Montalegre RX out of the World RX calendar

Due to the unusual circumstances the World is facing in 2020, motorsport calendars are still being adjusted, either to accommodate events or axe those without all the favorable conditions to be held, which is the case of the Montalegre RX, which won’t be part of the FIA World Rallycross Championship in 2020.

The Portuguese round of the World RX was set to be held in May under normal conditions, but the delay caused by the COVID-19 pandemic threw it to 11 October, and Portugal was one of the first European countries to relax their health and safety measures as the situation improved in the country, but now the scenario is taking a turn for the worse, which is making the local government tighten the rules again and bring some barriers to international travel. In light of this scenario, the World RX organization and the circuit administration opted to cancel the event, mentioning that the safety of those involved in the competition takes priority.

This was actually a pretty similar scenario that forced the cancellation of two famous World RX rounds earlier in the year, as the Lohéac RX and the Hell RX, as during their original dates neither of the countries offered the best conditions to bring the World RX circus and hold the events. The return of Montalegre RX after a controversial one year absence was set to be one of the new things in the season, along with the new Russia RX round at Igora Drive, which was axed even before the COVID-10 pandemic.

As the alternative measure to keep 10 events in the calendar, the World RX will have an extra double header just beside Montalegre, as Barcelona takes their race and combines with their existing slot in the schedule, to be held on 17 and 18 October, and unless there are further changes to the calendar, the Barcelona RX double header will be the last of this calendar.

The World RX will be in action this weekend with the Riga RX double header at Bikernieki, on 19 and 20 September.

PHOTO: FIA World Rallycross Championship