1).
ADAC Motorsport Director Thomas Voss said on the news of the cancellation: “In the past few weeks we have worked well and constructively with the Saarland Ministry of the Interior, the local authorities and the Bundeswehr in Baumholder. Unfortunately, the official requirements do not allow the rally to take place.”
“Even according to the requirements of Rhineland-Palatinate, a maximum of 350 people are permitted on the military training area under certain conditions. With this number of people, including participants, a World Championship round cannot be carried out. In addition, the area in Baumholder has a circumference of around 80 km.”
He added: “As an organizer, you cannot ensure that the site is secured in such a way that people cannot gain unauthorized access and thus violate official requirements.”
The news means the 2020 WRC is set to only feature seven rounds this season, with round four, Rally Estonia, set to get the season back underway next weekend following the coronavirus crisis.
