It seemed like a matter of time before the last appointments and events of the main FIA championships to be played on Asian soil were canceled in the current context of travel restrictions due to the pandemic. So, all of a sudden, the FIA WTCR has given up carrying out its traditional Asian tour and will not compete in Inje Speedium -South Korea-, Ningbo -China- and in the Circuito da Guia -Macao-. Precisely this last event will once again be ‘orphaned’ of European competitors, since The FIA GT World Cup and the Formula 3 Macau GP have also been canceled.
The WTCR and FIA ETCR rounds that were going to be held in Asia will not finally take place, as confirmed at the last meeting of the FIA World Council. In this point, the World Touring Car Cup is set to replace its three Asian rounds with two events, theoretically on non-European soil. It is understood that WTCR would be looking to the Middle East region for these final two events of the 2022 season.
The official statement of the World Motor Sport Council reads: “Due to current quarantine restrictions and logistical challenges around Asia, the World Touring Car Cup (WTCR) and FIA ETCR rounds scheduled to take place on the continent will not take place this year. In continuous work with Discovery Sports Events, promoter of the two series, the FIA is evaluating the various options available to secure replacement events. More details on the new additions to the schedule for both series will be communicated in due course.”
Touring cars aside, the cancellation of the WTCR round at the Macau GP comes on the heels of the cancellation of the FIA GT World Cup for the third consecutive year. The season-ending GT3 event will not take place due to restrictions around COVID-19. It should be noted that Macau stipulates by regulation quarantine periods for all new arrivals to the former Portuguese colony, in addition to only being able to enter the city for specific purposes of public interest.
In this context, The Formula 3 Macau GP will not be held eitherknown for a few years as the FIA F3 World Cup. Although it is feasible that a test will be held on a local and/or regional basis as in previous years, being part of the calendar of the F4 contest in China, the event that would take place between November 18 and 20 at the Circuito da Guia will not have the specific weight of one of the races that closes the season worldwide in the training categories.
Photos: FIA WTCR / Macau GP