Part of a series on the |
COVID-19 pandemic |
---|
|
![]() |
The COVID-19 pandemic has caused disruption to motorsport across the world, mirroring its impact across all sports. Across the world and to varying degrees, events and competitions have been cancelled or postponed.
Australian Supercars
The Supercars Championship had planned to hold the Melbourne 400 supporting the Australian Grand Prix. The event was cancelled the same time the Grand Prix was also cancelled. Although the Championship were seeking to hold a replacement event later in the year,[1] it was ultimately not made up. The Supercars' Tasmania Super400 at Symmons Plains Raceway (originally scheduled for 4–5 April), the Auckland Super400 at Hampton Downs (25–26 April), and the Perth SuperNight at Wanneroo Raceway (16–17 May) rounds were also postponed beyond June.[2] The pandemic saw 23Red Racing withdraw from the championship as its primary sponsor, Milwaukee Tools, ended its deal with the team.
A revised calendar was released on 17 May, with the events at Gold Coast and Newcastle dropped from the calendar and a second race at Bathurst to be held in February 2021. As well, the Melbourne 400 will still count as a round because practice and qualifying had taken place before the event was cancelled. The second race at Bathurst would ultimately not take place after a second revision on 19 June, with the Sydney SuperNight round being restored and acting as the season finale. Further revisions saw rounds at Winton, Sandown, Symmons Plains, Wanneroo and the Sydney SuperNight being cancelled, and the Bathurst 1000 now becoming the finale.
Supercars formed the All Stars Eseries to allow its drivers to compete against each other.[3]
Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters
The Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters series postponed the start of its championship until August 2020.[4] The Norisring round, which was scheduled on 10–12 July, was cancelled because of the difficulties of assembling the infrastructure required for a street circuit and impossibility to be held behind closed doors.[5]
Drag racing
On March 12, the National Hot Rod Association suspended its season[6] while some sportsman classes were already contesting the Amalie Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals; the sportsman classes already active at that time would finish their runs behind closed doors, while the professional and remaining sportsman classes were sent home.[7]
The season schedule was revised several times during the suspension,[8] with the season eventually being shortened to eleven events from the original twenty-four; the Countdown to the Championship was scrapped for the season amid the first bouts of the rescheduling. As a result of these changes, with the current schedule revealed as of September 2, Las Vegas saw its two events consolidated into one (which, after the September 2 schedule revisions, became the season finale) with Pomona also reduced to a single race (held prior to the pandemic); the Virginia NHRA Nationals, Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals, Route 66 NHRA Nationals, NHRA Sonoma Nationals, MagicDry Organic Absorbent NHRA Northwest Nationals, and NHRA New England Nationals were removed from the schedule for the season in the earliest schedule modifications; and three additional events were announced in two bursts for Lucas Oil Raceway to relaunch the season from July 11 in order to initially compensate for cancelled events.[9][10] The Dodge Mile-High NHRA Nationals and Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals were subsequently postponed on July 17, in conjunction with the third additional event at Lucas Oil Raceway added to the former's original dates;[10] the Menards NHRA Heartland Nationals would also subsequently be postponed on July 29,[11] followed by the cancellation of the Southern Nationals on August 10[12] and the Mopar Express Lane NHRA Nationals on August 17.[13] Further schedule revisions on September 2 saw the schedule reduced further, with the three postponed events that were awaiting rescheduling as well as both Charlotte events (which had initially been consolidated to a single event in earlier schedule revisions), the Thunder Valley Nationals (for logistics reasons), and technically, the other Las Vegas Motor Speedway round (the Las Vegas round, known as the Dodge NHRA Vegas Nationals, was officially cancelled). The NHRA Finals at Pomona was legally moved to the Las Vegas meeting, which is known as the Dodge NHRA Finals (sponsors kept their contracts, but the 2020 Las Vegas race belongs to the World Finals lineage).[14] leaving six previously-scheduled events including the rescheduled aforementioned Gatornationals to finish out the season.
The rescheduling has created an event-name related oddity, in that the Mopar Express Lane NHRA SpringNationals have retained its name for the season despite now being scheduled for the weekend after the AAA NHRA Fall Nationals in October.[14]
The NHRA then announced the 2021 NHRA season would start at the Gatornationals in March, with the sanctioning body moving the Winternationals and Arizona Nationals to April, hoping that spectator restrictions will be eased by that time. On 15 January 2021, the NHRA announced that the Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park round would be moved to another venue to be determined.
Formula One
The early Formula One season was disrupted by the coronavirus pandemic.[15] Prior to the start of the season, Ferrari and AlphaTauri expressed concern about the spread of the virus and its effect on the championship. Both teams are based in Italy, which has suffered one of the worst outbreaks of the virus outside China,[16][17] and so both Ferrari and AlphaTauri were therefore concerned over the ability of their staff to leave a quarantine zone that was established in northern Italy. Ross Brawn, the managing director of the sport, announced that Grands Prix would not go ahead if a team were blocked from entering a host nation, but that events could go ahead if a team voluntarily chose not to enter a host nation.[18]
The season opening Australian race was abruptly cancelled shortly before the start of opening round, while Monaco and French races were eventually cancelled.[19][20][21] The cancellation of the Monaco Grand Prix meant that 2020 would mark the first time since 1954 that the race has not been held. The Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Canadian, Dutch, Spanish and Vietnamese Grands Prix were postponed, while the Chinese Grand Prix already postponed prior to the pandemic.[20][22][23][24] The Dutch Grand Prix would eventually be cancelled on 28 May, the Azerbaijan Grand Prix would eventually be cancelled on 12 June, along with Singapore (due to logistical difficulties associated with establishing a street circuit on short notice) and Japanese (due to travel restrictions by Japanese government).[25] The Canadian Grand Prix would be cancelled on 24 July along with races in Mexico, United States and Brazil due to the travel restrictions in the Americas,[26] while the Spanish Grand Prix would be rescheduled to 16 August on 2 June. On 24 August, the Bahrain Grand Prix would be rescheduled to 29 November and the Chinese Grand Prix was cancelled. On 16 October, the Vietnamese Grand Prix was cancelled. Organizers of the Austrian, British and Hungarian Grands Prix were the first to announce that their races could go ahead, but run without spectators and with teams staffed by minimal personnel.[27][28] The summer break shut down period—which includes mandatory factory closures as a cost-cutting measure—was also brought forward from August to March and April and was originally extended to three weeks, allowing for postponed races to be held in August.[29]
The sport had planned to overhaul its technical regulations for the 2021 championship in one of the largest changes in its seventy-year history. The pandemic prompted these changes to be postponed until 2022, with teams required to enter their 2020 cars in the 2021 championship to minimise the financial stress placed on the teams.[30] The sport had also planned to introduce a $175 million budget cap in 2021, which was later revised to $150 million.[31] Teams called for further revisions to $100 million, arguing that the pandemic threatened the future of four of the ten teams.[32]
In March 2020, some Formula One drivers entered virtual versions of several[33] races dubbed "Not The GP".[34][35] The races were hosted by Jean-Éric Vergne's Veloce Esports, in partnership with Formula One. The online races were contested by current and former Formula One drivers, like Lando Norris, Nicholas Latifi, Stoffel Vandoorne, Esteban Gutiérrez, Emerson Fittipaldi, Nico Hülkenberg, Johnny Herbert and Martin Brundle, as well as celebrities and other sportsmen.[citation needed] On 29 June 2020, ahead of Formula 1 season opening race in Austria, McLaren took a financial aid of £150m from the National Bank of Bahrain to mitigate the effect of coronavirus on the company.[36]
The first few races of the rescheduled 2020 season, included the Austrian, Styrian, Hungarian and two Grands Prix at Silverstone, which all took place in "bio-secure" conditions behind closed doors.
