A statement issued by the organising committee at Garilla Racing Kft. and Garzone s.r.o. on Wednesday evening said: “It is with great regret that we announce a difficult but necessary decision. Over recent years, the Municipality of Várpalota and Mayor Márta Campanari-Talabér have provided invaluable support to the event.

“Earlier today, two serious fires broke out on the outskirts of Várpalota and in the surrounding area in extremely close proximity to the competition venue. Several hundred hectares of grassland and woodland has been affected. The situation has been further compounded by the extreme temperatures of recent weeks and the prolonged lack of rain fall.

“The event will be postponed to a later date, which has yet to be confirmed. No sporting event can take precedence over public safety and the protection of the natural environment.”

This is the second round of the FIA European Baja Cup to be postponed in the space of three weeks. Organisers of Baja Spain Aragón were forced to reschedule the Teruel-based Spanish round of the series to mid-September for similar reasons.

Jérôme Roussel, FIA Cross-Country and Regional Rally Championships manager, said: “The FIA fully supports the decision of the Hungarian organisers to postpone the Hungarian Baja. We look forward to working with them to try and slot the event into the calendar later in the season.”