The coronavirus pandemic is having a major impact on automotive events, many of which are being canceled or postponed. Here are the latest announcements:
- Charles Richmond, the Duke of Richmond & Gordon, has announced postponement of the Goodwood Festival of Speed, the popular British classic car gathering that was scheduled for July 9-12.
“We obviously want to be sure of choosing the best possible date;” he wrote in the announcement, “this will require some careful consideration and as soon as we have that we will let you know.
“Whatever we decide to do, I can assure you it will be just as fantastic a celebration of everything we love and enjoy as you would expect. Most likely it will happen late summer, early autumn…”
He also said he hopes to be able to go ahead with the Goodwood Revival as scheduled for September 11-13. Also pending are new dates for the postponed Goodwood Members’ Meeting.
- The Indianapolis Motor Speedway announced it will postpone the 104th running of its 500-mile classic until August 23. It also announced that the IndyCar event scheduled for the track’s road course in early May will be contested instead on July 4 as part of a doubleheader also featuring the NASCAR Xfinity Series. The annual Brickyard 400 stock car race is scheduled for July 5.
“The Month of May at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway is my favorite time of year, and like our fans, I am disappointed that we have had to reschedule the Indianapolis 500,” the Speedway’s new owner, Roger Penske, was quoted in the announcement.
“However, the health and safety of our event participants and spectators is our top priority, and we believe that postponing the event is the responsible decision with the conditions and restrictions we are facing.
“We will continue to focus on ways we can enhance the customer experience in the months ahead, and I’m confident we will welcome fans with a transformed facility and a global spectacle when we run the world’s greatest race.”
“Memorial Day weekend has always provided Indianapolis 500 fans an opportunity to honor the men and women who have fought and sacrificed for our nation’s freedom,” added Mark Miles, Penske Entertainment president.
“This August, we’ll also have a unique and powerful opportunity to honor the contributions and heroism of the doctors, nurses, first responders and National Guard members serving on the front lines of the fight against COVID-19. We’re grateful for the patience of our fans as we’ve navigated this situation.”
- Meanwhile, the Goodguys Rod & Custom Association will stage its inaugural “virtual car show” on March 28.
“Registration is open, easy and fast,” the group said in its announcement. “Use the #goodguysvirtualcarshow on Instagram or visit https://www.good-guys.com/virtual-participator to get your ride uploaded there.
“There is no fee to register and join us, so get your friends to register, too. Gates open at 7:30 am PST and we can’t wait see you Saturday!”
Not only is there going to be a virtual car show, but at 2:22 p.m. there will be a virtual awards ceremony.
Here is our updated list of automotive events impacted to date by the pandemic:
Canceled —
Geneva Motor Show
Historic Vehicle Association Drive History conference
Australian Grand Prix F1 race
Goodguys events in Texas and Arizona
Greenwich Concours d’Elegance
Buffalo Motorama
MAG auction, Peoria, Arizona
Philadelphia Concours d’Elegance
Studebaker Extravaganza at AACA Museum
Muscle Car City March 21 car show
Merzouga Rally
RM Auctions Auburn Spring sale
Monaco, Dutch and Spanish F1 races
Monaco Historic Grand Prix
RM Sotheby’s Monaco auction
World of Outlaws California spring tour (through April 18)
Bonhams Goodwood Member’s Meeting auction
McPherson College C.A.R.S. Club car show and motoring festival
Cincinnati Concours d’Elegance
Postponed —
New York Auto Show
Techno-Classic Essen and RM Sotheby’s auction (tentatively rescheduled for mid-June)
Bahrain, Vietnam and Chinese Grand Prix races
IndyCar races at St. Petersburg, Alabama, Long Beach and Texas
IMSA races at St. Petersburg, Sebring (rescheduled for November 11-14), Alabama and Long Beach
RADwood events in South Carolina and Philadelphia
F9 movie (rescheduled for release April 2, 2021)
Barrett-Jackson Palm Beach auction (rescheduled for October)
RM Auctions Palm Beach auction (to be held as online-only sale)
NASCAR races at Atlanta and Homestead-Miami
NHRA Gatornationals
Motorsports Hall of Fame of America 2020 induction ceremony
Team Shelby Bash
Road Racing Drivers Club Evening with Rick Mears
Michelin NCM Bash at the National Corvette Museum Motorsports Park (rescheduled for May 28-30)
Vehicle production at Lamborghini and Ferrari
Practical Classics Classic Car & Restoration Show (UK)
ZF installation education program (through March 31)
NASCAR races (through May 3)
Bicester Heritage April Scramble (rescheduled for June 21)
National Corvette Museum Motorsports Park (all events suspended until April 6)
Arizona FuelFest, rescheduled for September 19
Porsche, Rolls-Royce, Bentley, Volvo, Aston Martin and Skoda suspend vehicle production
General Motors, Ford, Chrysler, Toyota, Volvo and Nissan suspend vehicle production in the U.S. through March. Ford also has suspended production in South America, India, South Africa, Thailand and Vietnam.
Scottsdale Off-Road Expo
Charlotte Auto Fair (rescheduled for June 12-14)
Spring open house at Lingenfelter Collection
Caffeine and Octane events scheduled for April
Mecum Auctions in Iowa and Texas
Greenbrier Concours d’Elegance (rescheduled for September 4-6)
Formula E racing season
24 Hours of Le Mans (rescheduled for September 19-20)
Gooding & Company London auction
Mille Miglia (rescheduled for October 22-25)
Ferrari Challenge races at Indianapolis and Snetterton
Michelin NCM Bash (rescheduled for May 28-30)
Spring Goo car show and auction (rescheduled for May 27-31)
Copperstate 1000 vintage rally (rescheduled for October 31-November 4)
Sonoma Speed Festival vintage racing weekend (rescheduled for September 4-6)
Keels & Wheels (rescheduled for October 17-18)
2021 Pirelli Calendar
Goodwood Festival of Speed
Indianapolis 500 (rescheduled for August 23)
Relocated
Classic Car Auctions (UK), moving to Warwickshire Event Centre
Temporarily closed —
Newport Car Museum (until further notice)
Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum (until March 30)
Studebaker National Museum (through March 27)
Owls Head Transportation Museum (through March 29)
AACA Museum (through March 29)
Petersen Automotive Museum (through March 31)
California Automobile Museum (through March 31)
The Henry Ford museum (through April 5)
National Corvette Museum Motorsports Park (until April 6)
Phoenix Art Museum (through April 6)
Blackhawk Collection museum (through April 7)
Automotive Hall of Fame (through April)
Motorsports Hall of Fame (until further notice)
Stahl’s Auto Collection (until further notice)
LeMay — America’s Car Museum (until further notice)
Saratoga Automobile Museum (until further notice)
Gilmore Car Museum (until further notice)
Mustang Owner’s Museum (until further notice)
California Agriculture Museum (until further notice)