Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on motorsport: Difference between revisions

{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2020}}

{{COVID-19 pandemic sidebar|issues}}

{{update|date=July 2020}}

 

 

==Australian Supercars==

 

The rescheduling has created an event-name related oddity, in that the [[Houston Raceway Park|Mopar Express Lane NHRA SpringNationals]] have retained its name for the season despite now being scheduled for the weekend after the [[Texas Motorplex|AAA NHRA Fall Nationals]] in October.<ref name="nhra-september2"/>

 

The NHRA then announced the [[2021 NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series|2021 NHRA season]] would start at the [[Gatornationals]] in March, with the sanctioning body moving the Winternationals and Arizona Nationals to April, hoping that spectator restrictions will be eased by that time. On 15 January 2021, the NHRA announced that the [[Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park]] round would be moved to another venue to be determined. On 16 March 2021, the NHRA announced the [[Auto Club Raceway at Pomona]] Winternationals was postponed. On 5 May 2021, the NHRA postponed the round at [[Virginia Motorsports Park]] while restoring the round at [[Bristol Motor Speedway|Bristol Dragway]], which moves from June (a date clash with the NASCAR weekend in [[Nashville Superspeedway|Gladeville, TN]]) to October. On 14 May 2021, with [[King County, Washington]] restrictions still questionable, [[Pacific Raceways]] was removed, with the [[NHRA Winternationals|Lucas Oil Winternationals]] moving to the August date.

 

==Formula racing==

 

==== 2020 ====

 