A day prior to the British Grand Prix, Racing Point driver Sergio Pérez was confirmed to have tested positive for the virus following an inconclusive result earlier in the day, ruling him out of the race.[37] Nico Hülkenberg was announced as his replacement for that race, and as well as the 70th Anniversary Grand Prix the following weekend.
Williams was sold to Dorilton Capital due to financial pressures, ending family ownership of and involvement with the team.
Racing Point driver Lance Stroll missed the Eifel Grand Prix after falling ill, which was later diagnosed as COVID-19. He was replaced by Hülkenberg. Lawrence Stroll, owner of the Racing Point team and father of Lance, also tested positive.
On 30 November 2020, a day after winning the Bahrain Grand Prix, Drivers' Champion Lewis Hamilton announced that he had tested positive for COVID-19, claiming to have been experiencing "mild symptoms". During the week leading to the race, he underwent three tests, but all returned negative. Mercedes confirmed that Hamilton would miss the Sakhir Grand Prix in Bahrain later that week as a result.[38] He was replaced by George Russell who was in turn replaced by Jack Aitken.
Formula 2 and Formula 3
The Bahrain and Barcelona rounds of the FIA Formula 2 and Formula 3 Championships—a series of races for junior drivers that run in support of Formula 1 events—were postponed when the Bahrain and Spanish Grands Prix were postponed.[39][40] The Monaco and Zandvoort Formula 2 rounds were cancelled when the Monaco and Dutch Grands Prix were cancelled and the Baku round cancelled when the Azerbaijan Grand Prix was cancelled;[40][41] Yas Marina round, which was scheduled to support Abu Dhabi Grand Prix was cancelled due to maximum slot for the calendar as an impact of the pandemic. Formula 3 had not been scheduled to race in Monaco or Azerbaijan, but the Dutch round was also cancelled, along with Russian and Bahrain due to maximum slot for the calendar as an impact of the pandemic.
Formula E
The Formula E championship for electric cars initially responded to the pandemic by postponing the Rome and Sanya ePrix. Planned races in Paris, Jakarta and Seoul were also postponed, prompting organisers to postpone the entire season by two months.[42][43][44]
On 17 June it was announced that the series would finish at the Tempelhof Airport Street Circuit with three double headers on three different layouts in August, and that the races in Rome, Sanya, Paris, Jakarta, Seoul, New York and London have been cancelled.[citation needed]
GT World Challenge Europe
The 3 Hours of Monza round of the 2020 GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup, scheduled for 19 April, was cancelled.[45]
IndyCar
The IndyCar Series initially announced on 12 March that it would hold the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg — the opening race of the 2020 season — behind closed doors.[46] On 13 March, the series announced that it would cancel all races through at least the end of April, including St. Petersburg, Alabama, Long Beach, and Austin. IndyCar intended to begin the season with the traditional "Month of May" races at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, including the GMR Grand Prix (held on IMS's road course configuration), and the 104th running of the Indianapolis 500 on its traditional Memorial Day Sunday date.[47] IndyCar formed the IndyCar iRacing Challenge, with its drivers racing against one another on the iRacing racing simulation game.[48]
On 26 March, IndyCar announced that it would postpone the two Indianapolis races to later in the season—moving the GMR Grand Prix to the Fourth of July as support for the NASCAR Cup Series' Brickyard 400 (and creating a rare NASCAR/IndyCar double-header with the Xfinity Series' Pennzoil 150),[49][50] and the 500 to 23 August—marking the first time in history that it has not been held in May. Therefore, the season was to tentatively begin with the Detroit Grand Prix. The Grand Prix of St. Petersburg was reinstated as the planned season finale, with a date to be determined.[51] On 6 April, IndyCar announced that the Detroit Grand Prix had been canceled. To make up for other canceled races, it was announced that a third race at Indianapolis (the IndyCar Harvest GP, a second race on the track's road course) would be added to the schedule in October, and that the Iowa 300 and Monterey Grand Prix would become twin race weekends with two points-paying races each.[52]
On 7 May, IndyCar officially announced that the season would begin 6 June with the Genesys 300 at Texas Motor Speedway, with races held with limited spectators (only those that owned units in the Turn 2 Lone Star Tower were allowed to attend the race) and with enhanced safety protocols until further notice. To accommodate same-day qualifying and practice, the race was shortened from its usual 248-lap (600 kilometer) distance to 200 laps (300 miles). Although circuit president Eddie Gossage originally insisted that he would not allow the race to be held unless as support for a NASCAR event (the postponed March NASCAR tripleheader was rescheduled for July), he later came to terms with new series owner Roger Penske. The NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series race scheduled after the originally scheduled Friday qualifying of the INDYCAR weekend was postponed to October 25, becoming part of the Cup Series Texas 500 race day and allowing spectators.[53] On 21 May, IndyCar announced the cancellation of the Honda Indy Toronto and Indy Richmond 300 events due to local restrictions, and that the REV Group Grand Prix at Road America would become a twin-race weekend and assume Toronto's date on the schedule.[54]
On 1 June, IndyCar announced that the 2020 season of its developmental Indy Lights circuit had been scrapped because of logistics and a lack of entries.[55] On 8 June, Penske stated his preference for the Indianapolis 500 to not be held behind closed doors, and that he would be willing to delay the event to October if state restrictions are not sufficiently loosened by August.[56][57] On 26 June, IndyCar and IMS announced that the 500 would be held with spectators, limited to half of its normal capacity.[58] This was later changed to 25 percent capacity, then to behind closed doors in a final announcement on 4 August.[59] By September, the Speedway announced there would be up to 10,000 tickets available for spectators for the third series meeting, the Harvest Classic, seated in the grandstands in the Snake Pit section and Turn 1 of the road course.
For 2021, IndyCar moved races again because of the pandemic. The St. Petersburg race was moved from 7 March to 25 April and the Grand Prix of Long Beach from 18 April to 26 September because of, respectively, attendance restrictions and a stay-at-home order. The Grand Prix of Alabama at Barber Motorsports Park was then announced as the new season opener on 11 April; however, this was later postponed to 18 April due to an opportunity to move the race telecast from NBCSN (which is ceasing operations sometime during the 2021 calendar year) to NBC.
