Vatanen to stand against Mosley

Eurosport - Sat, 11 Jul 15:00:00 2009

Former World Rally champion Ari Vatanen has announced he will stand in October to become president of the FIA.

FORMULA 1 2009 Season 2009 Ari Vatanen - 0

The decision will pit the Finn against Max Mosley, should the controversial 69-year-old Briton decide to seek a fifth term in office.

"Responding to requests from many FIA member clubs, I shall stand for presidential elections of the FIA in October this year," Vatanen said in a statement. "I think the time has come for a change.

"My main focus is to reconcile views within the FIA and bring transparency to its stakeholders."

Mosley, who survived calls for his resignation after a sadomasochistic sex scandal last year, has been FIA president for the past 16 years.

He said last month that he would stand down as part of a peace deal with Formula One teams threatening a breakaway championship.

However, Mosley has since suggested that he could reconsider after accusing Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo of calling him a dictator and the teams of prematurely dancing on his grave.

He has also warned that the FIA's independence is under attack, with the carmakers seeking to diminish the body's role as defenders of motorists in general, and needed a strong president.

The FIA is F1's governing body as well as overseeing the World Rally Championship and other global competitions.

It groups 219 member clubs from 130 countries on five continents.

Vatanen, 57, was the winner of the WRC title in 1981 with future Benetton and BAR F1 team boss David Richards, now chairman of Prodrive and Aston Martin, as his co-driver.

The Finn was a member of the European Parliament from 1999 until this year.

Vatanen faces numerous hurdles if he is to have a real chance of winning the election, however. Under FIA rules, a candidate must name a 22-member 'cabinet' who will serve as his administration.

The cabinet must include a president of the senate, a deputy president for sport, a deputy president for automobile mobility and tourism, five members of the senate, seven vice-presidents of the FIA for sport and seven vice-presidents of the FIA for automobile mobility and tourism.

The naming of such a list is designed to ensure a candidate has broad support and is not just hoping to capitalise on an incumbent's unpopularity.

Reuters

Comment 1 - 18 of 38

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  1. I used to work as a mental health professional and­ Moseley is sectionable.....

    From carl, on Fri 10 Jul 6:49PM
  2. Comment hidden due to its low rating. Show

    Thats one out of the way now for Eccles cake

    From mark, on Fri 10 Jul 6:45PM
  3. Comment hidden due to its low rating. Show

    Nice to see someone standing up against max hope nobody­ else goes for it though as it could split the anti Max­ vote & let the turd back in

    From U R SOLES, on Fri 10 Jul 6:43PM

  4. Ari is so good looking much better then Max he gets my­ vote anyday.
    Shadow, Theres a moist place for you too­ XXXX

    From south shields brooks sister, on Fri 10 Jul 6:32PM

  5. Come on Harry go for it my son.

    From Shadow, on Fri 10 Jul 6:15PM

  6. About time

    From calvin_chann, on Fri 10 Jul 6:15PM

  7. Your right Mark, I checked FIA's website and they­ govern WRC plus about seven other regional rally­ championships. I think he would be a great fit!

    From StephanieS, on Fri 10 Jul 6:15PM

  8. I would suppose that Vatanen has already got a list of­ very qualified individuals to place in all the required­ positions for him to qualify for election. That he­ apparently has the support of the AAA and the ADAC, and­ very possibly the Scandanavian clubs as well, behind­ his candidacy is significant. My guess is that he also­ has significant support from the traditional Rally­ clubs thereby widening his support. I cannot believe­ that this is a last minute decision on his part. My­ guess is that, with his reputation as being typical­ very detail oriented, he would have been laying the­ groundwork for this effort for more than just a few­ days. That he has waited until possibly the latest­ possible time for announcing his candidacy should bear­ that out.

    My guess is that Ari has stolen the march­ on Mosley. Tended to a disaffected group of auto­ clubs, and received assurances of support from a­ sufficient number of such clubs to support a serious­ effort against Mosley, or any other candidate.

    We can­ all hope, can't we?

    From larsonrc41, on Fri 10 Jul 6:11PM

  9. I thought that the WRC was within the FIA and so this­ will affect WRC as well as F1?

    From Mark S, The Muppet, on Fri 10 Jul 5:54PM

  10. F1 should have nothing to do with the appointment. Its­ the best person for the job and motor sport in general.­ Lets get away from this current F1 dabacle its a­ disgrace. If this was happening within the WRC we would­ have heard nothing at all.

    Ari is a class act, he is a­ local politician in his own country and has never­ forsaken his roots in motor sport. Anyone who does not­ know him then watch Pikes Peak on Youtube and hang onto­ your pants.

    From johnedgington, on Fri 10 Jul 5:49PM

  11. Jeanette, go away & take that aborted foetus with­ you.

    From the real adrian, on Fri 10 Jul 5:32PM
  12. Comment hidden due to its low rating. Show

    sex pervert OAP maxine ```` .... PROMISED NOT to­ stand again in 2009

    shows just how worthless words­ are from that deplorable vile character

    He SHOULD go­ and NOT attempt to compete again

    From sunita139, on Fri 10 Jul 5:21PM

  13. Don't under estimate MM's cunning. Remember how­ he engineered the vote of no confidence against him­ after the stage managed McLarengate affair and the­ aftermath of the exposure in the News of the World­ (although that newspaper is a crock of @#$% and the two­ deserved each other). He is brilliant at getting his­ own way and putting others at fault. I hope he­ doesn't run for President again, I dread to think­ how he would go about discrediting Ari.

    From JOLYON, on Fri 10 Jul 4:41PM

  14. Why should the president have to be an F1 man? The FIA­ covers all aspects of motorsport, not just one­ (admittdly high profile) branch of circuit racing.

    From the real adrian, on Fri 10 Jul 4:12PM

  15. Is ari the right man for the job, maybe but he was a­ rally car driver and not F1
    ,but neither mind I hope he­ gets elected ans mad Max can go on a pension. but next­ to go should be eccelstone.

    From Peter, on Fri 10 Jul 4:04PM

  16. We need normality back in F1 if it means Ari then so be­ it.
    But watch your back Ari because Max wont play­ fair.
    Good luck to you.

    From , on Fri 10 Jul 4:02PM

  17. Agree totally. If the FIA members have any sense they­ will back Harry Vatman to the hilt.

    From the real adrian, on Fri 10 Jul 3:55PM

  18. Hooray!!! Perhaps we FINALLY have a chance to bring­ some semblance of order back into Motor Racing. I hope­ that Vatanen manages to form his "cabinet"­ and is elected. He will have a hard task in re-uniting­ the various factions in all forms of Motor Sport, not­ just F1. I wish him good luck in his task. If elected­ Vatanen will be a superb president of the FIA.

    From R, on Fri 10 Jul 3:52PM
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