This year will mark the 50th anniversary of the Rally of the Tall Pines, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, there will be no grand celebration.
Rally Coordinator Bruce Leonard spoke to Bancroft council on Wednesday to detail how this year’s event will go.
“The celebrations will be a little muted,” he told them. Mayor of Bancroft Paul Jenkins said he hopes that next year the celebration that would have been done this year can be held. Leonard said that’s his hope as well. “We need to recognize this,” the Mayor said.
As for the 2020 rally, Leonard says on top of other safety guidelines, no spectators will be allowed this year. That means the popular spectator points along the rally’s route will be removed this year. Leonard said the route itself will not change. He added that they anticipate the same closure times as in previous years.
Access to the rally’s hub at the Dungannon Recreation Centre will also be restricted to only essential staff members. For drivers, a maximum of four people – including driver and co-driver – will be allowed. There will also not be a formal morning send-off or podium celebration.
“It’s all being done to dial back the number of people coming,” Leonard said.
“We’re not expecting any big teams to come to the event,” he added. That being said, Leonard pointed out that the Canadian Rally Championship season will continue on and it’s expected that TSN will air the event as they have done in past years. “I know that we can run a safe and successful event that can promote Bancroft,” Leonard said.
Bancroft council approved a two-year agreement ahead of the 2019 Rally of the Tall Pines to run the event in town, so council didn’t need to approve what was being put forward.
This year’s Rally of the Tall Pines will be held on November 20th and 21st.