Through all the doom and gloom of the Coronavirus pandemic, Motorsport Australia is working towards a revised Australian Rally Championship calendar for the latter months of 2020.
The news comes after new directives from the Australian Government has limited gatherings in public spaces to just two people as the Coronavirus pandemic continues to take hold.
"This is the public health advice," the Prime Minister, Scott Morrison, said on Sunday night."You must stay at home except for … shopping … for medical care or compassionate needs … to exercise … and for work and education if you cannot work or learn remotely."
Yet Motorsport Australia's General Manager of Motor Sport, Mike Smith, believes there's still plenty of hope.
"We're working on an alternative calendar at present, and we're determined to deliver something this year," Smith told RallySport Magazine.
"We realise it's very much a moving target, but we're in close contact with the Government through the Sports Minister, and Sport and Recreation agencies in each state. We're getting daily, and sometimes hourly advice from them."
Smith said that they had competitors, sponsors, organisers, tyre suppliers and fans who they needed to try to cater for.
"We're in constant contact with event organisers, and we're determined to deliver something this year," he added.
"As soon as we get the okay from the relevant authorities, we'll have a championship out there ready to run."
Motorsport Australia also has plans for a sixth ARC event in November, details of which are still being finalised.
The directives issued by the Australian Prime Minister on Sunday night won't make running a full championship easy, however.
Australian Prime Minister, Scott Morrison.
Critically for rallying – and all major sporting competitions, for that matter – is that those bans introduced are likely to stay in place for many months.
"It's important that parents and families and households can get the things that they need to completely change the way they're going to live for the next six months at least," Prime Minister Morrison said.
Six months from now is the end of September, just two months before the rally season traditionally concludes – barely enough time to hold three championships events, let alone a full calendar of rallies that would justify a championship.
If Motorsport Australia’s plans come to fruition it will make for a busy end to the year, but currently those plans are as fluid as the spread of the virus is life-threatening.
Three months into 2020, it's the reality of the world we are now living in. Incomprehensible just a few weeks ago, but not anymore.
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