Leading rally drivers say Scottish stage cancellation was right decision

The final test of day one on the Perth-based event had been scheduled to run in the dark, but the conditions were deemed too difficult to go back in there for a second run. The stage had been used on the Colin McRae Forest Stages Rally just a week earlier and, with heavy rain through the week, the surface had become badly cut up in places.

Scottish Rally champion David Bogie said: "We could have gone in there, but what were we going to gain from it? Not much, I don't think anybody would benefit from that. It would have been a bit of a mess in there and you've got to think, what if somebody does have an accident? It would have been really tricky to sort out. This was the right decision."

Rally leader Andreas Mikkelsen added: "Definitely, it was good that we didn't go to the stage. The organisers took the right decision."

Today's Stirlingshire stages have not been used since this event last year and are running in perfect condition. Today's action is based around a remote service in Callander, with heavy overnight rain forcing most of the crews to take a heavily cut tyre.