"The organisers of the Battery Town Rally Bay of Plenty have been assessing the impacts of the continued Covid-19 travel restrictions and the recent elevation to alert level 3 for the greater Waikato over the past few days," rally chairman David Loughlin said.
"The decision to end the NZRC effective immediately, while disappointing, is entirely understandable and has been made with the best intentions in the face of continued uncertainty.
"However, we have the opportunity to reschedule the Battery Town Rally Bay of Plenty as a non-championship event. And by moving into November the organising team, local community, and our fantastic sponsors have the best chance of delivering a high-quality event that benefits the local community and which competitors will enjoy."
At present, there are no plans to amend the route or schedule of the event.
"I would like to acknowledge the support of my organising committee, volunteer officials, sponsors, competitors, and the Whakatāne, Rotorua, and Western Bay of plenty District councils," Loughlin said.
"With much of the latter part of the rally season being affected by the latest lockdown, we are still confident of attracting a high-quality entry if it's feasible to run the event in November."
The one-day rally will start and finish in Whakatāne with crews competing over gravel special stages on closed roads in the Matata, Pukehina, and Rotoehu regions.
Motorsport NZ protocols will allow the event to run at level 2 Covid restrictions.
However, some related activities such as a pre-event Rally Show promotion planned in downtown Whakatāne on Saturday, November 20, and a prizegiving function will only go ahead if level 1 restrictions are in place at the time.
