New Zealand rally fans should know as early as this weekend if the country has won back a round of the FIA World Rally Championship.
The next meeting of the FIA’s World Motor Sport Council will be this Friday, with the full 2022 WRC calendar to be unveiled.
Already, 10 of the 13 rallies have been announced, and Rally New Zealand is widely tipped to be one of the remaining three.
According to Motorsport News in the UK, New Zealand and Croatia are expected to be added to the calendar, filling positions 11 and 12 on the 13-round schedule.
A tarmac rally in Northern Ireland would likely be the final round added.
An NZ round would most likely be scheduled for September, and would probably utilise much of the same route that was planned for last year’s rally, which was cancelled due to COVID-19.
A return for Rally New Zealand would be the first time the rally has formed part of the WRC since 2012, but it is not yet clear if it would be an ongoing inclusion, or simply a one-off guest appearance.
Motorsport Australia have this week said that they are working behind the scenes on the return of Rally Australia, but they wouldn’t give away any details.
While that event won’t be on the WRC calendar in 2022, it is believed that Rally Australia are working on a return in 2023, possibly at New Zealand’s expense.
“There is a lot of work going on behind the scenes. We are in constant discussions with the WRC Promoter and the FIA about Rally Australia’s return.
“We will not, however, be providing a running commentary on these discussions,” Motorsport Australia’s Mike Smith said.
As it currently stands, the 2022 WRC schedule includes rallies in Estonia, Greece, Italy, Japan, Kenya, Monte Carlo, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and Finland.
* * * * * *
Meanwhile, hopes remain high for high-speed rally competition on Bay of Plenty gravel roads this year – in spite of ongoing COVID-19 lockdown uncertainty.
While the date change means the rally won’t be the final round of the now complete 2021 New Zealand Rally Championship, planning is already underway for the 2022 event to feature in the national championship calendar.
Running a non-championship event in November will allow organisers and competitors an additional chance to prepare for the NZ Rally Championship event in the Bay of Plenty.
“The organisers of the Battery Town Rally Bay of Plenty have been assessing the impacts of the continued COVID-19 travel restrictions and the recent elevation to Alert Level 3 for the greater Waikato over the past few days,” said rally chairman David Loughlin.
“The decision to end the NZRC effective immediately, while disappointing, is entirely understandable and has been made with the best intentions in the face of continued uncertainty.
“There are no plans to amend the route or schedule of the event which will proceed as previously planned, but five weeks later on Sunday November 21.
Comments