Barum Czech Rally Zlín 2020

[PLuto]

Barum rally needs you

https://www.czechrally.com/en/26723n-barum-rally-needs-you

We have been intensively thinking whether to do this step. To say it frankly: 'We can't make it without you'. We have reached a breakpoint, when we have to decide whether we are able to run the anniversary 50th Barum Czech Rally Zlín this year as planned or we postpone it until 2021. The time is running fast. By the end of this month we have to do the final decision either to launch the most intensive and demanding preparation phase heading to the August 2020 or to leave it for the next year. So only about a week is currently remaining and the last chance, how to save the situation, is now at you, our Barum rally fans and spectators.

For the anniversary fiftieth edition of the Barum rally we originally planned many special events and attractions to make this rally extraordinary and unforgettable. But only few weeks with coronavirus were enough to change the plans completely from the ground. The Barum rally is now fighting for its future life. From the sporting point of view the upcoming edition could be truly special – in WRC events are being cancelled one by another and many drivers are daily asking whether they can compete in ERC, because this series is one of few international championship which have already stabilised its calendar despite various necessary coronavirus arrangements.

Unfortunately this pandemic also deeply affected the economics of our rally and many of its partners. Therefore our last chance is to recourse to you, rally fans. It is you who year by year make the great atmosphere along the stages, at the city super special stage, in the service park or at the start and finish ceremonies. You are the spice of the Barum rally, so even when the pandemic burst out we didn't think a single minute of running the rally without your attendance. But right now, we need your help and you can determine the Barum rally's future. There is currently missing 140.000 EUR to fulfil the budget and only limited time to gather this sum. However we still believe we can save the Barum rally's 2020 edition.

Therefore we kindly ask you, our Barum rally fans, motorsport lovers, competition teams, local citizens who like fast car, companies and businessmen to support the run of the anniversary 50th Barum Czech Rally Zlín – whether it will be held in August 2020 or next year, when the overall situation could be generally more optimistic.



Account for the 50th Barum Czech Rally Zlín donations:
IBAN: CZ28 0800 0000 0058 8676 1329
BIC (SWIFT): GIBACZPX

Transparent account ON-LINE:
The link to transparent account will be online in a few days.

Names of all contributors, who support the rally in this difficult moment, well be placed on the starting ramp. And we would be really happy, if the budget is collected. Because then we could meet – no matter if this year or in 2021 - with all the donators at the rally start and enjoy the whole event.

Thanks in advance for your help, we are really grateful for it.

Miloslav Regner
Clerk of the Course
Barum Czech Rally Zlín


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5fBRE24AmkY

[Fast Eddie WRC]

Decision on 1 July 2020:

Statement here: https://www.czechrally.com/en/26727n-barum-czech-rally-zlin-announcement

[Hartusvuori]

No Barum Rally this year. Cancelled and the 50th edition postponed to 2021.

[Fast Eddie WRC]

Sad news.

This will send some shockwaves around if such an established, well-run rally cant get the funding to run in 2020 post-Covid.

[PLuto]

In fact it was not only about funding, last week helped a lot. But there are more issues which were behind that decision. But decision was made on very last moment, there was more than one hour long meeting with city government, politics, main sponsor and hygienics. For press conference we had ready both versions of press release...

[Mirek]

As far as I understand the main issue is the coronovirus situation which has recently deteriorated in the neighbouring North-Moravian region (for that region there is a valid limit of only 100 people maximum per public event due to large number of new Covid cases related to the mine workers and their families). Due to that nobody can promise that the situation would be way better in August and that the measures could be eased by that time. Those dozens of thousands of people which always come especially on the city stage are way over any recently possible limit (even for regions with very calm Covid situation).

The organizers had to decide now because cancelation of the event later would create catastrophic financial loses.

[Fast Eddie WRC]

And I only read this today...

BBC News - Coronavirus: Czechs hold 'farewell party' for pandemic
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-53244688

[Mirek]

And I only read this today...

BBC News - Coronavirus: Czechs hold 'farewell party' for pandemic
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-53244688

Well, this thing is basically unrelated to anything concerning Barum in any way. Lately there have been around 8-10 new cases per day in Prague (out of roughly 1,5 million population) and those cases are well tracked and cornered, so one can say that at this moment there is basically no risk in Prague alone.

The problems and far majority of all new cases in the country are elsewhere, it's Silesian mining areas on both Czech and Polish side of the border. That is hundreds of kilometers away from Prague and have totaly no relation to it. However it's quite close from the Barum Rally area and many people from there actually work in Silesia (North Moravian region per official designation) so the spread to the Zlín area may be possible if the officials don't manage to track and control the active cases in Silesia (which is logically more difficult with more cases). Still we talk here about hundreds, not thousands and in far majority of cases these are very light cases among well healthy people. The actual number of hospitalized people at the moment is 130 people in the whole country. Go figure how serious the situation in the country is. However the officials have to take any rise seriously and need to take precautionary measures, hence why holding a public event for dozens of thousands of people in the area is probably not the best idea and it certainly isn't possible under current rules.

[PLuto]

And I would like to note that virus was not only one reason, same like funding. It was mixture of different things...

[RS]

May Barum return next year for an epic 50th edition.