The [[2020 Australian Grand Prix|season opening]] [[Australian Grand Prix|Australian]] race was abruptly cancelled shortly before the start of the first free practice session, while the [[Monaco Grand Prix|Monaco]] and [[French Grand Prix|French]] races were eventually cancelled.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.bbc.com/sport/formula1/51849163 |title=Coronavirus: Australian Grand Prix called off |date=13 March 2020 |work=BBC Sport|access-date=13 March 2020 |language=en-GB}}</ref><ref name="NEDMONESP"/><ref name="FRA cancelled">{{cite web|url=https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article.organisers-confirm-2020-french-grand-prix-will-not-go-ahead.6kEi9Sb68ZPJxlxgsgm4nQ.html|title=Organisers confirm 2020 French Grand Prix will not go ahead|website=formula1.com|date=27 April 2020|access-date=27 April 2020}}</ref> The cancellation of the Monaco Grand Prix meant that 2020 would mark the first time since {{F1|1954}} that the race has not been held. The [[Azerbaijan Grand Prix|Azerbaijan]], [[Bahrain Grand Prix|Bahrain]], [[Canadian Grand Prix|Canadian]], [[Dutch Grand Prix|Dutch]], [[Spanish Grand Prix|Spanish]] and [[Vietnamese Grand Prix|Vietnamese Grands Prix]] were postponed, while the [[Chinese Grand Prix]] had already been postponed prior to the pandemic.<ref name="NEDMONESP">{{cite web |url=https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article.dutch-spanish-and-monaco-grands-prix-postponed.5CggooJeHoDchKkFehkrkY.html |title=Dutch, Spanish and Monaco Grands Prix postponed |website=formula1.com |date=19 March 2020 |access-date=19 March 2020}}</ref><ref name="spectators">{{cite web |url=https://www.speedcafe.com/2020/03/08/no-spectators-for-bahrain-grand-prix/ |title=No spectators for Bahrain Grand Prix |last=Chapman |first=Simon |date=8 March 2020 |website=Speedcafe|access-date=12 March 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://mobile.abc.net.au/news/2020-02-13/f1-grand-prix-in-china-postponed-due-to-coronavirus-fears/11960614 |title=Coronavirus fears force the postponement of the F1 Grand Prix in China in April |work=abc.net.au |publisher=[[Australian Broadcasting Corporation]] |date=13 February 2020 |access-date=13 February 2020}}</ref><ref name="CAN postponed">{{cite web|url=https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article.canadian-grand-prix-organisers-announce-postponement-of-2020-race.7rkpGKnxnRQVe6uPcZSRbP.html|title=Canadian Grand Prix organisers announce postponement of 2020 race|website=formula1.com|date=7 April 2020|access-date=7 April 2020}}</ref> The Dutch Grand Prix would eventually be cancelled on 28 May, the Azerbaijan Grand Prix would eventually be cancelled on 12 June, along with [[Singapore Grand Prix|Singapore]] (due to logistical difficulties associated with establishing a [[street circuit]] on short notice) and [[Japanese Grand Prix|Japanese]] (due to travel restrictions by Japanese government).<ref>{{Cite web|title=F1 confirm 2020 Azerbaijan, Singapore and Japanese Grands Prix have been cancelled {{!}} Formula 1®|url=https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article.f1-confirm-2020-azerbaijan-singapore-and-japanese-grands-prix-have-been.53mR0P305L9eUmDJXYOFoh.html|access-date=2020-11-03|website=www.formula1.com|language=en}}</ref> The Canadian Grand Prix would be cancelled on 24 July along with races in [[Mexican Grand Prix|Mexico]], [[United States Grand Prix|United States]] and [[Brazilian Grand Prix|Brazil]] due to the travel restrictions in the [[Americas]],<ref>{{Cite web|title=Formula 1 confirms it's not possible to race in Brazil, USA, Mexico and Canada in 2020 {{!}} Formula 1®|url=https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article.formula-1-confirms-its-not-possible-to-race-in-brazil-usa-mexico-and-canada.66ZjLAp4qDgqhs3T8BbIQS.html|access-date=2020-11-03|website=www.formula1.com|language=en}}</ref> while the Spanish Grand Prix would be rescheduled to 16 August on 2 June. On 24 August, the Bahrain Grand Prix would be rescheduled to 29 November and the Chinese Grand Prix was cancelled. On 16 October, the Vietnamese Grand Prix was cancelled. Organizers of the [[Austrian Grand Prix|Austrian]], [[British Grand Prix|British]] and [[Hungarian Grand Prix|Hungarian Grands Prix]] were the first to announce that their races could go ahead, but run without spectators and with teams staffed by minimal personnel.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article.silverstone-confirms-any-british-grand-prix-will-be-closed-to-fans.5B0IRqphvUg1ITaqXk99Ls.html|title=Silverstone confirms any British Grand Prix will be closed to fans|website=formula1.com|date=27 April 2020|access-date=27 April 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article.race-officials-confirm-any-hungarian-grand-prix-would-take-place-without.1FrIx7cZimmzljmDqiFrSn.html|title=SRace officials confirm any Hungarian Grand Prix will take place without fans|website=formula1.com|date=1 May 2020|access-date=1 May 2020}}</ref> The summer break shut down period—which includes mandatory factory closures as a cost-cutting measure—was also brought forward from August to March and April and was originally extended to three weeks, allowing for postponed races to be held in August.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article.f1-summer-shutdown-brought-forward-in-response-to-coronavirus-outbreak.5a4PM49x3Rs3WKMmxfUIO8.html |title=F1 summer shutdown brought forward in response to coronavirus outbreak |date=18 March 2020 |website=Formula1.com|access-date=19 March 2020}}</ref>

