2020 Rally New Zealand


The 2020 Rally New Zealand was a motor racing event for rally cars that was scheduled to be held over four days between 3 and 6 September 2020, but was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It was set to mark the forty-fifth running of Rally New Zealand and planned to be the ninth round of the 2020 World Rally Championship, World Rally Championship-2 and World Rally Championship-3. The 2020 event was scheduled to be based in Auckland in Auckland Region.
Sébastien Loeb and Daniel Elena were the overall reigning rally winners. Citroën Total World Rally Team, the team they drove for in 2012, when Rally New Zealand held a World Rally Championship event last time, were the defending manufacturers' winners. However, they would not defend the rally either as they withdrew from the championship at the end of.

Background

Preparation and cancellation

The rally had been planned to be the mark of Rally New Zealand after an eight-year absence from the championship, sharing a spot with Rally Australia in the WRC calendar since. However, concerns regarding whether the rally should be held were raised in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. On 4 June 2020, it was officially announced that the rally would not be held in, but a event is expected.