Patrick Falk: "I'm worried".
ASS DIRECTOR TAKES OPINION The director of Auto Sport Schweiz comments on the imminent cancellation of the Automobile-SM. At least Patrick Falk has a faint hope regarding rallies and karting. Either way, the consequences are serious. Basically, the National Sport Commission (NSK) is responsible for the allocation or cancellation of the Swiss championships, Patrick Falk emphasizes [...]
In principle, the National Sports Commission (NSK) is responsible for awarding or canceling the Swiss championships, emphasizes Patrick Falk as director of the umbrella organization for automobile and karting sports in Switzerland. NSK president Andreas Michel had instructed the responsible committees championships, rally and karting in mid-April with a situation analysis taking into account the regulations of the federal government, the FOPH and the authorities.
However, the decision of the Federal Council on April 29, according to which events with more than 1000 people are prohibited until the end of August, has massively impaired this analysis or made it partly invalid. Subsequently, practically all organizers have canceled their slaloms and mountain races planned for this period or postponed the next staging until 2021.
There is no solution to avoid the cancellation of SM 2020
The consequence is therefore obvious - there will be no slalom and mountain championships in 2020. Unfortunately, the director of the federation must agree to this.
Patrick Falk: "We will have to propose to the NSK that the Swiss championships for slaloms as well as for hill climbs will not be held or rated in 2020. The minimum number of races can no longer be achieved even with creative solutions."
Maybe a mini-rally-SM after all...
What about the Swiss Rally Championship, where only two of five rounds have been cancelled?
Patrick Falk: "The Rally Committee is still working on a solution to propose a calendar for three to five rally events in September, October and November, if necessary. Various possibilities are currently being examined. By mid-May, a possible proposal should be available in terms of the calendar. Of course, only insofar that the currently planned rallies can actually take place. So there is still a small hope for SM...".
... and a shortened Kart-SM?
The autobau Swiss Kart Championship is mainly held on circuits in neighboring countries. The SKM Organizing Committee and the Karting Committee are in the process of clarifying whether a shortened championship could be held in Switzerland in the months of September/October.
Patrick Falk: "Three, maybe four runs on the tracks in Wohlen, Lyss and Locarno could be a feasible solution. Of course, organizers of private series will pursue similar plans. It will have to be clarified whether there will even be enough free dates for the various interested parties."
Worries about the organizers
The ASS director is worried about the financial survival of the organizers despite the cancellations, some of which were made early.
Patrick Falk: "Those who have not been able to create sufficient financial resources in recent years or have been dogged by bad weather will have to fight intensively for their continued existence. Creative solutions are probably also needed to keep the events and also the involved environment financially alive."
Understanding for early cancellations
Therefore, he understands those organizers who had planned their races only after the date of the end of August set by the Federal Council and have already canceled them anyway.
Patrick Falk: "The uncertainty factors are currently so high and the further steps regarding the slow lifting of the lockdown so unclear that the planning reliability is only limited. In addition to the Swiss Championships, we still have various other events on the calendar. And whether these can take place in the months of September and October, we will certainly only find out at a later date."
Worst case scenario
Falk, like all those affected, is aware that there is a threat of a completely motorsport-free year in 2020 - and that this will have consequences for the future that are not yet foreseeable. These cancellations are also bad for Auto Sport Schweiz as an association and its office.
Patrick Falk: "Our main sources of income - licenses, events, participant taxes, etc. - are virtually eliminated. Operational activities in various areas are also approaching zero. Expenses, on the other hand, remain similar to what they were before the Corona crisis and will continue to burden the accounts in the future. We hope that we will not have to meet the same or similar consequences as our colleagues in the Nordic countries, where in some cases the offices of the federations had to be closed and the employees laid off."
Patience, flexibility and solidarity are needed
As soon as all facts, regulations and specifications are available, the NSK will finally decide how and if 2020 can be continued in Swiss automobile and kart racing.
For this, the ASS director asks, a little patience is needed at the moment. And then flexibility and also solidarity, in order to be able to implement possible ideas.