The sport had planned to overhaul its technical regulations for the {{F1|2021}} championship in one of the largest changes in its seventy-year history. The pandemic prompted these changes to be postponed until {{F1|2022}}, with teams required to enter their {{F1|2020}} cars in the 2021 championship to minimise the financial stress placed on the teams.<ref name="19 chassis">{{cite news |url=https://www.speedcafe.com/2020/03/20/formula-1s-new-regulations-delayed-until-2022/ |title=Formula 1's new regulations delayed until 2022 |first=Daniel |last=Herrero |work=[[Speedcafe|speedcafe.com]] |publisher=[[Speedcafe]] |date=20 March 2020 |access-date=20 March 2020}}</ref> The sport had also planned to introduce a $175 million budget cap in 2021, which was later revised to $150 million.<ref name="f1 150 million">{{cite web|url=https://www.speedcafe.com/2020/04/06/f1-teams-agree-to-reduce-2021-budget-cap/|title=F1 teams agree to reduce 2021 budget cap|date=6 April 2020 |website=speedcafe.com}}</ref> Teams called for further revisions to $100 million, arguing that the pandemic threatened the future of four of the ten teams.<ref name="seidl">{{cite news|url=https://mobile.abc.net.au/news/2020-04-16/we-need-big-changes-mclaren-boss-virus-wakeup-call-unhealthy-f1/12152524|title=Formula One risks losing teams due to the coronavirus crisis, says McLaren principal Andreas Seidl|work=abc.net.au|publisher=[[Australian Broadcasting Corporation]]|date=16 April 2020|access-date=16 April 2020|quote=So far two grands prix have been cancelled, while races in Azerbaijan, Britain, Hungary, Bahrain, Canada, China, The Netherlands, Spain and Vietnam have been postponed.}}</ref>

 

 

The first few races of the [[2020 Formula One World Championship#Rescheduled calendar|rescheduled 2020 season]], included the [[2020 Austrian Grand Prix|Austrian]], [[2020 Styrian Grand Prix|Styrian]], [[2020 Hungarian Grand Prix|Hungarian]] and two Grands Prix at [[Silverstone Circuit|Silverstone]], which all took place in "bio-secure" conditions behind closed doors.

In response to this, two GPs would have to fill in the vacancies and F1 chose to run the [[2021 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix|Emilia Romagna Grand Prix]] on 18 April and the [[2021 Portuguese Grand Prix|Portuguese Grand Prix]] on 2 May. These were announced in January and February 2021 respectively, just before the season started.<ref>{{Cite web|title=F1 is closing on return to both Portugal's Algarve circuit and Imola in Italy|url=https://scuderiafans.com/f1-is-closing-on-return-to-both-portugals-algarve-circuit-and-imola-in-italy/|access-date=2021-05-26|website=scuderiafans.com|date=6 January 2021|language=en}}</ref>

 

 

===Formula 2 and Formula 3===

 

==Formula E==

 

On 17 June it was announced that the series would finish at the [[Tempelhof Airport Street Circuit]] with three double headers on three different layouts in August, and that the races in Rome, Sanya, Paris, Jakarta, Seoul, New York and London have been cancelled.{{citation needed|date=July 2020}}

On 7 May, IndyCar officially announced that the season would begin 6 June with the [[2020 Genesys 300|Genesys 300]] at [[Texas Motor Speedway]], with races held with limited spectators (only those that owned units in the Turn 2 Lone Star Tower were allowed to attend the race, a practice that began at the [[2020 Coca-Cola 600|NASCAR weekend in Charlotte that is also owned by Sonic Automotive]]) and with enhanced safety protocols until further notice. To accommodate same-day qualifying and practice, the race was shortened from its usual 248-lap (600 kilometer) distance to 200 laps (300 miles). Although circuit president Eddie Gossage originally insisted that he would not allow the race to be held unless as support for a NASCAR event (the postponed March NASCAR tripleheader was rescheduled for July), he later came to terms with new series owner [[Roger Penske]]. The NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series race scheduled after the originally scheduled Friday qualifying of the INDYCAR weekend was postponed to October 25, becoming part of the Cup Series Texas 500 race day and allowing spectators.<ref>{{Cite web|title=IndyCar return for 2020 season will be at Texas without fans – NBC Sports|url=https://motorsports.nbcsports.com/2020/05/07/indycar-return-2020-season-opener-texas-motor-speedway-covid-19-healthy-safety-info/|date=7 May 2020|website=MotorSportsTalk {{!}} NBC Sports|language=en-US|access-date=22 May 2020}}</ref> On 21 May, IndyCar announced the cancellation of the [[Honda Indy Toronto]] and [[Indy Richmond 300]] events due to local restrictions, and that the [[REV Group Grand Prix at Road America]] would become a twin-race weekend and assume Toronto's date on the schedule.<ref>{{Cite web|title=IndyCar cancels Richmond, Toronto; moves Road America|url=https://motorsports.nbcsports.com/2020/05/21/indycar-cancels-richmond-toronto-road-america-doubleheader/|date=21 May 2020|website=NBC Sports|language=en-US|access-date=22 May 2020}}</ref>

