Team Suzuki Press Office – April 30.
The 2021 Endurance World Championship has been cut back to four rounds after the recently-postponed German race at Oschersleben was cancelled today.
The popular 8-Hours of Oschersleben, initially scheduled for May 23rd, was put on hold due to the ongoing crisis, until a new date could be found, but this has not been possible.
A statement issued today by the governing bodies states:
“Despite the efforts of the FIM, Eurosport Events and the organisers of the 8 Hours of Oschersleben, it has not been possible to reschedule a new date for a German round of the 2021 FIM Endurance World Championship.
A few weeks ago, the 8 Hours of Oschersleben race, which was initially scheduled for 23 May, had to be postponed because of health restrictions in Germany.
Since then, the FIM, Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme, Eurosport Events, the promoter of the FIM EWC, and the organisers of the race in Germany have been working together to reschedule the 8 Hours of Oschersleben on the 2021 calendar.
Their priority was to offer teams a new calendar compatible with their logistical organisation, which would take into account the other date changes, of the 24 Heures Motos (12 and 13 June) and the 12 Hours of Estoril (17 July), as well as the organisation of the Bol d’Or on 18 and 19 September and the Suzuka 8 Hours on 7 November.
The other priority was to find a date that would give the event the most international visibility after the end of the Tokyo Olympic Games. In light of these requirements, the only suitable date was mid-August. Despite these joint efforts, unfortunately the Oschersleben circuit was unable to cancel its previously undertaken commitments for that date.
As a result, the 8 Hours of Oschersleben will not take place during the 2021 FIM EWC season.”
François Ribeiro, Head of Eurosport Events:
“We genuinely regret being unable to include the 8 Hours of Oschersleben on the 2021 calendar. Oschersleben has been part of the FIM EWC races since 1999. It is also an important race for German and East European teams, of which an ever-increasing number are entering the championship.”
Jorge Viegas, FIM President:
“Despite the fact we could not find an alternative date for the traditional 8 Hours of Oschersleben, we look forward to welcoming back this race next year. In the meantime, the remainder of the 2021 FIM EWC calendar will be run as planned but keeping in mind that we must maintain flexibility until we are over with the pandemic. We sincerely thank everyone involved for the continuous efforts. Please stay strong!”