MotoGP
Cancelled races
The MotoGP World Championship cancelled the opening round of the 2020 championship in Qatar. The Moto2 and Moto3 support categories raced in the country, as the teams were already in Qatar for their final preseason test before the quarantine measures were put in place. Planned events in Thailand, the United States, and Argentina were also postponed, but were initially rescheduled to 4 October, 15 and 22 November respectively (The United States round was cancelled entirely on 8 July). The races at Jerez, Le Mans, and Catalunya were also postponed, but later rescheduled to 19 July (with a second round to be held on 26 July), 27 September, and 11 October respectively, while the Mugello, Sachensring, Assen, Silverstone, Phillip Island, Motegi, Kymi Ring, Termas de Rio Hondo, Circuit of The Americas, Sepang, and Buriram rounds were removed.[60]
Rescheduled calendar
The pandemic forced the calendar to be rescheduled. On 11 June, the season is to contain 5 "double-headers" on consecutive weekends at Jerez (with the second round under the name of Andalusian Grand Prix), Austria (with the second round under the name of Styrian Grand Prix), Misano (with the second round under the name of Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix), Aragon (with the second round under the name of Teruel Grand Prix), and Valencia (with the first round under the name of European Grand Prix and revived since 1995) to achieve a minimum of 13 races.[61] Not only double headers, on 10 August, the season finale will return the Portuguese Grand Prix since 2012 at Algarve,[62] making the Valencia round, which had been the season finale since 2002, will not for 2020 season.
Infected riders
There are 4 riders that has missed the race due to tested positive for virus or close contact with individuals who has infected by virus. On mid-September, Jorge Martín, the Moto2 rider has missed both Misano rounds, becoming the first rider in all classes who has tested positive for virus.[63] In the second Misano round he has replaced by Mattia Pasini. On mid-October, Valentino Rossi has missed both Aragon rounds due to tested positive for the SARS-CoV-2 virus, becoming the first premier class rider who has tested positive for virus.[64] Their team has decided not to field a replacement for Rossi before Teruel round, making the team has decided to line up only his teammate, Maverick Viñales.[65] As Rossi missed the race (along with defending champion Marc Márquez who was absent since Andalusian Grand Prix due to his crash on the previous round), the first Aragon race marked the first time since 1999 at Rio de Janeiro when no current or former premier class Champion will line up on the grid.[66] On Moto3 class in the same venue, Tony Arbolino, despite testing negative for COVID-19, was forced to miss the Aragon Grand Prix as he had come into close contact with an infected passenger on his flight after the French Grand Prix and was required to self-isolate as a result. He was not replaced for that event and was back to racing at the Teruel Grand Prix.[67] On the early November, three days before the European Grand Prix at Valencia, Tech3 rider Iker Lecuona was forced to sit out of the race, due to Andorran quarantine rules for close contact with individuals who tested positive for the SARS-CoV-2 virus. His brother - with whom he lived in Andorra - and his personal assistant both tested positive for the virus on 3 November, meaning Lecuona was forced into a mandatory quarantine of 10 days minimum. Tech3 elected not to replace him on such short notice.[68] Lecuona also missed the Valencian Grand Prix after he subsequently tested positive for the virus shortly before the beginning of the race weekend, and subsequently the Portuguese Grand Prix on the following weekend.[69] KTM factory test rider Mika Kallio replaced Lecuona in Portugal.[70] Lecuona became the second premier class rider who has missed the race because of the isolation.
AMA Supercross Championship
The Monster Energy AMA Supercross Series postponed its scheduled race card at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis just before it was to occur on 14 March. On 25 March, officials announced the postponement of six more events.[71] The cards - consisting of the 450cc class and one of two 250cc classes each - were rescheduled for seven consecutive dates between 31 May and 21 June. All of them occurred behind closed doors at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City, Utah.[72]
The Supercross All Star event, Monster Energy Cup, was scheduled for 10 October at Dignity Health Sports Park for the first time in history after being in Las Vegas at Sam Boyd Stadium for the first 9 year of the event. It was removed on 30 July because there was not enough time between the outdoor motocross nationals and the event for rides to rest and train for the event.
The 2021 Supercross schedule was announced in December 2020, and in keeping with continued ramifications of the pandemic, nearly the entire schedule is to be held in just six locations. Each stop, except for Salt Lake City, will feature three races (Salt Lake City will only have two races). Of the five areas, four will feature a split Saturday-Tuesday-Saturday schedule (Houston, Indianapolis, Arlington, Hampton). The fifth area with a stop, Central Florida, will feature two consecutive Saturdays with races in Orlando before a week off to be followed by the Daytona Beach stop (which is promoted by NASCAR, not Feld Entertainment). Atlanta Motor Speedway becomes the fourth different Atlanta metropolitan venue to host Supercross.[73] For the first time since Supercross began, no races will be held in California.
The Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship original schedule for 2020 contested of 12 rounds starting in late May and ending in late August. The number of events was reduced to nine rounds at seven venues. The Loretta Lynn's Amateur Championship was added as a result of the pandemic, with two rounds of professional motocross at the said event, and Red Bud MX also had 2 rounds of racing due to the pandemic.
NASCAR
Prior to the 2020 Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500, part of the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series, NASCAR announced that the events would be held behind closed doors; this event, along with the Dixie Vodka 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway, were later postponed.[74] On 16 March, NASCAR announced that all race events through 3 May were postponed, however they still intend to run all 36 races for the season.[75] On 17 April, NASCAR announced that it had postponed the Blue-Emu Maximum Pain Relief 500 (9 May at Martinsville Speedway), but that they still intend to run a full schedule of 36 races.[76] NASCAR began to organize invitational eSports events on iRacing, the eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series.[77]
On 30 April 2020, NASCAR announced that it would resume races in a modified schedule, with seven events across its three national series (including two Cup Series doubleheaders, and Xfinity Series and Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series events) at Darlington Raceway and Charlotte Motor Speedway from 17 to 27 May.[78] NASCAR stated that it still planned to run its full schedule of races, but that where events would be held beyond these May races was subject to change, with a tentative plan to focus primarily on "classic" tracks in the Southeastern United States (within driving distance of Charlotte—where the majority of NASCAR staff and teams are based).[78] NASCAR announced the next set of races on 14 May (through late-June), formally cancelling originally-scheduled races in late-May and early-June, and shifting postponed or rescheduled events in their place at Bristol Motor Speedway (Bristol, Tennessee), Atlanta Motor Speedway, Martinsville, Homestead-Miami, and Talladega Superspeedway.[79] On 2 June, NASCAR announced the third phase of the revised schedule through early-August, including a mid-week NASCAR All-Star Race on 15 July at Bristol (as part of a double-header with the NASCAR-owned ARCA Menards Series), and a Thursday race at Kansas Speedway.[80]
The Cup Series returned with the 56th running, and first since November 2004, of The Real Heroes 400 on 17 May (in support of The Real Heroes Project—a collaboration of U.S. sports leagues honoring front line health care workers),[81][82] followed by a rare Wednesday-night race (the first since the 1984 Firecracker 400), the Toyota 500 (km) on 20 May (the first scheduled 300-mile Cup Series race since 1963 at the circuit).[83] The Xfinity Series returned on 19 May with the Toyota 200, while all three series raced their regularly-scheduled Memorial Day weekend events at Charlotte Motor Speedway. In the Cup Series, this included two events — the 60th running of the Coca-Cola 600 on Sunday, and the 500 kilometer Alsco Uniforms 500 on the following Wednesday.[78]
