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2020 Rally New Zealand

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2020 Rally New Zealand
40. Rally New Zealand
Part of the 2020 World Rally Championship
Rally New Zealand's return to the World Rally Championship was cancelled as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Host countryNew Zealand
Rally baseAuckland, Auckland Region
Held onScheduled for 3–6 September 2020
Stage surfaceGravel
Statistics
CancellationRally cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic.

The 2020 Rally New Zealand (also known as the Rally New Zealand 2020) was a motor racing event for rally cars that was scheduled to be held over four days between 3 and 6 September 2020,[1] but was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[2] It was set to mark the forty-fifth running of Rally New Zealand and planned to be the ninth round of the 2020 World Rally Championship, World Rally Championship-2 and World Rally Championship-3. The 2020 event was scheduled to be based in Auckland in Auckland Region.

Sébastien Loeb and Daniel Elena were the overall reigning rally winners.[3] Citroën Total World Rally Team, the team they drove for in 2012, when Rally New Zealand held a World Rally Championship event last time, were the defending manufacturers' winners.[3] However, they would not defend the rally either as they withdrew from the championship at the end of 2019.[4]

Background

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Preparation and cancellation

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The rally had been planned to be the mark of Rally New Zealand after an eight-year absence from the championship, sharing a spot with Rally Australia in the WRC calendar since 2020.[5] However, concerns regarding whether the rally should be held were raised in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.[6] On 4 June 2020, it was officially announced that the rally would not be held in 2020, but a 2021 event is expected.[7]

References

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  1. ^ Herrero, Daniel (27 September 2019). "Australia drops off WRC calendar in 2020". speedcafe.com. Speedcafe. Retrieved 28 September 2019.
  2. ^ "New Zealand's 2020 WRC return off". wrc.com. WRC Promoter GmbH. 4 June 2020. Retrieved 4 June 2020.
  3. ^ a b Evans, David (24 June 2012). "Sebastien Loeb clinches Rally New Zealand win as Citroen gets another one-two". autosport.com. Motorsport Network. Retrieved 4 June 2020.
  4. ^ Evans, David (20 November 2019). "Citroen ends WRC programme, cites Ogier's exit as reason". motorsport.com. Motorsport Network. Retrieved 20 November 2019.
  5. ^ Herrero, Daniel (27 September 2019). "Australia drops off WRC calendar in 2020". speedcafe.com. Speedcafe. Retrieved 28 September 2019.
  6. ^ Rauli, Giacomo; Thukral, Rachit (23 May 2020). "WRC News: New Zealand and Japan rallies set to be axed as a result of pandemic". motorsport.com. Motorsport Network. Retrieved 4 June 2020.
  7. ^ Brockie-David, Merran (4 June 2020). "Rally New Zealand look towards the future after WRC event cancelled". rallynz.org.nz. Rally New Zealand. Retrieved 4 June 2020.
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Previous rally:
N/A
2020 FIA World Rally Championship Next rally:
N/A
Previous rally:
2012 Rally New Zealand
2020 Rally New Zealand Next rally:
2022 Rally New Zealand