The realisation comes as the Adelaide Hills Rally was cancelled this afternoon amid the ongoing border issues of hosting a national championship round.
It comes just days after the Coffs Harbour double header was cancelled on the east coast of the country in New South Wales.
Adelaide and the state of South Australia has long been a rallying heartland, particularly for the national championship, and is one of the most popular events of the season.
The fast and flowing roads are a feature of the SA stages, but unfortunately for the second year in a row, there will be no ARC in the state.
“This is not the news we want to be sharing, but we’ve made the tough call to cancel this year’s event, together with the hard-working event organisers,” Motorsport Australia’s Michael Smith said.
“The AGI Sport Adelaide Hills Rally is a terrific event and I know I speak on behalf of all competitors when I say there will be a lot of disappointed crews out there.
“A big thank you must go to the event organisers, event and Championship sponsors, competitors and rally fans for their flexibility and ongoing support during a year that’s been a very tough one for the entire motorsport community.”
The attention of Motorsport Australia and the ARC organisers now turns to a December event which was proposed in last week’s announcement, but is now regarded as essential for Australian champions to be crowned.
While the location and date of this December event is still up in the air, planning is underway with the hope that restrictions are eased to a point where ‘the majority of states’ could attend.
An announcement on the December event will be made in time.
“We’ll keep a close eye on borders, vaccination rates and other key factors to determine the best location to make this event possible and advise of the details in due course,” Smith concluded.
Debate will flow as to whether three rounds would be enough to crown a champion, however, discussions are underway with the Australian Rally Commission to best cater for this unique circumstance.
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