 

 

For 2021, IndyCar moved street races again because of the pandemic, and a related date change was also made because of it. The St. Petersburg race was moved from 7 March to 25 April and the [[Grand Prix of Long Beach]] from 18 April to 26 September because of, respectively, attendance restrictions and a [[stay-at-home order]]. The [[Grand Prix of Alabama]] at [[Barber Motorsports Park]], originally set for 25 April, was announced as the new season opener on 11 April. With Long Beach moved, INDYCAR and [[NBC Sports]] moved that round back a week to 18 April, to avoid the season opener from being up against the final round of [[2021 Masters Tournament|golf's Masters Tournament]] that is held in [[Augusta, Georgia]], which is 375 km east of [[Leeds, Alabama]] via Interstate 20.

 

On 14 May, the [[Honda Indy Toronto]] was cancelled by officials.<ref>{{cite web |last1=INDYCAR |title=NTT INDYCAR SERIES Announces 2021 Schedule Update |url=https://www.indycar.com/News/2021/05/05-13-Schedule-Update-Toronto |website=INDYCAR.COM |publisher=INDYCAR |access-date=2021-05-14 |ref=TorAxed}}</ref> IndyCar intended to replace this race, but for the premiership NTT IndyCar Series ended up not doing so; therefore, the series now has a four-week break planned from the beginning of July to the beginning of August. The [[Road to Indy]] support races as part of the Honda Indy Toronto were moved to [[Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course]] in October as its own standalone date.

 

==MotoGP==

 

===Rescheduled calendar===

 

===Infected riders===

 

==AMA Supercross Championship==

The Supercross All Star event, [[Monster Energy Cup (Supercross)|Monster Energy Cup]], was scheduled for 10 October at [[Dignity Health Sports Park]] for the first time in history after being in Las Vegas at [[Sam Boyd Stadium]] for the first 9 year of the event. It was removed on 30 July because there was not enough time between the outdoor motocross nationals and the event for rides to rest and train for the event.

 

 

The Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship original schedule for 2020 contested of 12 rounds starting in late May and ending in late August. The number of events was reduced to nine rounds at seven venues. The [[Loretta Lynn's Amateur Championship]] was added as a result of the pandemic, with two rounds of professional motocross at the said event, and [[Red Bud MX]] also had 2 rounds of racing due to the pandemic.

In the wake of the Rudy Gobert and NBA situation on the Wednesday of the [[2020 Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500]] week that was scheduled to be held starting Friday, part of the [[2020 NASCAR Cup Series]], [[NASCAR]] announced that the events would be held behind closed doors; this event, along with the [[Dixie Vodka 400]] at [[Homestead-Miami Speedway]], were later postponed in respect of the NBA.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nascar.com/news-media/2020/03/12/nascar-statement-atlanta-homestead-race-schedules/ |title=NASCAR statement on Atlanta and Homestead {{!}} NASCAR|date=12 March 2020|website=Official Site Of NASCAR|language=en-US|access-date=12 March 2020}}</ref> On 16 March, NASCAR announced that all race events through 3 May were postponed, however they still intend to run all 36 races for the season.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nascar.com/news-media/2020/03/16/nascar-schedule-update-statement-race-coronavirus/ |title=NASCAR statement: All race events through May 3 postponed {{!}} NASCAR|date=16 March 2020|website=NASCAR.com|language=en-US|access-date=17 March 2020}}</ref> On 17 April, NASCAR announced that it had postponed the [[Blue-Emu Maximum Pain Relief 500]] (9 May at [[Martinsville Speedway]]), but that they still intend to run a full schedule of 36 races.<ref>{{Cite web|title=NASCAR postpones Martinsville Speedway race – NBC Sports|url=https://nascar.nbcsports.com/2020/04/17/nascar-postpones-martinsville-speedway-race-covid-19/|date=17 April 2020|website=NASCAR Talk|language=en-US|access-date=2 May 2020}}</ref> NASCAR began to organize invitational [[eSports]] events on ''iRacing'', the [[eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.autoweek.com/racing/nascar/a31789600/fox-sports-to-air-iracing-event-featuring-full-field-of-nascar-drivers/ |title=Fox Sports to air iRacing event featuring full field of NASCAR drivers |last=Weaver |first=Matt |date=19 March 2020 |website=Autoweek |language=en-US|access-date=22 March 2020}}</ref>

