BSB: Oulton Park round to be held behind closed doors

Due to the latest government guidelines released this week, fans will be unable to attend the Oulton Park round of the 2020 Bennetts British Superbike Championship next weekend (September 18-20).

MSV had been in talks with the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS) for some time regarding this race meeting, with the original intention of running it as a ‘pilot’ test event ahead of the planned return of spectators to all Elite sport from October 1.

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On Wednesday September 9 the Prime Minister revealed that this pilot programme would be revised following a recent nationwide spike in COVID-19 cases. Therefore, fans will be unable to visit Oulton Park next weekend.

There have been no fans at any BSB round so far this season, with the DCMS deeming the championship (alongside the British Touring Car Championship) to be an Elite sport just days before the season opener at Donington Park last month. This also led to there being no fans at Snetterton, whilst Silverstone had already confirmed that fans would be unable to attend the BSB meeting held there.

A statement released by MSV said:

“MSV can today (10/9) regretfully confirm that we will be unable to permit ticket or season pass holders to attend the Oulton Park round of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship on 18-20 September.

“Clearly this news will be disappointing, and we are very sorry for any inconvenience this will cause. We politely ask that affected Oulton Park customers do not contact us regarding their tickets – we intend to email all purchasers by email later today with further details, including how to claim a full refund.”

MSV’s statement also confirmed that the planned return of spectators at all Elite sport from October 1 is also currently being reviewed.

“The Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden recently stated that no firm decision has yet been made; only that details of changes will be announced soon,” the statement reads. “If this has any impact on the remaining 2020 Bennetts BSB rounds on MSV circuits, we will communicate an update as soon as information is available.

“All other race meetings on MSV circuits will go ahead as planned, with limited attendances and in full compliance with latest COVID-Secure guidelines.”

BSB fans will be able to watch all the racing from Oulton Park live on the Quest HD TV channel, which is available free-to-air.