Paris (AFP)

The World Rally Championship (WRC), interrupted in March by the coronavirus pandemic, will resume in Estonia from September 4 to 6, the WRC promoter and the International Automobile Federation (FIA) announced on Thursday.

The Rally of Italy, which should have taken place in early June in Sardinia, is rescheduled from October 29 to November 1. Initially postponed, the Rally Argentina, initially scheduled for late April, is canceled.

The Rallies of Turkey (September 24-27), Germany (October 15-18) and Japan (November 19-22) are maintained.

The championship will therefore include at least eight rounds, with the three (Monte-Carlo, Sweden and Mexico) which took place before the pandemic.

"Preparations are now in full swing while paying the greatest attention to the main recommendations for the organization of mass rallies in the current context of Covid-19," said Yves Matton, FIA rally director.

In addition, "the promoter of the WRC is continuing its already advanced discussions with the Rallye d'Ypres (2-4 October), with the aim of soon presenting Belgium as another possible host country", it was announced in a press release.

Discussions are also underway with the Croatian Federation, it said.

Estonia, from which reigning world champion Ott Tänak hails, is therefore making an early entry into the WRC calendar after hosting a promotional event in 2019.

The format of this event, contested around Tartu, in the east of the country, will be shortened, with only two stages on Saturday and Sunday, instead of three traditionally from Friday.

The Frenchman Sébastien Ogier leads the classification of the drivers and his Toyota team that of the manufacturers.

The revised 2020 season calendar:

January 23-26: Monte-Carlo

February 13-16: Sweden

March 12-15: Mexico

September 4-6: Estonia

September 24-27: Turkey

October 15-18: Germany

October 29-November 1: Italy

November 19-22: Japan

* The Ypres Rally, in Belgium, (October 2-4) and a round in Croatia are also planned.

© 2020 AFP