Rain forces cancellation of Heat One in Canberra

After a driver’s briefing took place on Saturday morning, organisers mulled over the thoughts of crews up and down the entry list, with the decision ultimately made to cancel the Heat.

The forecast of rain had already forced the cancellation of the Blue Range stage and the alteration of the Oakey Camp stage.

By late evening on Friday night, organisers had adjusted the itinerary to include three stages covering just over 25 competitive kilometres, enough to award only 50% of points in the Australian Rally Championship title race.

Heavy rain from around 5:30am on Saturday morning didn’t let up until past 10:30am, further soaking the stages that had already seen light rain throughout Friday.

The decision was then ultimately made to cancel the day’s action.

“Following careful consideration with our dedicated officiating team, due to the amount of water that has fallen and is continuing to fall, the decision has reluctantly been made to cancel Saturday’s stages of the 2024 Techworkz Automotive Rally of Canberra,” an event statement said.

“At the forefront of the decision is our team on the ground out in the weather and their safety, along with the safety of all teams and drivers, is paramount.

“We fully expect that we can run all stages on Sunday in the Kowen Forest, and our assessment crews will be out later this afternoon to assess whether that is possible.” 

Details on how the New South Wales Rally Championship event will look are yet to be revealed.