Donington Park, Assen, Qatar rounds officially cancelled

There will be no British round of the WorldSBK Championship this season for the first time since the series’ inauguration after Dorna confirmed the Donington Park event, together with Assen and Losail, has been cancelled.

With the 2020 WorldSBK season due to get back underway in Jerez next weekend, there have remained question marks over whether these three events would go ahead having been listed as TBC/TBD since the COVID-19 crisis began back in March.

With WorldSBK confirming eight rescheduled rounds (totalling 24 races) last month, plus the already completed Phillip Island event, it has now been decided not to include Donington Park, Assen and Losail on a further draft of the calendar.

“I am personally very sad to announce the subsequent cancellations of the three rounds,” confirmed Gregorio Lavilla, Executive Director of the Sporting and Organisation Departments. “As a fan of our sport, I am extremely saddened not to go to WorldSBK’s birthplace at Donington Park and the ‘Cathedral of Speed’ at Assen, a track which has featured on our calendar uninterrupted since 1992.

“I am equally as sad not to not have the spectacle of a night race in Qatar, always something we look forward to. We explored all avenues in order to find a solution but unfortunately, one could not be found. However, this mustn’t cast a cloud over the Championship.

“The majority of our events in 2020 will happen and plans for a full, complete 2021 are well underway. We would like to thank everyone involved for their tireless work and cooperation, and also the fans for waiting patiently before our season resumes.”

Despite the losses, the 2020 WorldSBK Championship will run to a substantial nine events and 27 races, short of the 13 events and 39 races it had originally planned.