R-Motorsport Defers GT Race Programs to 2022

R-Motorsport has deferred its sports car racing activities to 2022 due to the ongoing impacts of the coronavirus pandemic.

In a statement provided to Sportscar365, the Swiss team outlined a decision made by the management board of AF Racing Holding AG to keep R-Motorsport’s GT3 and GT4 programs on hold for the remainder of this year.

It said that its focus now rests on ‘setting the course’ for motorsport projects in the 2022 season. The exact details of R-Motorsport’s future programs are currently unclear.

R-Motorsport planned to field Aston Martin Vantage GT3s in last year’s Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe powered by AWS and select Intercontinental GT Challenge powered by Pirelli rounds but pulled out last July as the pandemic affected its operations.

Combined with its withdrawal from the DTM, this left the team with no full-time programs for 2020, although it did run a pair of Aston Martin Vantage GT4s in the final round of the GT4 European Series at Paul Ricard in November.

However, R-Motorsport was absent from GTWC Europe’s official list of 2021 entries published last week and has since announced its deferral of all programs to next year.

One of the organization’s technical partners from its Aston Martin GT3 program, JOTA, is racing independently in GTWC Europe this year with a McLaren 720S GT3.

R-Motorsport said in its statement that ongoing access restrictions at race events, which are designed to limit the spread of COVID-19, prevent it from providing “vital” hospitality services to partners of companies operating under the R-Universe umbrella.

“It was an extremely difficult decision for us not to go racing for another year,” commented R-Motorsport team principal Dr. Florian Kamelger.

“However, it doesn’t make sense from an R-Universe business perspective to go racing with a non-profitable race program with all the risks of the ongoing corona crisis still in place.

“However, as we expect the progressing European vaccination program to make sporting events with general spectator attendance and access for our guests at the race venues possible next year, we are already planning our program in 2022 and beyond.”