Motorsport Australia have come out on the front foot, announcing the dates for the first three rounds of the 2021 RSEA Safety Motorsport Australia Rally Championship.
With the 2020 Championship unable to be awarded, Motorsport Australia was eager to provide competitors with as much notice as possible to prepare for a 2021 campaign.
The season will begin in Canberra, with the Netier National Capital Rally taking place on March 20-21, before competitors head west for Western Australia’s Make Smoking History Forest Rally on May 1 and 2. The third confirmed round will take place in Australia’s southernmost state, with Rally Tasmania taking place on June 26 and 27.
A pre-season test and official 2021 launch day will also be held in Ballarat on February 16, open to any interested ARC competitors.
Motorsport Australia Director of Motorsport and Commercial Operations, Michael Smith, said the early calendar announcement was being made to allow competitors and crews plenty of planning time, as well as providing the various state championships an opportunity to confirm their calendars in line with the ARC.
“It’s fair to say we all wanted more rally action in 2020, but with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, this hasn’t been possible,” Smith said.
“With this in mind, we wanted to announce our 2021 calendar as soon as possible and we’ve worked closely with our respective event organisers to make this possible and they have been terrific.
“This early announcement will allow all competitors plenty of time to prepare their cars and lock away their rallying plans for the first half of 2021.”
The ongoing COVID-19 requirements and any border restrictions will be monitored over the coming months, but it is hoped restrictions will begin to ease with the opening of internal borders earmarked for late 2020.
“We know the COVID-19 pandemic won’t disappear overnight, and we will continue to constantly monitor the border situation and any local restrictions to make sure our events can run safely and welcome as many competitors as possible,” Smith said.
“2020 has been a difficult one for everyone, but it is worth acknowledging that both RSEA Safety & Hire and Hoosier Tires have been terrific in their support of our efforts to deliver events both in 2020 and into the future.”
The remaining three rounds of the ARC will be confirmed soon.
As previously announced, no Championship will be handed out in 2020, however, competitors will be able to battle it out for the RSEA Safety Motorsport Australia Cup at this year’s Netier National Capital Rally in November.
Free entry into 2021 ARC events will also be up for grabs through the Hoosier Challenge, where competitors in various 2020 state events will be given the opportunity to also take advantage of Hoosier Tire’s buy three, get one tyre free offer.
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