The first wave of races was held mostly behind closed doors with only essential staff present and team sizes capped at 16, physical distancing requirements for garages and spotters, additional protective equipment for drivers and pit crew members, random temperature checks and removal of symptomatic team members, and requiring teams to perform contact tracing logs. Charlotte and Atlanta opened the races to frontstretch condominium owners who could each offer five guests. To reduce on-track activity, all events are being held without qualifying or practice sessions (excluding the Coca-Cola 600, which used same-day qualifying, and the Pennzoil 150 Xfinity race, which had Friday practice as the Indianapolis Motor Speedway moved the event to the road course as part of an INDYCAR doubleheader), and starting order is determined by either a random draw (divided into segments of the owners' points standings as of that race), or the finishing order from the previous race with the top 20 inverted (primarily when a series has two races held in one meeting). Due to there being no practice sessions, an extended competition caution will be thrown within the first stage of the each race (except the second race when two races are held in one weekend), in order to allow for extended adjustments of vehicles.[84] After numerous complaints, NASCAR changed the procedure beginning with the Daytona road course round. The new procedure is a three-pronged, weighted system formula taking into account the team owners' current place in the points standings, drivers' previous race finish, and drivers' fastest lap in the previous race. The driver with the lowest total number is awarded the pole, the second-lowest starts on the outside of the front row, and so on.[85])
On 9 June, NASCAR announced that a limited number of spectators would be admitted at the Dixie Vodka 400 (Miami) and GEICO 500 (Talladega). The Miami race featured 1,000 members of the U.S. military from the South Florida area (representing United States Southern Command and the Homestead Air Reserve Base), and the Talladega race was capped at 5,000 spectators in the grandstand and backstretch camping, with priority given to local ticketholders. In addition, backstretch campers were allowed to attend the Xfinity race on Saturday (grandstands were closed).[86]
On 3 July, Jimmie Johnson reported that he had tested positive for COVID-19 (the first NASCAR driver to do so), requiring him to use Justin Allgaier as a substitute driver for that weekend's Big Machine Hand Sanitizer 400. That turned out to be crucial, as Johnson, who had been scheduled to start sixth, would miss the playoff cut by six points.[87] Johnson was asymptomatic, and was cleared on 8 July after two further tests came back negative.[88] On 15 August, Austin Dillon became the second Cup Series driver to reveal a positive test, and as a result he missed the Daytona road course inaugural race. Unlike Johnson, Dillon had already secured a playoff spot by winning the O'Reilly Auto Parts 500 at Texas the month before.[89]
On 8 July, NASCAR announced the remaining schedule of races through the end of the regular season in late-August, including twin races at Dover International Speedway and Michigan International Speedway (both held on their regularly scheduled dates, but with a Saturday rescheduled race each) that would both be 500-kilometer races, and the race at Watkins Glen International being replaced by inaugural road course races at Daytona due to New York state travel restrictions. NASCAR stated that more upcoming races may be held with spectators on a case-by-case basis depending on local health orders, with Texas Motor Speedway (50% capacity), New Hampshire Motor Speedway (19,000), and both Daytona races (about 20,000) planning to do so.[90][91] The 2020 NASCAR All-Star Race was held at Bristol Motor Speedway on 15 July instead of in Charlotte so that it could host limited spectators. Twenty-two thousand spectators attended of a potential 30,000, or approximately 20% of the venue's total capacity of 162,000, seats available. It was the largest number of spectators at any U.S. sporting event since the beginning of pandemic restrictions.[92]
On 6 August, NASCAR filled out the rest of its 2020 season. The schedule for the playoffs in the Cup Series saw no change in the order of races or the tracks on which they ran. With two races still to be made up because of previous cancellations, the Xfinity Series playoff opener was delayed one week, starting with the Alsco 300 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. A second race was added at Talladega, the AgPro 300, which was in the playoff. The truck series playoff schedule included the rescheduled INDYCAR weekend race at Texas Motor Speedway (Texas and INDYCAR agreed to remove all support races for that weekend, which was held on its regularly scheduled weekend) and a third race at Kansas Speedway. The first two races were to be at World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway (which kept its date, like Texas part of the INDYCAR weekend and logistics made it part of the regular season) and Canadian Tire Motorsports Park (removed because of travel restrictions by the Canadian government; the same restrictions forced the local Major League Baseball team to move its games to Buffalo for the season). Changes to the regular season include a second Xfinity Series race at Richmond Raceway (had been originally removed for a Martinsville Speedway race) and the Truck Series returned to Darlington for the first time since 2011, while Richmond, which had originally been set for the cancelled April Cup meeting, was moved to the September race meeting.[93]
During the playoffs, tickets were available for the races at Darlington (8,000 spectators; first and second meetings behind closed doors), Bristol (hosted about 20,000 spectators of possible 30,000 at non-championship meeting; first championship meeting behind closed doors), Charlotte (7,500 seats), Kansas (8,400 seats), Talladega (which hosted 5,000 in the June meeting), Texas (about 50% capacity, or 50,000 seats; hosted July meeting with spectators), Martinsville (1,000, first meeting was behind closed doors),[94] and Phoenix (about 20% capacity, or 8,400 seats). The Richmond and Las Vegas races were behind closed doors; the first date at the latter track was held before the pandemic, and only began admitting spectators for the relocated NHRA World Finals at its drag strip from 30 October to 1 November. Bristol announced a legal sellout of its 30,000 available seats on 9 September, ten days before the scheduled race date. Charlotte also had oversold tickets and has a legal sellout. All support races were held behind closed doors, except for Charlotte, Bristol (Xfinity only), Texas (Truck Only), Martinsville, and Phoenix races, with Texas, Talladega, and Kansas allowing spectators in recreational vehicles parked in lots overlooking the track (and in Talladega's case, some infield sections) for camping access to races where grandstands were closed.[95]
NASCAR announced the 2021 Cup Series schedule on 30 September, the 2021 Xfinity Series schedule on 30 October, and the 2021 truck series schedule on 19 November. Some of its race dates were originally introduced during the pandemic, specifically the spring meeting at Darlington for all three top series, and the Talladega playoff race for the Xfinity Series.
The 2021 national schedules would be restricted even further. The 2021 Daytona 500 will have limited capacity due to the ongoing effects of the pandemic; the exact percentage of its estimated 101,500 grandstand seats available for sale has yet to be revealed.[96] On 8 December 2020, it was announced that Auto Club Speedway in California will not host a race for the Cup and Xfinity series in 2021 due to increasing California state restrictions, and will be replaced by the Daytona Grand Prix which will swap dates with the Homestead–Miami Speedway race for logistics reasons. All three national series will race at the Daytona Road Course, with the Truck Series race at Homestead replaced with the Daytona Road Course. The Cup race will expand from 235 miles to 400km, while the Xfinity (300km) and Truck (250km) races will keep their distances from 2020.[97]
Rally raid
The 2020 FIM Cross-Country Rallies World Championship season was cancelled.[98]
The 2021 Africa Eco Race was cancelled due to health risks associated with the COVID-19 pandemic.[99]
TCR Touring Car Racing
Almost all TCR championships have been affected by the outbreak, resulting in complete calendar changes, race postponements and cancellations. These include: TCR Australia, TCR Asia Pacific Cup, TCR Germany, TCR UK, TCR Japan, TCR Italy, TCR Scandinavia, TCR Denmark, TCR Asia, TCR China, TCR Europe, and TC America.[100]
World Endurance Championship
The 1000 Miles of Sebring race was canceled because of travel restrictions.[101] The 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps and the 24 Hours of Le Mans were both postponed.[102][103] Both races were rescheduled to 13–14 August and 19–20 September respectively. For the first time in the event's history, the 24 Hours of Le Mans was held without spectators.[104] Not only rescheduled races, the next season's of the championship in 2021 will back to annual calendar as an effects of the pandemic.[105]
World Rally Championship
2020 season
The 2020 running of Rally Argentina, Rally Italia Sardegna and Rally de Portugal were postponed,[106][107] with Portugal later announced to be cancelled.[108] The Safari Rally in Kenya, Rally Finland, Wales Rally GB and Rally New Zealand were also cancelled.[109][110] The 2020 Rally Mexico was shortened to allow competitors time to pack their equipment up and return to their headquarters in Europe before a series of travel bans were implemented.[111] The World Rally Championship-2, World Rally Championship-3 and Junior World Rally Championship support categories were also affected by the postponements.
