SRO Motorsports Group, the series organiser for the Intercontinental GT Challenge Powered by Pirelli, has announced that the Kyalami 9 Hour has been rescheduled from its original date of November 19 – 21 to a revised date of December 10 – 12 .
The decision has been made to ease logistical challenges as a result of the final round of the GT World Challenge Europe Powered by AWS taking place at Circuit Paul Ricard on November 15.
The new date has been selected to allow sufficient time for cars and equipment to travel to Australia for the opening round of the 2021 season – the Liqui-Moly Bathurst 12 Hour – on February 6 – 7.
The 2020 Intercontinental GT Challenge Powered by Pirelli will remain at four events following the cancellation of the Suzuka 10 Hours and after consultation with the teams.
“Moving Kyalami back to mid-December is a common-sense decision that eases any logistical complications for teams travelling from Europe where most of the 9 Hour’s entry is expected to come from,” said SRO Motorsports CEO Stephane Ratel. “COVID-19 itself has not been a factor in our decision, although the virus’ influence on other racing calendars – including SRO’s – has most certainly played a role in the decision, which ensures as many cars as possible have the potential to compete in South Africa.
“Last year’s 9 Hour – the first for 22 years – was an incredible success that re-established Kyalami’s place on the international motorsport map. We fully expect December’s Intercontinental GT Challenge finale to continue that legacy.
“Restricting the 2020 calendar to four events also makes complete sense. There were discussions about staging Asia’s race elsewhere, but we and our nine full-season manufacturers ultimately felt this year wouldn’t be the right time to introduce a new event.”
Round Two of the 2020 Intercontinental GT Challenge Powered by AWS takes place at Indianapolis on October 2 – 4.
