The Rallye du Condroz, an annual motorsports event held in Wallonia each year, will be cancelled over safety concerns, RTL Info reports.
The 49th edition of the event, which has been held annually (except in 2020) since 1974, will not take place in November, reducing Belgium's championship line-up to 12 rounds.
The decision to cancel the event is in relation to a serious accident in 2022 which claimed the lives of two young spectators. On the penultimate stage of the competition, a car left the road, rolling onto its side, and collided with a group of spectators. The two victims, aged 16 and 18, died at the scene. Several other spectators were also injured.
"The tragedy that occurred during the last edition of the Condroz-Huy rally gave rise to numerous debates affecting motorsport as a whole," the organisers acknowledged.
The event has been criticised for its poor safety record and non-compliance with regulations. There have been a string of accidents (in 2003, 2011, 2018 and 2022) which are typically linked to spectators standing in areas intended to be off limits to the public.
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"The Royal Motor Club of Huy has always attached great importance to the safety of participants and spectators. Months of work have been devoted to the preparation of the 2023 edition and all the authorisations have been issued by RACB Sport and local authorities. The event has also been questioned internally," a press release from the organisers states.
It is not yet clear whether the event will take place in years to come. The next event in the Belgian rally calendar, the Oudenaarde Rally, which is the ninth round of the season, is set to take place on Saturday.