On 2 July a revised calendar was issued, with the addition of a new event in Estonia and Rally Argentina being cancelled.[112] On 19 August it was announced that the Ypres Rally of Belgium would replace Rally Japan,[113] which that rally was cancelled because of international travel restrictions from Japanese government. But the event has been cancelled on 30 October due to evolution of the virus cases in Belgium.[114]
Rallye Deutschland, which was scheduled on 15–18 October, was cancelled due to extension of the large event gatherings ban until at least 31 October on late August. This cancellation led the Italian round to be rescheduled in order to avoid clash with Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix, which was scheduled for 31 October-1 November.[115]The cancellation marked the first time since 2009 that the Rally Deutschland will not held.
On 9 October, Rally Monza made WRC debut for the first time on 4–6 December to become season finale.[116]
2021 season
On 15 December, Rally Sweden, which was scheduled for 11-14 February, was cancelled due to rising virus cases in Sweden. The cancellation marked the first time since 2009 that the Rally Sweden will not held.[117]
World Rallycross Championship
The opening rounds of the 2020 FIA World Rallycross Championship in Barcelona and Portugal were postponed.[118][119] The calendar of the World RX is rescheduled on May and started on 22–23 August at Sweden. The rescheduled calendar has removed Norway, Portugal,[120] France,[121] Benelux,[122] Germany,[123] Abu Dhabi,[124] and South Africa, which that rounds has been cancelled due to evolution of the virus cases involving European countries and travel restrictions involving Abu Dhabi and South Africa.[125] The rescheduled calendar also returning the Finland round, which last held in 2014 season to replace French round.[126]
World Touring Car Cup
The opening rounds of the 2020 World Touring Car Cup in Hungary and Germany were postponed.[127][128][129] The four races that would have been held across the two rounds were rescheduled to 17-18 October and 24-25 September respectively.
Motorcycle road racing
The 2020 Isle of Man TT and Scottish Six Days Trial were cancelled.[130][131][132] The 2020 North West 200 event was postponed[133] and subsequently cancelled.[134]
British national-level championships
All British motorsport, including the British Touring Car Championship,[135] the British GT Championship,[136] and the Britcar Endurance and Trophy Championships.[137] were postponed until July 2020.[138] One of the national level championship that has been cancelled was British Rally Championship. The event has been cancelled despite only one event held. This was the third cancellation of the history and the second cancellation for the same reason by epidemic since 2001.[139]
Monster trucks
Monster Jam events in multiple localities were affected. Shows in Austin, Texas, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Cincinnati, Ohio, Detroit, Michigan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, and Hidalgo, Texas were postponed; and shows in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Columbus, Ohio, Colorado Springs, Colorado, Denver, Colorado, Columbia, South Carolina, Des Moines, Iowa, Evansville, Indiana, Green Bay, Wisconsin, Hamilton, Ontario, Huntsville, Alabama, Kansas City, Missouri, and Vancouver were cancelled.[140] On 27 March 2020, World Finals XXI, scheduled to take place 2–3 May 2020, was canceled.[141]
Hot Wheels Monster Trucks Live postponed a show in Louisville, Kentucky.[142]
Monster X Tour postponed its World Finals event in Honolulu, Hawaii.[143]
Radio-controlled racing
Despite taking place in the second half of the year, all 4 blocks (representing Asia (FEMCA), North America (ROAR), Europe (EFRA) and the rest of the world (FAMAR)) and the IFMAR committee have agreed to postpone all remaining IFMAR World Championships (1:10 Electric Touring Car in Heemstede, Netherlands); 1:8 IC Off-Road in Cianorte, Brasil and 1:10 IC Touring Car in Brisbane, Australia) to an alternative date, possibly early 2021.[144][145] This was the first postponement since 2001 when the events of the September 11 attacks caused the 1:10 Electric Off-Road Worlds to be moved to May the following year.[146]
12 O'Clock Boyz Motocross Event
The 12 O’Clock Boyz Motocross Event set for 2020 will not take place. The 12 O’Clock Boyz Sports Company was forced to make this decision due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[147]
References
- ^ "Supercars confirms Albert Park cancellation, seeking replacement event". 13 March 2020.
- ^ Chapman, Simon (18 March 2020). "Supercars postpones Tasmania, Auckland and Perth". Speedcafe. Retrieved 29 March 2020.
- ^ Bartolomaeus, Stefan (25 March 2020). "What you need to know: Supercars goes virtual". Supercars Championship. Retrieved 29 March 2020.
- ^ Thukral, Rachit. "The DTM has issued a revised 2020 calendar set to start in July". Autosport.com. Retrieved 27 March 2020.
- ^ "DTM Norisring opener set to be cancelled after city verdict". www.motorsport.com. Retrieved 11 November 2020.
- ^ "NHRA statement concerning suspension of racing due to coronavirus pandemic". nhra.com. Retrieved 11 July 2020.
- ^ "NHRA postpones portion of Amalie Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals". nhra.com. Retrieved 11 July 2020.
- ^ "NHRA updates concerning COVID-19". nhra.com. Retrieved 11 July 2020.. This is a collection of listings to multiple articles concerning the NHRA's handling of the pandemic.
- ^ "NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing returns beginning with two Indianapolis events in July". nhra.com. Retrieved 11 July 2020.
- ^ a b "Denver, Brainerd NHRA events postponed; third Indianapolis date added". nhra.com. Retrieved 20 July 2020.
- ^ "Menards NHRA Heartland Nationals postponed until Fall due to county restrictions". nhra.com. Retrieved 9 August 2020.
- ^ "NHRA Southern Nationals canceled due to COVID-19 concerns". nhra.com. Retrieved 12 August 2020.
- ^ "Mopar Express Lane NHRA Nationals canceled due to pandemic". nhra.com. Retrieved 17 August 2020.
- ^ a b "NHRA announces balance of 2020 Mello Yello season; six more races scheduled". nhra.com. Retrieved 3 September 2020.
- ^ "2020 F1 Chinese Grand Prix postponed due to novel coronavirus outbreak". Formula1.com. Formula One World Championship Limited. 12 February 2020. Archived from the original on 12 February 2020. Retrieved 12 February 2020.
