The erstwhile fifth round of the 2020 WorldSBK Championship at Imola has been cancelled in the latest calendar reshuffle, while the following Motorland Aragon and Misano events have been pushed back to new dates later in the year.
The Italian venue was originally set to mark the fifth event of the season, but this was moved up provisionally to be the second round when the earlier Qatar, Jerez and Assen events were all rescheduled with new dates.
However, the event – which was due to take place on 9-10 May – will not get a new date and has instead been scrapped altogether, reducing the season to 12 rounds at best.
Meanwhile, the FIM has confirmed new dates for the following events at Aragon and Misano. The Spanish round now moves to a 28-30 August date, a period usually reserved as the summer break, while Misano goes right to the back of the schedule on 6-8 November.
As it stands, it means Misano is now designated as the final round of the season, though Qatar’s new date hasn’t been arranged as yet and there is an expectation there will be more amendments to be made in the coming weeks.
For now, round two of the 2020 WorldSBK calendar will take place at Donington Park 4-6 July. However, no motorcycle racing action is able to take place on UK soil until the end of May at the earliest, while four-wheel racing has been suspended until the end of June.
Could the 2020 WorldSBK season be cancelled?
The latest round of the reshuffles come as little surprise as the world grapples with sweeping changes being brought on by the coronavirus pandemic.
While the new dates provide some hope we will see some action this year – following on from the opening round in Australia that did take place – Dorna CEO Carmelo Ezpeleta’s warning the 2020 MotoGP season could be cancelled means that by extension WorldSBK’s chances of taking place are also shaky.
Misano’s new late date suggests the governing body is willing to push deeper into the year if it means some races take place, though with no obvious timeline for any championship which requires international movement to get back underway, this won’t be viewed with much significance
2020 WorldSBK Calendar (as of 14/4/20)
| 2020 WordSBK Calendar | ||
| Rd | Date | Venue |
| 1 | 29 Feb - 1 Mar | Phillip Island, Australia * |
| 2 | 4 - 5 July | Donington Park, UK |
| 3 | 1 - 2 August | Oschersleben, Germany |
| 4 | 22 - 23 August | Assen, Netherlands ^ |
| 5 | 29 - 30 August | Aragon, Spain ^ |
| 6 | 5 - 6 September | Portimao, Portugal |
| 7 | 19 - 20 September | Circuit de Catalunya, Spain |
| 8 | 3 - 4 October | Magny-Cours, France ^ |
| 9 | 10 - 11 October | San Juan Villicum, Argentina |
| 10 | 24 - 25 October | Jerez, Spain ^ |
| 11 | 7 - 8 November | Misano, Italy ^ |
| - | TBA | Losail, Qatar ^ |
| CANCELLED | Imola, Italy | |
* Completed
^ Rescheduled
