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The South Australian round of the RSEA Safety Motorsport Australia Rally Championship has been cancelled due to border restrictions.
The AGI Sport Adelaide Hills Rally was to have been held on October 22-24, and its demise follows those of the two Coffs Harbour events slated for late-November.
Nevertheless, preparations are being made for a new event to be held in December at an as yet unconfirmed location.
The decision to call off Adelaide’s round has been made now to save the significant costs of planning for something which is presently a dubious prospect.
“This is not the news we want to be sharing, but we’ve made the tough call to cancel this year’s event, together with the hard-working event organisers,” said Motorsport Australia’s director of motorsport and commercial operations, Michael Smith.
“The AGI Sport Adelaide Hills Rally is a terrific event and I know I speak on behalf of all competitors when I say there will be a lot of disappointed crews out there.
“A big thank you must go to the event organisers, event and championship sponsors, competitors and rally fans for their flexibility and ongoing support during a year that’s been a very tough one for the entire motorsport community.”
AGI Sport Adelaide Hills Rally organiser Andrew Admiraal added, “It’s unfortunate to be announcing this news today, however the ongoing border restrictions make an October event near on impossible to prepare for.
“We’d like to thank everyone who has been part of organising this event to date and the support we have received from our sponsors and local communities, particularly those in and around Birdwood.
“Our focus now turns to delivering an outstanding AGI Sport Adelaide Hills Rally in 2022 taking part on what we believe are the best rally roads in the country.
“We know national competitors will have missed coming to South Australia in recent times, so it will be an amazing event next year we have no doubt.”
Two rounds of the ARC have been completed thus far in 2021, with Toyota Gazoo Racing Australia’s Harry Bates earning top spot on the table.
A third round would potentially allow for champions and cup winners to be declared, subject to the Australian Rally Commission’s approval.
“We’re working hard to make sure we can deliver that third event in December if government and travel restrictions allow the majority of states to attend,” noted Smith.
“We’ll keep a close eye on borders, vaccination rates and other key factors to determine the best location to make this event possible and advise of the details in due course.”
As it stands, South Australia is still set to host the likes of the Supercheap Auto TCR Australia Series as part of the Shannons Motorsport Australia Championships at The Bend on October 15-17.
The Adelaide Hills Rally is set to return in 2022 as part of a seven-round calendar.
