The original, five-round, calendar was due to start on the penultimate weekend of May at Santa Pod Raceway in the United Kingdom before moving onto Sweden’s Tierp Arena for the event scheduled for early June.

The championship was then meant to resume with another event at Tierp in mid-August, before moving south to Germany’s Hockenheim Ring two weeks later and returning to Santa Pod Raceway for the season finale in mid-September.

Following the cancellation of the first three rounds of the championships due to the ongoing pandemic, a decision to cancel this year’s season was taken at the recent meeting of the FIA Drag Racing Commission.

With not enough events left to maintain the sporting integrity of the championship for this year, the commission was left with no other option than to confirm the cancellation of the 2020 FIA European Drag Racing Championship. Individual events may still be held at the discretion of their organisers, albeit as a non-championship or national competition.

Lars Pettersson, President of the FIA Drag Racing Commission, said: “We have to consider what was best for each of the championship stakeholders and make the responsible choice. Unfortunately, this championship has been hit hard by the ongoing pandemic”.

“Drag racing faces challenges that other FIA disciplines do not. Given that our events cannot go ahead in wet weather conditions, proposing autumn dates would mean an increased risk of further cancellations. Similarly, holding events behind closed doors is also not an option for our venues, as they rely on the income from ticket sales”.

“Last but not least, we have to be mindful of our competitors who in the vast majority are self-funded. Having consulted with the teams involved in the championship, we believe that it is in their best interest to allow them to regroup and use the resources saved this year to come back stronger next year, contributing to a healthy and competitive 2021 season.”