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PARIS: Max Mosley, 68, will remain president of Formula One’s
governing body, the FIA, after winning a vote of confidence on June
3 from its members following his involvement in a sadomasochist,
Nazi-themed sex scandal. FIA announced that Mosley had won 103 of
169 votes cast during an extraordinary general assembly at FIA
headquarters in Paris.
In the assembly, 55 delegates voted against the
motion, with seven abstentions and four invalid votes.
There had been mounting pressure for Mosley to
go from leading national motor sport federations and auto industry
giants in F1 such as BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Toyota and Honda, which
feared for their image and sponsorship money. But Mosley, who
appeared in a video on the Internet being beaten by prostitutes,
will now be able to carry on as FIA president.
Mosley has admitted taking part in the
hours-long orgy with five prostitutes but denied reports that there
were Nazi connotations involved and has launched a legal action
against the British newspaper, the News of the World. Mosley’s
father was a known fascist.
Many F1 teams have spoken out against the
conduct of Mosley, who has been the FIA president for 17 years and
whose current mandate expires in October 2009.
Nearly 20 of the 219 national member clubs had
called for Mosley’s resignation but he still enjoys wide support
among small national federations. US delegate Robert Darbelnet
expressed his disappointment with the outcome of the vote, and
warned that it could cause a rift within the FIA.
“We should not rush to judgment on this,”
said Darbelnet, president of the American Automobile Association,
which represents more than 50 million American motorists.
“But one of the potential ramifications is the
division or a split away from the organization that might in fact
provide an opportunity for like-minded clubs to find a
representative body in a different form.”
The German motoring federation, ADAC, one of the
most outspoken critics of Mosley and Europe’s biggest automobile
association, were quick to react to the vote: they broke off ties
with FIA.
“ADAC views with regret and incredulity the
FIA general assembly’s decision in Paris confirming Max Mosley in
office as FIA president,” ADAC said in a statement.
-- AFP
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