- ^ Noble, Jonathan (28 February 2020). "Ferrari wants assurances over coronavirus from F1 before travel". Autosport.com. Motorsport Network. Archived from the original on 29 February 2020.
- ^ Noble, Jonathan (2 March 2020). "Tost: Unfair if Australia goes ahead without all F1 teams". Autosport.com. Motorsport Network. Archived from the original on 4 March 2020.
- ^ Benson, Andrew (4 March 2020). "Coronavirus: F1 will not hold race in country preventing teams entering". BBC Sport. British Broadcasting Corporation. Archived from the original on 5 March 2020.
- ^ "Coronavirus: Australian Grand Prix called off". BBC Sport. 13 March 2020. Retrieved 13 March 2020.
- ^ a b "Dutch, Spanish and Monaco Grands Prix postponed". formula1.com. 19 March 2020. Retrieved 19 March 2020.
- ^ "Organisers confirm 2020 French Grand Prix will not go ahead". formula1.com. 27 April 2020. Retrieved 27 April 2020.
- ^ Chapman, Simon (8 March 2020). "No spectators for Bahrain Grand Prix". Speedcafe. Retrieved 12 March 2020.
- ^ "Coronavirus fears force the postponement of the F1 Grand Prix in China in April". abc.net.au. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 13 February 2020. Retrieved 13 February 2020.
- ^ "Canadian Grand Prix organisers announce postponement of 2020 race". formula1.com. 7 April 2020. Retrieved 7 April 2020.
- ^ "F1 confirm 2020 Azerbaijan, Singapore and Japanese Grands Prix have been cancelled | Formula 1®". www.formula1.com. Retrieved 3 November 2020.
- ^ "Formula 1 confirms it's not possible to race in Brazil, USA, Mexico and Canada in 2020 | Formula 1®". www.formula1.com. Retrieved 3 November 2020.
- ^ "Silverstone confirms any British Grand Prix will be closed to fans". formula1.com. 27 April 2020. Retrieved 27 April 2020.
- ^ "SRace officials confirm any Hungarian Grand Prix will take place without fans". formula1.com. 1 May 2020. Retrieved 1 May 2020.
- ^ "F1 summer shutdown brought forward in response to coronavirus outbreak". Formula1.com. 18 March 2020. Retrieved 19 March 2020.
- ^ Herrero, Daniel (20 March 2020). "Formula 1's new regulations delayed until 2022". speedcafe.com. Speedcafe. Retrieved 20 March 2020.
- ^ "F1 teams agree to reduce 2021 budget cap". speedcafe.com. 6 April 2020.
- ^ "Formula One risks losing teams due to the coronavirus crisis, says McLaren principal Andreas Seidl". abc.net.au. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 16 April 2020. Retrieved 16 April 2020.
So far two grands prix have been cancelled, while races in Azerbaijan, Britain, Hungary, Bahrain, Canada, China, The Netherlands, Spain and Vietnam have been postponed.
- ^ "Veloce Esports's NotAusGP". Retrieved 27 March 2020.
- ^ "Veloce Esports's NotTheBahGP". Retrieved 27 March 2020.
- ^ "F1 Bahrain Virtual Grand Prix". Retrieved 27 March 2020.
- ^ "McLaren secure £150m loan from the National Bank of Bahrain". Formula 1. Retrieved 29 June 2020.
- ^ "Sergio Perez ruled out of British Grand Prix after testing positive for Covid-19 | Formula 1®". www.formula1.com. Retrieved 30 July 2020.
- ^ Richards, Giles (1 December 2020). "Hamilton 'devastated' after Covid-19 positive puts rest of his season in doubt". The Guardian. Retrieved 1 December 2020.
- ^ "FIA Formula 2 and FIA Formula 3 Championships Round 1 in Bahrain postponed – Formula 2". fiaformula2.com. Retrieved 13 March 2020.[permanent dead link]
- ^ a b "FIA Formula 2 and FIA Formula 3 Championships May races and tests postponed". fiaformula2.com. 19 March 2020. Retrieved 20 March 2020.
- ^ "FIA Formula 2 round in Baku postponed as Coronavirus outbreak continues". fiaformula2.com. 23 March 2020. Retrieved 24 March 2020.
- ^ Kalinauckas, Alex (2 February 2020). "Formula E postpones China race amid virus outbreak". motorsport.com. Retrieved 2 February 2020.
- ^ "Statement on the 2020 Rome E-Prix". fiaformulae.com. 6 March 2020. Retrieved 6 March 2020.
- ^ Bradley, Charles (11 March 2020). "Formula E set to suspend 2019–20 season for two months". motorsport.com. Retrieved 11 March 2020.
- ^ Watkins, Gary. "GT World Challenge Europe Monza opener cancelled due to coronavirus". Autosport.com. Retrieved 18 March 2020.
- ^ "IndyCar St Pete to run behind closed doors; condensed schedule". RACER. 12 March 2020. Retrieved 13 March 2020.
- ^ "IndyCar cancels St Pete, first four races". RACER. 13 March 2020. Retrieved 13 March 2020.
- ^ Eubanks, Michael (28 March 2020). "What drivers said after IndyCar's iRacing opener at Watkins Glen". NBC Sports. Retrieved 29 March 2020.
- ^ "Indy road course set for July 4 NASCAR-IndyCar doubleheader". NASCAR.com. 26 March 2020. Retrieved 2 April 2020.
- ^ "Could Tony Stewart attempt four races during the Brickyard weekend? 'Get me the good rides'". Indianapolis Star. Retrieved 2 April 2020.
- ^ "IndyCar calendar undergoes massive overhaul in response to coronavirus". Indianapolis Star. Retrieved 27 March 2020.
- ^ Brown, Nathan. "IndyCar's latest schedule change: three races added, including one at IMS; Detroit canceled". Indianapolis Star. Retrieved 11 April 2020.
- ^ "IndyCar return for 2020 season will be at Texas without fans - NBC Sports". MotorSportsTalk | NBC Sports. 7 May 2020. Retrieved 22 May 2020.
- ^ "IndyCar cancels Richmond, Toronto; moves Road America". NBC Sports. 21 May 2020. Retrieved 22 May 2020.
- ^ Cobb, David Malsher-Lopez, Haydn. "IndyCar News: Indy Lights season deferred until 2021". Autosport.com. Retrieved 1 June 2020.
- ^ "Indy 500 will only happen if fans are in the stands, Roger Penske says". CBSSports.com. Retrieved 8 June 2020.
- ^ Brown, Nathan. "Insider: What attending the Indianapolis 500 is expected to be like for fans". The Indianapolis Star. Retrieved 8 June 2020.
- ^ Brown, Nathan. "Fans at 2020 Indy 500: IMS plans to allow 50% capacity". The Indianapolis Star. Retrieved 28 June 2020.
- ^ Fryer, Jenna. "Penske reverses course, closes Indianapolis 500 to fans". The Associated Press. Retrieved 21 August 2020.
- ^ "MOTOGP CLASS CANCELLED AT THE GRAND PRIX OF QATAR". FIM-live.com. 1 March 2020. Retrieved 1 March 2020.
- ^ "MotoGP announces 13-round European calendar". Crash. 11 June 2020. Retrieved 12 November 2020.
