The opening round of the FIA World Touring Car Cup, scheduled to take place at Autodrom Most in the Czech Republic in April, has been cancelled due to the refugee crisis in the country following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Most had been set to host WTCR for a second successive season next month, but the season opener will now take place on the streets of Pau in France on 7 – 8 May.
The decision, approved by the FIA world Motor Sport Council today, was made to cancel the event due to the state of emergency which has been declared in the Czech Republic on 4 March, in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The state of emergency intends to focus all available resources on helping those displaced by the war.
As a result, the 2022 WTCR season will begin again on a street circuit, with the series having previously got underway on the streets of Morocco in 2018 and 2019.
The race of Most will not take place at all this year due to logistical issues which mean it cannot be rearranged. Discovery Sports Events, the series promoter, is working on a replacement event at a different venue for later in the year.
The FIA WTCR Race of Russia had also already been cancelled due to the country’s invasion of its neighbour.
“The decision to cancel WTCR Race of Czech Republic at such short notice is obviously unfortunate,” said Jean-Baptiste Ley, WTCR Director at Discovery Sports Events.
“We are fully aware of the disruption and inconvenience this will cause, not just for the teams and other stakeholders, but also for the fans.
“But we must accept there are more important things in the world than sport right now.
“It was crucial to take the decision on WTCR Race of Czech Republic as quickly as possible to avoid a last-minute cancellation should the state of emergency be extended.
“We are finalising an initiative to support wider fund-raising efforts to help those displaced and we will be announcing more details soon.
“For now, our thoughts are with all those people suffering and we hope for a swift and peaceful resolution.”