Sebring WEC round cancelled after US imposes Europe travel ban
The World Endurance Championship round at Sebring has been cancelled after the United States imposed a 30-day travel ban on 26 European countries as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic
On Wednesday, IMSA put out a press release stating that the second round of the 2020 WeatherTech SportsCar Championship - the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring - would be going ahead despite the worldwide coronavirus threat that has affected numerous motorsport events.
However, the WEC's 1000-mile race, the other half of the sportscar world's 'SuperSebring' weekend came under threat that evening, when U.S. President Donald Trump's declared a 30-day suspension of travel from 26 European countries.
WEC responded: "Following the announcement made by President Trump at 9.00 pm (EST) on 11th March of a wide suspension of travel by non US citizens from Europe to the USA, the leadership of the WEC has reviewed the viability of staging the Sebring 1000 Miles race planned to be held at Sebring on 20 March.
"After a careful review of the situation, it has been determined that the WEC race will be cancelled.
"Given the large number of drivers, team staff and officials who are still in Europe and who were scheduled to travel to the USA in the coming days, it would not be possible or appropriate to stage the race in their absence.
"The decision to cancel was communicated and accepted by John Doonan, President of IMSA late in the evening of 11th March."
Gerard Neveu, CEO of WEC, added: 'This decision was not made lightly. Our teams and officials place great value on racing at Sebring in front of its enthusiastic and knowledgeable fans.
"While this cancelation has been forced upon us because of the travel restrictions from Europe to USA, WEC remains committed at all times to the health and welfare of its teams, officials and race fans. Further, the quality of every aspect of a WEC race event is at the heart of everything that we do and will never be compromised."
In addition to the cancelation of the race, WEC's Sebring test scheduled for 14-15 March will now not take place.
With all race cars and equipment already located in the Sebring paddock, WEC will now focus on managing an orderly return to Europe.
Ferrari to race in Sebring WEC round despite quarantine in Italy
Interview: WEC CEO Gerard Neveu on Sebring cancellation
Why Le Mans didn't decide Toyota's WEC title outcome in 2021
Mike Conway, Kamui Kobayashi and Jose Maria Lopez scored a second successive World Endurance Championship title in the #7 Toyota, as its new Le Mans Hypercar went unbeaten. Autosport recaps how each of the four classes in the 2021 season were won and picks out the best LMH and GTE drivers
The unanswered questions that define WEC 2021's controversial ending
OPINION: The deeply unsatisfying ending to a brilliant World Endurance Championship GTE Pro battle in Bahrain had Ferrari provisionally heading back from the desert as the victor. But Porsche plans to appeal the outcome, which rests on a number of confusing elements that have yet to be satisfactorily explained
How the WEC's heavyweight duel reached its controversial flashpoint
The Ferrari versus Porsche fight for the World Endurance Championship's GTE Pro title had been a finely-poised affair, right up until Alessandro Pier Guidi's punt on Michael Christensen in the closing stages of the Bahrain 8 Hours handed Ferrari a provisional title, pending Porsche's appeal. Here's how the controversy played out
The remarkable fixes Toyota used to avert another Le Mans disaster
The 1-2 finish achieved by Toyota at this year's Le Mans 24 Hours was a result that will have surprised few, given its status as pre-event favourite. But the result was anything but straightforward, as worsening fuel pressure concerns required the team's drivers and engineers to pursue "creative fixes" on the fly. Here is the full story of how it reached the end without a lengthy pit visit
How the #7 Toyota squad moved closer to clinching WEC's 2021 title
In the penultimate round of the 2021 World Endurance Championship, a better run of tyre wear for Mike Conway, Jose Maria Lopez and Kamui Kobayashi brought the Toyota trio its third win from five events, as the #7 squad put one hand on the title. Here's how the first of the WEC's two Bahrain enduros played out
The 10 greatest drives of lost legend Jo Siffert
It's 50 years since Jo Siffert was killed in his prime at Brands Hatch. The Swiss scored just two world championship wins in a Formula 1 career spent largely with privateer teams, but showed on numerous occasions in single-seaters and in sportscars with Porsche that he could beat any of the best drivers of his era given the right equipment
Inside the Le Mans finish too barmy for Hollywood
Team WRT has been at the forefront of GT racing for years and made a successful move to prototypes for 2021, capped by an LMP2 win on its Le Mans debut. It could've been even better had the race been one lap shorter, when its cars ran 1-2, but the stranger-than-fiction reality has spurred the team to reach greater heights
The standout memories of Le Mans 2021
OPINION: With four of the five Hypercar entries unproven in a 24-hour race, it would not have been unexpected for at least one of them to suffer serious reliability trouble. That they all managed to make it through the race relatively unscathed, says GARY WATKINS, was something of a surprise.