2020 Protyre Motorsport UK Asphalt Rally Championship schedule
The Protyre Motorsport UK Asphalt Rally Championship will include four new events in its exciting 2020 calendar, with the majority of rallies being closed road stage events.
Organised by the BTRDA, Britain’s premier asphalt rally series will consist of seven top quality events. With one double-header, there are eight points scoring opportunities and the best six scores will to count towards the overall and class titles.
Opening round postponed due to Coronavirus Outbreak
The opening round of the 2020 Protyre Motorsport UK Asphalt Rally Championship, the Legend Fires North West Stages (Saturday 20 March), has been postponed, owing to the coronavirus outbreak.
A statement, issued by the event organisers Motorsport North West, says:
‘The organisers of the 2020 Legend Fires North West Stages Rally have had to make the very difficult decision to postpone next week’s event in view of the worsening situation with the Coronavirus pandemic.
In addition to the commercial consideration that every day closer to the event leaves us exposed to significantly more financial risk, most importantly we have taken into account the fact that the event attracts competitors, press, support crews and spectators from all over the country and we feel that to continue with the event would not be responsible or in the best interests of the community.
Although tonight’s government statement is not as bad as anticipated, it is clear that the virus will continue to escalate over the coming days. Today we had to make financial commitments to numerous organisations that would have meant any subsequent cancellation next week would have bankrupted the organising club.
Although cancelling this week will result in heavy losses it does mean that we should be able to survive to see the event run in the future.
We wish to thank everyone who committed to the event, especially the many people who have given up hundreds of hours of their time in organising. We do not intend that to be wasted and will be seeking ways of selecting a new date for the event.
To the competitors, we understand your disappointment, but can assure you it’s not a fraction of the disappointment felt by the organising team.
It was important that we let people know this decision as soon as possible but please be patient with us, we will clarify more detail in the days to come.’
Legend Fires North West Stages | 20.03.20 - 21.03.20
This event joins Britain’s premier asphalt rally series for the first time, and hosts the opening round of the series. Organised by Motorsport North West and based at Myerscough College near Preston in Lancashire, the event will run exclusively on closed roads on Saturday 21 March, with the popular Garstang Town Centre ceremonial start – which saw thousands of fans take to the streets to watch the cars last year – taking place on the night of Friday 20 March.
Rallynuts National Tour of Epynt | 11.04.20
An Easter weekend treat for rally fans, as this is the only round of the Protyre Motorsport UK Asphalt Rally Championship to take place on the famous rollercoaster roads of the Epynt military range this year, with the mid-Wales venue made famous by the many blind crests and big jumps that have caught so many drivers out in the past. Organised by Port Talbot Motor Club, the event will start and finish on the range above Sennybridge, with a compact route of around 70 stage miles.
Manx National Rally | 15.05.20 - 16.05.20
The Manx National Rally has been retained as a double points-scoring event, with full Championship points awarded after day one on Friday 15 May (which will feature night time stages) and after a full daytime second leg on Saturday 16 May. Organised by Manx Auto Sport, the event will feature a revised route and include many of the classic and Isle of Man stages.
Jim Clark Rally | 30.05.20 - 31.05.20
Scotland is the next port of call for the Protyre Motorsport UK Asphalt Rally Championship, with the exciting inclusion this year of the Jim Clark Rally. Organised by the Jim Clark Memorial Motor Club, the closed road event is based in the Market Square in Duns, Berwickshire, and will run over the weekend of 30/31 May.
Tyrone Stages | Rally 18.07.20
Another new event in the 2020 Protyre Motorsport UK Asphalt Rally Championship calendar is the Tyrone Stages Rally in Northern Ireland. Organised by Cookstown Motor Club, the event will feature a compact 100% closed road route, with three stages run three times each in the Stewartstown area of East Tyrone. The start and finish will be in Cookstown, with centralised servicing on the outskirts of the town.
Hills Ford Three Shires Stages Rally | 06.09.20
The fourth new round on the 2020 Protyre Motorsport UK Asphalt Rally Championship calendar is the Cheltenham Motor Club-organised Three Shires Stages. The event was the third closed road stage rally ever to run in England last year and it proved extremely popular with competitors and fans alike. As its title suggests, the rally is run in three counties – namely, Gloucestershire, Herefordshire and Worcestershire.
Ford Parts Cheviot Stages Rally | 27.09.20
The Otterburn military range in Northumberland hosts the final round of the Protyre Motorsport UK Asphalt Rally Championship, and it’s where the last two titles have been decided in dramatic shootouts. Organised by Whickham & District Motor Club and Hadrian Motor Sports Club, this year’s event takes place a month earlier than in previous years and the challenging stages are guaranteed to provide a fitting and exciting end to a hard fought season.