Paris (AFP)
World Endurance Motorcycle Championship (EWC), facing coronavirus crisis, adopts new calendar changes and measures to support teams, promoter Eurosport Events and the International Motorcycling Federation (FIM) announced on Monday .
"The conditions are not met to organize the 8 Hours of Oschersleben, race scheduled for June 6 in Germany. The event is canceled and will not be postponed", it was announced in a press release. It "will return to the 2021 calendar from May 20 to 23".
The 2019-2020 season should therefore resume on July 19 with the 8 Hours of Suzuka (Japan), if conditions allow, before the 24 Hours Motos at Le Mans, postponed from April to August 29 and 30, and finally the Bol d 'Or at Le Castellet on September 19 and 20.
The Bol d'Or was originally intended to be the inaugural event of the 2020-2021 season, which will finally start later in the year in Sepang (Malaysia) and will end with the 2021 edition of the 24-hour race in the south of France.
In order to reduce the costs of these modifications for the participants, with two 24-hour races organized three weeks apart, "the 24 Hours Motorcycles and Bol d'Or pre-tests will be canceled but the free practice sessions on Tuesday and Wednesday will be extended to give more running time to the teams, "also announced Eurosport Events and the FIM.
"To help private teams, Eurosport Events will compensate all non-official motorcycles that have participated in the 24 Hours Motorcycles and the Bol d'Or, up to 1,500 euros per motorcycle," we finally learn.
The updated calendar of the 2019-2020 season of the World Endurance Motorcycle Championship (EWC):
September 21-22, 2019: Bol d'Or (24-hour race) / Le Castellet (France)
December 14, 2019: 8 Hours of Sepang (Malaysia)
July 19, 2020: 8 Hours of Suzuka (Japan)
August 29-30, 2020: 24 Heures Motos / Le Mans (France)
September 19-20, 2020: Bol d'Or (24 hour race) / Le Castellet (France)
© 2020 AFP