Impact of the Coronavirus on our 2020 Events

The virus, and its unforeseen impact, came out of the blue and is something that we could not have prepared for. Across the globe many countries are in lockdown with sporting events and mass gatherings banned for the foreseeable future. Some events on the FIA WEC & ACO calendars have been postponed, rather than cancelled, which gives us something to look forward to, although all dates are provisional and subject to further change.

The following events on the FIA WEC & ACO calendars have been impacted by the virus:

Event

Series

Location

Action

Original
Date

Revised
Date

1000 Miles of Sebring

WEC

Florida, United States

Cancelled

18-20 March

N/A

4 Hours of Barcelona

ELMS

Barcelona, Spain

Postponed

04-05 April

27-29 Aug

Moto 24 Hours

FIM EWC

Le Mans, France

Postponed

18-19 April

29-30 Aug

Total 6 Hours of Spa

WEC

Spa Francorchamps, Belgium

Postponed

23-25 April

14-15 Aug

4 Hours of Monza

ELMS

Monza, Italy

Postponed

09-10 May

09-11 Oct

Spa Classic

 

Spa Francorchamps, Belgium

Cancelled

22-24 May

N/A

Le Mans 24 Hours

WEC

Le Mans, France

Postponed

13-14 June

19-20 Sep

Le Mans Classic

 

Le Mans, France

Postponed

2-5 July 20

1-4 July 21

Truck 24 Hours

Le Mans, France

Postponed

26-27 Sep

03-04 Oct

Whilst we all endure the lockdown, all we can do is give you the facts available and point you in the direction of further information to help you make an informed decision as to whether or not to attend the new event dates. We will also continue to monitor travel advice updates from the UK Government Foreign Office and NaTHNaC plus regularly speaking with the ACO & Peter Auto about the events. If there is any further significant update, we will let you know.

Currently, the Foreign & Commonwealth Offices are advising against all but essential international travel for the foreseeable future amid the global pandemic. The travel restrictions could be lifted at any time, but it would be reasonable to expect them to remain in place throughout April, May and June.

For events that have been postponed your booking is automatically valid for the new event dates. We will re-confirm your booking with your amended channel crossing dates and times (if booked via ourselves). At this stage there is nothing extra that you need to do.

However, if you would like to alter your travel arrangements, please let us know by email to [email protected] with “Booking Amendment” as the subject. We will then make the relevant changes and send you an updated booking confirmation in due course.

We realise that the revised event dates may not be suitable for everyone and you (or part of your group) may no longer be able to attend the event. As the event has been postponed because of the Coronavirus situation this now makes it a force majeure situation, which is beyond our control.

After updated advice from ABTA and ABTOT the following options are now open to you.

If you are unable to attend the new dates or your event has been cancelled, you can request to:

Transfer your booking to the following year’s event:
We will move your booking to 2021 (2022 for Le Mans Classic). We will send you a transfer invoice for 2020 and a new booking invoice for 2021/22.  All your payments made to date will be applied to your new event booking.

Take a Refund Credit Note (voucher) to use at any future event:
We will issue you with a Refund Credit Note that can be used towards a new booking for any of our future events. You can choose whether to attend the Spa Classic, Moto 24 Hours, Le Mans 24 Hours, Le Mans Classic or any other new event that we offer.

The credit note will be valid until 31st March 2021. If, by this date, you have not used it to make a new booking, we will process a refund for the total value of the credit note within one month of the expiry date.

The refund credit note is recognised by our Bonding Insurance with ABTOT in the same way as your original booking.  Therefore, you are still protected in the event of our financial insolvency.

Cancel your booking:
In this instance, we have been advised that our standard cancellation charges do apply.  As there are more than 56 days to departure the cancellation fee is £75 per person.  However, as a gesture of goodwill, we will convert the cancellation fee into 1st Tickets gift vouchers that can be used against any future booking you make with us.

This will be deducted from your payments and the remaining balance refunded to your original payment method. The vouchers will be sent to you by post.

If you do not want the gift vouchers then, unfortunately, the cancellation fee will apply.  We will deduct this from your payments and the remaining balance will be refunded to you. You may be able to recover the cancellation fee via your travel insurance.

What if part of my group is unable to make the new dates?

If part of your group is unable to travel, the following options are available for their part of your booking.

  • You can choose to transfer their portion of the payments as a holding deposit for your group’s 2021/22 booking. Please note: Our minimum deposit for all future bookings will be £75 per person.
  • They can cancel their part of the booking.  As there are more than 56 days to departure the cancellation fee is £75 per person.  However, as a gesture of goodwill, we will convert the cancellation fee into 1st Tickets gift vouchers that can be used against any future booking they make with us.If they do not want the gift vouchers then, unfortunately, the cancellation fee will apply.  We will deduct this from the payments made and the remaining balance will be refunded to the original payment method. They may be able to recover the cancellation fee via their travel insurance.

We apologise that this is a variation from our original guidelines but given the rapidly changing situation and following advice from ABTOT and ABTA these are the guidelines that we have been recommended to apply.

We are working as quickly as possible to process all the revised bookings, although, given the circumstances, this may take us some time.

Thank you all for your understanding and patience during this time.

Brian Sheehan
Managing Director

1st Tickets Limited
Registered Office: Bedford i-Lab, Priory Business Park,
Stannard Way, Bedford, MK44 3RZ
Registered in England and Wales No: 06408068
Vat Registration No: GB 921 3460 53

Le Mans 24 Hours Official Agent
ABTA Member No. Y6318
Le Mans Classic Official Agent