- ^ Sports, Dorna. "Portimao to host 2020 MotoGP™ season finale". www.motogp.com. Retrieved 17 November 2020.
- ^ "Moto2 race winner Jorge Martin tests positive for COVID-19". www.motorsport.com. Retrieved 3 November 2020.
- ^ Sports, Dorna. "Valentino Rossi tests positive for COVID-19". www.motogp.com. Retrieved 3 November 2020.
- ^ "Yamaha won't replace Rossi for second Aragon MotoGP race". www.motorsport.com. Retrieved 3 November 2020.
- ^ Sports, Dorna. "New generation in Aragon: a first since Rio 1999". www.motogp.com. Retrieved 5 November 2020.
- ^ Sports, Dorna. "Arbolino forced to miss Aragon Grand Prix". www.motogp.com. Retrieved 3 November 2020.
- ^ "Iker Lecuona ruled out of European GP due to quarantine rules". www.motorsport.com. Retrieved 17 November 2020.
- ^ "Iker Lecuona out of Valencia MotoGP after COVID-19 diagnosis". Crash. 14 November 2020. Retrieved 17 November 2020.
- ^ "Lecuona out of Portuguese MotoGP finale, Kallio returns on Tech 3 KTM". Crash. 17 November 2020. Retrieved 17 November 2020.
- ^ "Supercross Special Announcement". Supercross Live. 25 March 2020. Retrieved 16 June 2020.
- ^ "Resuming Racing in Salt Lake City". Supercross Live. 22 May 2020. Retrieved 16 June 2020.
- ^ "2021 Complete Schedule Revealed". Supercross Live. 15 December 2020. Retrieved 22 January 2021.
- ^ "NASCAR statement on Atlanta and Homestead | NASCAR". Official Site Of NASCAR. 12 March 2020. Retrieved 12 March 2020.
- ^ "NASCAR statement: All race events through May 3 postponed | NASCAR". NASCAR.com. 16 March 2020. Retrieved 17 March 2020.
- ^ "NASCAR postpones Martinsville Speedway race - NBC Sports". NASCAR Talk. 17 April 2020. Retrieved 2 May 2020.
- ^ Weaver, Matt (19 March 2020). "Fox Sports to air iRacing event featuring full field of NASCAR drivers". Autoweek. Retrieved 22 March 2020.
- ^ a b c "NASCAR goes green in May; 7 races in 11 days". ESPN.com. 30 April 2020. Retrieved 2 May 2020.
- ^ "NASCAR adds more races, visits to 5 tracks". ESPN.com. 14 May 2020. Retrieved 15 May 2020.
- ^ "NASCAR unveils schedule updates through Aug. 2 | NASCAR". NASCAR.com. 4 June 2020. Retrieved 10 June 2020.
- ^ "NASCAR honors healthcare workers in race at Darlington". NASCAR.com. 14 May 2020. Retrieved 15 May 2020.
- ^ "Goodyear Plans Sweepstakes For NASCAR Return". www.mediapost.com. Retrieved 15 May 2020.
- ^ "Primetime: NASCAR set for first Wednesday start since 1984". Yahoo! Sports. Retrieved 22 May 2020.
- ^ "NASCAR announces starting lineup procedures for May events | NASCAR". Official Site Of NASCAR. 12 May 2020. Retrieved 22 May 2020.
- ^ "Cup Qualifying Procedures". Jayski's Silly Season Site. 12 August 2020. Retrieved 21 August 2020.
- ^ "NASCAR reveals plan to welcome back guests at select tracks". NASCAR. 9 June 2020. Retrieved 10 June 2020.
- ^ "Johnson to miss Brickyard, Indy test with virus". ESPN.com. 3 July 2020. Retrieved 17 July 2020.
- ^ "Jimmie Johnson cleared to return to competition | NASCAR". Official Site Of NASCAR. 8 July 2020. Retrieved 17 July 2020.
- ^ "Austin Dillon tests positive for COVID-19, Kaz Grala to fill in". Jayski's Silly Season Site. 15 August 2020. Retrieved 26 September 2020.
- ^ "Daytona road course to replace Watkins Glen race". Associated Press. 8 July 2020. Retrieved 17 July 2020.
- ^ "Here is what upcoming NASCAR Cup races fans can attend - NBC Sports". NASCAR Talk | NBC Sports. 9 July 2020. Retrieved 17 July 2020.
- ^ Hembree, Mike. "NASCAR takes small leap into unknown as fans attend All-Star Race at Bristol track". USA Today. Retrieved 17 July 2020.
- ^ NASCAR Public Relations. "NASCAR announces final installment of 2020 schedule". Jayski's Silly Season site. Retrieved 21 August 2020.
- ^ Martinsville Speedway. "Martinsville Speedway to host limited fans for NASCAR Playoff weekend on Oct. 30-Nov. 1". Jayski's Silly Season site. Retrieved 10 October 2020.
- ^ Gastelu, Gary (10 September 2020). "NASCAR's Bristol playoff race is sold out, may have largest US sports crowd since pandemic began". Fox News. Retrieved 10 September 2020.
- ^ Estrada, Chris. "2021 Daytona 500 will have limited crowd". NBCSports.com. Retrieved 3 December 2020.
- ^ "NASCAR 2021 schedule: Auto Club races shifted to Daytona Road Course". NASCAR.com. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. 8 December 2020. Retrieved 9 December 2020.
- ^ https://www.rallyraidnetwork.com/rally/index.php/news/global-news/global/fia-world-cup-for-cross-country-rallies-and-bajas-calendars-for-2020-and-2021.html
- ^ "AER2021 - CANCELLATION | Drupal". www.africarace.com. Retrieved 5 January 2021.
- ^ TCR cancellations:
- "Australian Grand Prix and support categories called off". TouringCarTimes. 13 March 2020. Retrieved 10 April 2020.
- "Motorsport Australia suspend championships until further notice". TouringCarTimes. 18 March 2020. Retrieved 10 April 2020.
- "TCR Germany announce revised calendar". TouringCarTimes. 10 April 2020. Retrieved 10 April 2020.
- "Oschersleben pre-season test cancelled and season opener postponed". TouringCarTimes. 16 March 2020. Retrieved 10 April 2020.
- "TCR UK confirm postponed season start". TouringCarTimes. 17 March 2020. Retrieved 10 April 2020.
- "TCR UK announce scaled back calendar". TouringCarTimes. 6 April 2020. Retrieved 10 April 2020.
- "TCR Japan season opener postponed while pre-season test goes ahead". TouringCarTimes. 18 March 2020. Retrieved 10 April 2020.
- "Autopolis race weekend postponed due to coronavirus pandemic". TouringCarTimes. 31 March 2020. Retrieved 10 April 2020.
- "Monza season opener postponed and moved to Misano". TouringCarTimes. 8 April 2020. Retrieved 10 April 2020.
- "STCC TCR Scandinavia confirm postponed season start". TouringCarTimes. 3 April 2020. Retrieved 10 April 2020.
- "TCR Denmark season opener moved two weeks". TouringCarTimes. 19 March 2020. Retrieved 10 April 2020.
- "Aarhus street race postponed until 2021, pre-season test day moved". TouringCarTimes. 24 March 2020. Retrieved 10 April 2020.
