Australian international events now under threat from FIA

[fpv_gtho]

FIA threaten Australian GP future
Ramifications of the Minardi fiasco



Photo F1-Live.com
Paul Stoddart has few friends at the FIA
The FIA has threatened to pull future Grand Prix events out of Australia after legal intervention in the Minardi team saga. Minardi's attempts to participate in this week's Australian GP without modifying their cars to new team regulations have dominated the headlines and led to team principal Paul Stoddart seeking a court injunction to overturn a stewards' ruling.

A judge in the Victorian Supreme Court on Friday ruled that the F1 minnows could participate in Saturday qualifying, even though it was in contravention of participation rules set down by the FIA before the start of the season.

Minardi's cars competed in Saturday's first qualifying session after team mechanics modified them overnight to 2005 specifications and were cleared by FIA stewards before morning practice. But FIA have taken a dim view of Stoddart's much-publicised actions and on Saturday issued a press release slamming the interference in their sport by Australia's legal system.

The FIA said that as a consequence if Australian laws and procedures allowed a judge to act in this manner then the future of world championship motorsport events in Australia were under threat.

FIA said they and their stewards were given no notice of Stoddart's legal proceedings and were given no opportunity to be in court when the judge ruled on the case.

"Apparently, the judge thought it right to interfere with the running of a major sporting event, overrule the duly appointed international officials and compel the governing body to allow cars to participate in breach of the international regulations, all this without first hearing both sides of the case," FIA's statement said.

"If Australian laws and procedures do indeed allow a judge to act in this way, it will be for the World Motor Sport Council to decide is a world championship motor sport event of any kind can ever again be held in Australia."

Stoddart's actions are known to have upset the sport's commercial powerbroker Bernie Ecclestone, who is said to have spoken to the Australian aviation millionaire team owner late Friday.

[Matra et Alpine]

Yep that's the potential fall-out of trying to do things like reverse a governing bodies rules by law courts.

If it's allowed then the FIA coudl face lots of court cases in the future and huge costs.
So it's easier to point out that if the law courts are goign to be used to turn over rules of a governing body then the governign body are RIGHT (IMHO) to say we won't support events in that country.

Stoddart is going to end up with a LOT of egg on his face and probably having to apologise "officially" to the FIA !!!!