GENNEP (9 April, 2021) – The Hankook 12H CIRCUIT PAUL RICARD is set to go ahead as planned on 23-24 April, despite a third lockdown and tougher national coronavirus restrictions being announced across France.
The bolder regulations, which include a 19.00 hrs curfew and the temporary closure of non-essential shops, are the result of a ‘new direction’ announced by French premier Emmanuel Macron to control further spread of the virus.
Management at Circuit Paul Ricard however has confirmed to CREVENTIC that the new restrictions will not unduly affect preparation of and travel to the Hankook 12H CIRCUIT PAUL RICARD, set to be held on 23-24 April at the eponymous circuit which is located in the Le Castellet district of Var, southern France.
The home of Formula 1 French Grand Prix has already instigated tougher health and safety protocols in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic outbreak last year, including mandatory social distancing and face masks, restricted access to non-vital personnel, and regular Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests. Each will be tightly policed at the third championship round of this year’s 24H SERIES powered by Hankook, as has now become standard practice at every official CREVENTIC endurance event.
In an official communique, Circuit Paul Ricard’s Directeur Général Stéphane Clair explained:
“We hereby certify that CREVENTIC is organising the Hankook 12H CIRCUIT PAUL RICARD from 21-24 April 2021. The aforementioned [event] meets the conditions of supervision and distancing prescribed by the health measures for the sport necessary to face the epidemic of COVID-19 as part of the state of health emergency. The Circuit Paul Ricard is an outdoor sports area (ERP, in accordance with the French name) with a reinforced health protocol.”
CREVENTIC is also working exhaustively with the local authorities in Le Castellet with regards to the seven-day self-isolation period expected of all teams and drivers travelling to Circuit Paul Ricard from outside Europe. CREVENTIC requests that all competitors this applies to contact our team directly for further details.
Circuit Paul Ricard makes its return to the 24H SERIES calendar for the first time in four years this April as an eleventh-hour replacement for the Hankook 12H SPA, the latter having been postponed due to scheduling conflicts at Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps. Circuit Paul Ricard, a favourite among many of CREVENTIC’s ardent competitors, hosted the 24H SERIES for three consecutive seasons between 2015 and 2017, the first of which marked the first series win of future 24H SERIES champion, RAM Racing. In an exploratory move, this year’s event will be run with a 12-hour format for the first time as opposed to its previous 24-hour guise.
Following the Hankook 12H CIRCUIT PAUL RICARD, the 24H SERIES heads to Baden-Württemberg in Germany for the Hankook 12H HOCKENHEIMRING, the fourth championship round of this year’s 24H SERIES. Teams and drivers can register their interest for this race, and all subsequent CREVENTIC events, HERE.
