Vila Real cancels WTCR meeting

The WTCR will not be able to count on Vila Real this year. The Portuguese city which was to host the discipline on the weekend of June 21 canceled its meeting due to the coronavirus crisis. The Portuguese Motorsport Federation nevertheless intends to relaunch its event in 2021, once the health crisis has passed.

“We are sorry to see this event canceled, but this is due to the pandemic which places Portugal and the rest of the world on high alert, commented the president of the Federation, Ni Amorim. I am sure that the municipality of Vila Real and the championship promoters will find a good compromise to bring the WTCR back to this masterful urban track. »

François Ribeiro, director of Eurosport Events which manages the WTCR, says he understands the organizers' decision.

“We fully understand this decision. We tried to find solutions with local organizers, but we had to admit that the city had other priorities with the help of local populations during the Covid-19 crisis”, he commented.

“The spirit of the Vila Real event has always been to celebrate motorsport during the City Festival. We would have been very far from a festive atmosphere at the end of June. We therefore made the decision with the mayor of the city (José Benlloch Fernandez) to cancel the 2020 edition and come back stronger next year, when Vila Real celebrates its 90th anniversary. »

Eurosport Events will propose a new calendar to the FIA ​​next week.

“Eurosport Events and the FIA ​​are working hard to deliver a tightly contested calendar between the end of August and November that will allow the WTCR community to operate in complete safety”, added François Ribeiro.

The WTCR loses its third round of the season after the cancellations of the Hungaroring (Hungary) and the Nürburgring (Germany).