The 2020 European Rally Championship is now provisionally set to kick off in Poland at the end of June as Rally Liepãja becomes the latest rally to reschedule its plans due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Rallye Azores was meant to host the opening round of the season in late March but has been rescheduled to September 17-19.
Rally Islas Canarias was then next in line, but the event is now expected to be the season finale as it moved its date to December 3-5.
With confirmation on Tuesday that Latvian event Rally Liepãja will not run on May 29-31 either, the season is provisionally set to begin on June 26-28 with the former World Rally Championship round in Poland.
Rally Liepãja is expected to be rescheduled but no alternative date has been confirmed as of yet, with rally organizers forced into the decision to postpone due to the extension of government restrictions in Latvia.
In an official championship statement, the ERC reiterated that it intends to run a full eight-round calendar but “the thoughts of the entire ERC family are with those people whose loved ones have passed or have fallen ill as a result of COVID-19”.
Last year’s Latvian round was the rally where Oliver Solberg became the ERC’s youngest ever winner by triumphing aged 17.
Rally di Roma Capitale, Barum Czech Rally Zlín and Rally Hungary have so far been unaffected by the pandemic. Cyprus Rally has been moved a week to October 16-18 in order to accommodate other rescheduled events.
WRC podium finisher Craig Breen and 2018 ERC champion Alexey Lukyanuk are among the expected frontrunners for this year’s series.
