Rally: 2020 African Championship canceled, first in 40 years

Text by: Nicolas Bamba Follow

A blow for African motor sport with this decision confirmed by the International Federation: the African Rally Championship 2020 is canceled. The competition, suspended due to the coronavirus pandemic, cannot be completed. A first since its creation 40 years ago.

Publicity

It was a habit since 1980, the year of its creation: the African Rally Championship had always been able to be held. Certain geopolitical or social conflicts on the continent had been able to blow up some races, but none had been able to stop it completely. The 2020 edition will not come to an end. Barely started at the start of the year, it is definitively canceled.

It is not really a surprise. In fact, it lacked only official confirmation from the highest authorities in motorsport to endorse the end of the African Rally Championship 2020. It fell on Friday June 19, after a meeting of the World Council of motorsport, chaired by the president and vice-president of the International Automobile Federation, Jean Todt and Graham Stoker.

Too few rounds to compete, the Kenya Safari Rally absent from the World Championship

Like most sports competitions, major motor racing events were brought to a halt by the coronavirus pandemic in mid-March. The purpose of the June 19 meeting was to fix their resumption. The African Championship cannot restart.

Seven rounds were scheduled. Only the first, the Ivory Coast Rally, was held on February 21, 22 and 23, with the victory of the tandem Gary Chaynes - Romain Comas . The magnitude of the pandemic forced the organizers of the Rallies of Kenya, Uganda and Zambia to cancel their tests. From then on, only the Rallies of Tanzania and Rwanda remained on the program. It was too little to determine a continental champion.

The cancellation of the Safari Rallye du Kenya is a blow for African motor sport and its influence. This round, which was scheduled for July 16-19, was also to be the 8th stage of the World Rally Championship. The Kenyan event was to be the first African rally in the World Championship in 18 years. The crisis caused by the coronavirus postpones this reunion.

Newsletter Receive all international news directly in your mailbox

Follow all international news by downloading the RFI application

• Sports
• Motor sports
• Kenya
• Coronavirus

On the same subject

Interview

Coronavirus crisis: "Keep a watchful eye on the issue of female sport"

2020, a new cycling season gathered over four months