 

 

 

The first wave of races was held mostly behind closed doors with only essential staff present and team sizes capped at 16, physical distancing requirements for garages and spotters, additional protective equipment for drivers and pit crew members, random temperature checks and removal of symptomatic team members, and requiring teams to perform [[contact tracing]] logs. Charlotte and Atlanta opened the races to frontstretch condominium owners, who could each offer five guests. To reduce on-track activity, all events are being held without qualifying or practice sessions (excluding the Coca-Cola 600, which used same-day qualifying, and the Pennzoil 150 Xfinity race, which had Friday practice as the [[Indianapolis Motor Speedway]] moved the event to the road course as part of an INDYCAR doubleheader), and starting order was initially determined by either a random draw, divided into segments of the owners' points standings as of that race, for single race meetings, and for the second race in the same meeting, the finishing order from the previous race with the top 20 inverted. Similar to rules used when rain cleaned the rubber off the circuit between the last session and the race, refueling of cars was prohibited until a predetermined safety car situation ("competition caution") at a specific lap (between lap 10 on road courses to lap 50 on short tracks) announced during the conference call that drivers, crew chiefs, and officials participated during the week that replaced the competitors' meeting held on race morning. Some Truck Series races did not use them because of their shorter lengths. The safety car situation was used in order to allow for extended adjustments of vehicles. If a safety car is called before the predetermined lap, refueling was still prohibited until the predetermined lap safety car, unless NASCAR determines they are within enough laps to allow for the rule to be cleared.<ref>{{Cite web|title=NASCAR announces starting lineup procedures for May events {{!}} NASCAR|url=https://www.nascar.com/news-media/2020/05/12/nascar-starting-lineup-procedures-modified-competition-caution-darlington-charlotte/|date=12 May 2020|website=Official Site Of NASCAR|language=en-US|access-date=22 May 2020}}</ref>

 

 

 

 

On 8 July, NASCAR announced the remaining schedule of races through the end of the regular season in late-August, including twin races at [[Dover International Speedway]] and [[Michigan International Speedway]] (both held on their regularly scheduled dates, but with a Saturday rescheduled race each) that would both be 500-kilometer races, and the race at [[Watkins Glen International]] being replaced by inaugural road course races at Daytona due to New York state travel restrictions. NASCAR stated that more upcoming races may be held with spectators on a case-by-case basis depending on local health orders, with Texas Motor Speedway (50% capacity for Cup only in grandstands, backstretch camping open for all races), [[New Hampshire Motor Speedway]] (19,000), and both Daytona races (about 20,000 for Cup only, some infield camping was allowed) planning to do so. Of these races, Kansas, Dover, and Michigan were held behind closed doors.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2020-07-08|title=Daytona road course to replace Watkins Glen race|url=https://www.espn.com/racing/nascar/story/_/id/29430158/nascar-moving-august-cup-race-watkins-glen-daytona-road-course|access-date=2020-07-17|publisher=Associated Press|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=2020-07-09|title=Here is what upcoming NASCAR Cup races fans can attend – NBC Sports|url=https://nascar.nbcsports.com/2020/07/09/nascar-fan-attendance-daytona-bristol-michigan-kansas-kentucky/|access-date=2020-07-17|website=NASCAR Talk {{!}} NBC Sports|language=en-US}}</ref> The [[2020 NASCAR All-Star Race]] was held at Bristol Motor Speedway on 15 July instead of in Charlotte so that it could host limited spectators. Twenty-two thousand spectators attended of a potential 30,000, or approximately 20% of the venue's total capacity of 162,000, seats available. It was the largest number of spectators at any U.S. sporting event since the beginning of pandemic restrictions.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Hembree|first=Mike|title=NASCAR takes small leap into unknown as fans attend All-Star Race at Bristol track|url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nascar/2020/07/15/nascar-all-star-race-fans-coronavirus-fears/5445222002/|access-date=2020-07-17|website=USA Today|language=en-US}}</ref>

