Terrorism fears have put the skids on the London to Cape Town Rally preventing father and daughter duo Terry Reynolds and Rhiannon Moore from competing in the race of their lives.

The ultimate rally challenge would have seen the thrill seeking pair drive through some of the most dangerous and inhospitable landscapes in the world — from the vast emptiness of the Sahara deserts to the jungles of the Congo.

It was due to start at the Houses of Parliament on New Year's Eve and finish at the Clock Tower in Cape Town 27 days later, and would have been Reynolds and Smith's first rally together.

But so treacherous are some parts of the African route, the organisers have been forced to cancel the inaugural rally due to concerns it could be "a target for terrorist activity or kidnapping".

Reynolds, who has resided in Bermuda for the past 20 years, said he and his 25-year-old daughter, a former Warwick Academy pupil, had decided to enter the Libya Rally Raid in March instead.

"It was a bit of a shock when I got the email," said Reynolds, whose daughter, Rhiannon, has been attempting to get her Bermudian driving licence.

"But if they feel the event could be the at risk of a terrorist attack then it's probably for the best.

"Philip Young, the organiser, is one of the best in the business and he couldn't get insurances because a lot of the African route is a red zone.

"It just would have been too dangerous to go."

Young, from the endurance rally association, broke the disappointing news to competitors earlier this week in an email.

"We were called yesterday to an emergency meeting with the UK Foreign Ministry at their London headquarters and told in the strongest possible terms that it is unsafe for us to run the London to Cape Town Rally due to a high risk of the rally being a high-profile target for terrorist activity or kidnapping," Young wrote.

"In the past year, seven French workers at a uranium mine we are passing on our route were kidnapped, and a border we use to cross into Niger was blown up and border guards shot."

Organisers had also been running into problems with getting insurance, rendering it impossible for the rally to go-ahead.

Young's email continued: "... the attitude of the British Government's Foreign Ministry has now had an immediate effect on our insurance company, who refuse to insure us for public and employers liability.

"We therefore cannot insure our staff who will accompany the event, nor do we have cover for any third party that may be injured or involved in an accident with any of the participants.

"To continue to run the rally would leave us open to a claim of negligence should any mishap occur to any entrant, marshall or bystander."

"... What is clear from the UK Ministry is simply this, "if you get into difficulties after ignoring our advice, don't turn to us for any help…don't knock on our door, even if it's only a lost passport."

Young said the race was cancelled, rather than postponed, as the terrorist threat was likely to increase in certain parts of Africa such as Algeria and Niger.

"Given these latest body-blows, we have no choice but to cancel the rally.

"We cannot simply postpone the rally as we have been told the terrorist threat will only increase in this part of the world and the situation will not change for some time."

Reynolds, who competed in the London to the Sahara Desert and back in 2001, said the vehicle he would be driving in the Libya Rally Raid would be completely different from the modified Ford Focus he built for the London to Cape Town Rally.

"We'll be driving in the –Sahara Desert in Libya and Tunisia and I need to get a –completely different vehicle for that.

"It will be an off-road, four-wheel drive rally raid car with special sand tyres, special everything really," said Reynolds, who got into racing year's ago driving Formula Four and Formula Four 2000 cars in the UK.

"I've never done a rally raid before.

"I've done a similar one along desert floors but this one will see us going up the dunes.

"It's very close to the Dakar. Rhiannon wants to come, she's 100 percent behind it."

Reynolds will still be raising money for the Doctors without Borders charity and any prospective sponsors can reach him on his cell 535 9597.