WEC plans to race at Spa despite Belgian ruling on gatherings

The FIA World Endurance Championship's plans to hold the 6 Hours of Spa on August 15 have not changed since the Belgian government's decision to prohibit large gatherings in the country until August 31, RACER has learned.

A WEC spokesperson told RACER that "as of today, nothing in our plans has changed. We are still planning to hold our race in August. We will know more in a couple of months and release more details then."

Asked by RACER whether the WEC's plan to hold the race in August implies that it will pursue running the event behind closed doors, the spokesperson replied that it is "too early to say."

It is likely that the reason behind the WEC's current decision to stick to its plan to host the race in August is due to the fact that the Belgian government hasn't provided a definition of what a 'mass gathering' is.

This news comes two days after the decision from the Belgian government, and a subsequent announcement from SRO that its Spa 24 Hours will be postponed from July until later in the year.

“While the 2020 Total 24 Hours of Spa was originally scheduled to take place on July 23-26, the race will now move to a revised date later in the year in compliance with these guidelines," SRO said in a statement.

“With so much hard work and passion already invested in the event’s long-term preparation, it is naturally disappointing that it can not be staged on its traditional date. However, the safety of our fans and competitors is of the highest importance.

“A new date is being finalised with the circuit and will be announced as soon as possible. The same level of dedication will now be focused on creating a world-class spectacle in autumn 2020.”

The ACO is also set to host a European Le Mans Series race at Spa on August 9 as part of the series' revised five-round calendar which will kick off with a pre-season test and race at Paul Ricard in July.