 

====2021 season====

 

 

By May, circuits began removing attendance restrictions. The 62nd Annual [[2021 Coca-Cola 600|Coca-Cola 600]] at [[Charlotte Motor Speedway]] will be the first circuit to allow a full allotment of spectators. Most circuits than announced grandstands would be fully open to spectators, with NASCAR announcing on 2 June 2021 the last of the circuits still restricted would be fully open, ending NASCAR's pandemic restrictions in grandstands.

 

On 15 May 2021, in the wake of INDYCAR and Formula One cancelling rounds in Canada, Fox Sports writer Bob Pockrass sent a Twitter message saying Camping World Truck Series teams were being prepared in case [[Canadian Tire Motorsport Park]] (Mosport), in Bowmanville, Ontario, would have to be cancelled because of Canadian restrictions. Teams are expecting the fall-back plan to have the replacement race as part of the [[Darlington Raceway]] [[2021 Cook Out Southern 500|Cook Out Southern 500]] Cup Series Playoff round in September if that should happen. Darlington in 2020 held their Truck Series race during the afternoon of the Sunday evening race, and already has run the [[LiftKits4Less.com 200]] in May there, which was part of the spring Throwback race weekend.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Pockrass |first1=Bob |title=Would expect to have a decision on truck race at Canada soon |url=https://twitter.com/bobpockrass/status/1393664656733048839 |website=Twitter |publisher=Bob Pockrass-Fox Sports |access-date=2021-05-18 |ref=BPockrass}}</ref> On 25 May 2021, NASCAR formally announced the Mosport race would move to Darlington.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.jayski.com/2021/05/25/darlington-to-replace-canadian-tire-motorsports-park-on-truck-series-schedule-due-to-covid/|title=Darlington to replace Canadian Tire Motorsports Park on Truck Series schedule due to COVID|date=2021-05-25|accessdate=2021-06-26}}</ref>

 

===IMSA [[WeatherTech SportsCar Championship]]===

The [[2020 FIM Cross-Country Rallies World Championship]] season was cancelled.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.rallyraidnetwork.com/rally/index.php/news/global-news/global/fia-world-cup-for-cross-country-rallies-and-bajas-calendars-for-2020-and-2021.html |title=FIA World Cup for Cross Country Rallies and Bajas Calendars for 2020 and 2021 |website=Rally-Raid Network}}</ref>

 

 

==TCR Touring Car Racing==

On 26 March, [[Rally Chile]], which was scheduled for 9–12 September, was cancelled due to travel restrictions in Chile as an effects of the pandemic. The rally was later replaced by [[Acropolis Rally]] in Greece, which last held in 2013.<ref>{{Cite web|title=WRC adds Acropolis Rally Greece to 2021 calendar|url=https://www.wrc.com/en/news/2021/wrc/wrc-adds-acropolis-rally-greece-to-2021-calendar/|access-date=2021-03-27|website=WRC – World Rally Championship|language=en}}</ref>

 

 

==World Rallycross Championship==

 

==World Touring Car Cup==

 

==Motorcycle road racing==

[[Hot Wheels|Hot Wheels Monster Trucks Live]] postponed a show in [[Louisville, Kentucky]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.whas11.com/article/news/health/coronavirus/hot-wheels-monster-trucks-postponed/417-fe68c6a7-fba6-46f3-b913-d4ab3ad5cc99 |title=Hot Wheels Monster Trucks Live postpones shows this weekend |website=WHAS11 |date=12 March 2020 |access-date=27 March 2020}}</ref>

 

 

==Radio-controlled racing==