Any opportunity for APRC contenders Jean-Louis Leyraud, Brian Green, and Hayden Paddon to score bonus points at Rally New Caledonia were washed away last night. Torrential overnight rain in the mountains near La Foa made today’s stages, Katrikoin and Boghan, impassable and were cancelled by rally organisers.

Katrikoin is well-known as a rough and wet stage with a jungle canopy that can keep the road damp in the driest of conditions. But the amount of rain that fell overnight made it and the Boghan stage too dangerous for crews and rescue vehicles to negotiate.

Full APRC points are awared if at least 50% of an event is completed, but with all three drivers retiring during leg 1, no championship points can be awarded. And that means all the APRC crews will arrive in Queensland at the beginning of May on equal points.

Coverage of Rally New Caledonia will appear in the next APRC Live podcast, available for download in a few days time.

Photo courtesy of Henning.