Poor weather leads to cancellation of five of six national rallies
Five of the six rallies scheduled to take place in the UK and Ireland this weekend have been cancelled due to poor weather conditions
The highest profile event to fall is the Malcolm Wilson Stages, which was due to start from the M-Sport World Rally Team's headquarters in Cockermouth for a day's action on Saturday.
It is a round of the BTRDA Rally Series, the second rung on the British rally calendar ladder after the British Rally Championship.
Event organisers have confirmed they will look to reschedule the event.
A statement read: "The organisers cannot guarantee the safe running of the event because of the weather and travelling conditions.
"We have therefore decided that it will be safer to postpone the event - a suitable date will be sought!
"This decision has been made with great reluctance as rallying is about tackling weather conditions but simply getting to the event is not part of the competition."
The major concern for organisers has been the wellbeing of marshals and volunteers out on stages, as well as the ability to get to their relevant posts on a stage due to the conditions. Travelling to and from venues has also been difficult.
The Mid Wales Stages in Newtown was an event returning for 2018, and that has also been postponed from Sunday.
Multiple number one UK Top 40 artist John Newman was due to make his rally debut on the event.
The Donington Park Rally (Sunday) was slated to be the next round of the well-supported Motorsport News Circuit Rally Championship, but that has been delayed due to the weather.
The championship will invoke its right to hold another round as a point-scoring counter, the SMC Stages on April 15.
The Limerick Forest Rally has been postponed from Sunday until March 25 as the Republic of Ireland did not escape the bad weather either. It was set to be the next round of the most prestigious gravel series in the region, the Irish Forest Rally Championship.
The Bovington Stages in Dorset, a two-day (Saturday-Sunday) single-venue asphalt rally, has also been postponed, but the Roskirk Stages at the Three Sisters Kart circuit in Wigan will go ahead as planned on Sunday.
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