- "TCR Denmark consider options for revised 2020 calendar". TouringCarTimes. 9 April 2020. Retrieved 10 April 2020.
- "TCR Asia announce postponed season premiere". TouringCarTimes. 21 March 2020. Retrieved 10 April 2020.
- "TCR China issue revised 2020 calendar following coronavirus outbreak". TouringCarTimes. 11 March 2020. Retrieved 10 April 2020.
- "TCR Europe issue revised calendar with Red Bull Ring removed". TouringCarTimes. 1 April 2020. Retrieved 10 April 2020.
- "St Petersburg race weekend called off over coronavirus". TouringCarTimes. 13 March 2020. Retrieved 10 April 2020.
- ^ "WEC Cancels Sebring Race (Updated)". Marshall Pruett. Dailysportscar.com. 12 March 2020. Retrieved 12 March 2020.
- ^ "WEC postpones Spa". 16 March 2020.
- ^ "Coronavirus: Le Mans 24 Hours postponed until September". BBC Sport. 18 March 2020. Retrieved 18 March 2020.
- ^ "Le Mans 24 Hours to be held without fans in 2020". www.motorsport.com. Retrieved 5 November 2020.
- ^ Dagys, John. "WEC Reverts to Calendar Year Season Beginning in 2021 – Sportscar365". sportscar365.com. Retrieved 5 November 2020.
- ^ Garton, Nick (13 March 2020). "Coronavirus forces WRC Rally Argentina to be postponed". autosport.com. Motorsport Network. Retrieved 13 March 2020.
- ^ Elizalde, Pablo (25 March 2020). "WRC 2020 season hit by more rally postponements due to coronavirus". autosport.com. Motorsport Network. Retrieved 25 March 2020.
- ^ "Portugal WRC round called off". wrc.com. WRC Promoter GmbH. 30 April 2020. Retrieved 30 April 2020.
- ^ Thukral, Rachit. "WRC News: Kenya's Safari Rally cancelled due to coronavirus". Autosport.com. Retrieved 3 July 2020.
- ^ Herrero, Dan (9 June 2020). "Rally GB cancelled". speedcafe.com. Speedcafe. Retrieved 9 June 2020.
- ^ Herrero, Daniel (15 March 2020). "Rally Mexico shortened by a day due to travel restrictions". speedcafe.com. Speedcafe. Retrieved 15 March 2020.
- ^ Evans, David (2 July 2020). "WRC reveals new calendar with Estonia restart". dirtfish.com. Retrieved 2 July 2020.
- ^ "Belgium added to 2020 FIA World Rally Championship". wrc.com. WRC Promoter GmbH. 19 August 2020. Retrieved 19 August 2020.
- ^ "Belgium's Ypres Rally off as Coronavirus numbers rise". WRC - World Rally Championship. Retrieved 6 November 2020.
- ^ Craig, Jason. "Rally Germany cancelled as Italian WRC round moves to avoid Imola F1 clash". Autosport.com. Retrieved 16 October 2020.
- ^ "Rally Monza to form 2020 FIA World Rally Championship finale". WRC - World Rally Championship. Retrieved 16 October 2020.
- ^ "WRC announces cancellation of 2021 Rally Sweden". us.motorsport.com. Retrieved 15 December 2020.
- ^ Ridge, Hal (13 March 2020). "World RX postpones Barcelona opener over coronavirus". motorsport.com. Retrieved 13 March 2020.
- ^ Ridge, Hal (20 March 2020). "World RX's second round also postponed due to coronavirus". motorsport.com. Retrieved 20 March 2020.
- ^ "Portugal World Rallycross round cancelled". www.motorsport.com. Retrieved 9 November 2020.
- ^ "FIA WORLD RX OF FRANCE CANCELLED". FIA World Rallycross. Retrieved 2 November 2020.
- ^ "Spa World RX round cancelled due to COVID-19 spike". www.motorsport.com. Retrieved 9 November 2020.
- ^ "FIA confirms Nurburgring World Rallycross finale cancelation". www.motorsport.com. Retrieved 26 November 2020.
- ^ "World RX announces cancellation of Abu Dhabi round". www.motorsport.com. Retrieved 26 November 2020.
- ^ "World RX season to begin in August as new calendar is issued". www.motorsport.com. Retrieved 2 November 2020.
- ^ "WORLD RX ADDS FINLAND TO 2020 CALENDAR". FIA World Rallycross. Retrieved 2 November 2020.
- ^ "WTCR Race of Hungary statement". Eurosport. 13 March 2020. Retrieved 13 March 2020.
- ^ "Nürburgring 24 Hours race weekend postponed to September". TouringCarTimes. 17 March 2020. Retrieved 17 March 2020.
- ^ "Update: WTCR Race of Germany". FIA WTCR | World Touring Car Cup. 17 March 2020. Retrieved 17 March 2020.
- ^ Isle of Mann Government announces cancellation of 2020 TT Races Isle of Mann TT 16 March 2020
- ^ "Scottish Six Days Trial and Pre '65 Trial cancelled due to Covid-19 outbreak". The Oban Times. 16 March 2020. Retrieved 18 March 2020.
- ^ Findlay, Stuart. "Coronavirus: Lochaber's Scottish Six Days Trial event cancelled". Retrieved 18 March 2020.
- ^ "Statement Re the Postponement of the 2020 fonaCAB and Nicholl Oils North West 200". northwest200.org. 17 March 2020.
- ^ "North West 200 international road races cancelled for 2020". BBC Sport. 11 May 2020. Retrieved 11 May 2020.
- ^ "BTCC postpones opening three rounds after coronavirus policy change". Touring Car Times. 17 March 2020. Retrieved 17 March 2020.
- ^ "British GT season opener postponed due to coronavirus outbreak". britishgt.com. 17 March 2020. Retrieved 17 March 2020.
- ^ "Opening Rounds Postponed". Britcar Endurance. 17 March 2020. Retrieved 22 March 2020.
- ^ Lawrence, Stefan Mackley, Paul. "UK motorsport on hold until July to contain spread of coronavirus". Autosport.com. Retrieved 27 March 2020.
- ^ "British Rally Championship announces plans for 2020". British Rally Championship. 9 June 2020. Retrieved 16 October 2020.
- ^ "Event basic page | Monster Jam". www.monsterjam.com. Retrieved 27 March 2020.
- ^ "Monster Jam World Finals 2020 Cancelled". Monster Jam. 27 March 2020. Retrieved 27 March 2020.
- ^ "Hot Wheels Monster Trucks Live postpones shows this weekend". WHAS11. Retrieved 27 March 2020.
- ^ "MONSTER X TOUR WORLD FINALS 2020 – RESCHEDULED JULY 25–26". alohastadium.hawaii.gov. Retrieved 27 March 2020.
- ^ "All 2020 IFMAR World Championships Postponed". LiveRC.com. Retrieved 31 March 2020.
- ^ "IFMAR call off 2020 season". Red RC. 28 March 2020. Retrieved 31 March 2020.
- ^ Waldron, Aaron. "FLASHBACK FRIDAY: Brian Kinwald leads Team Losi's Golden Age". www.liverc.com.
- ^ "12 O'Clock Boyz". Twitter. Retrieved 6 August 2020.