Moto: Mosley fights to keep top job

Apr 4 2008 by Our Correspondent, Western Mail

MAX MOSLEY yesterday appeared to be hanging onto his job as president of the FIA by a thread.

Mosley is currently fighting for his career following the publication of revelations about his private life.

However, Mosley has bought himself some time as an extraordinary general assembly of the FIA has been called.

The assembly – comprising 222 national motoring organisations in 130 countries – is to discuss the “widespread publicity following an apparently illegal invasion” into Mosley’s privacy.

Given the logistics in bringing together the assembly members for such a meeting, which it is anticipated will take place in Paris, it is likely to be a few weeks before Mosley faces his peers.

By that stage, Mosley is perhaps anticipating the head of steam generated these past few days regarding his seemingly untenable position will have subsided.

Without question, the legal action threatened by Mosley earlier this week in a letter to all facets of the FIA will be ongoing, with a writ against a Sunday newspaper expected to be issued today.

Mosley cited “a covert investigation” being undertaken to discredit him, and it is almost certain he will pursue the angle of privacy.

Despite that, the hornets’ nest that currently rages around Mosley was given a further shake yesterday when four manufacturers in Formula One called his position into question.

BMW, Mercedes, Honda and Toyota produced statements in which they asserted a leading figure such as Mosley should maintain an impeccable public profile.

The quartet also believe the sport’s reputation has been damaged by this latest scandal, following swiftly on the heels of last season’s spy storm.

The statement from Toyota was the most strongly worded as it read, “Toyota Motorsport does not approve of any behaviour which could be seen to damage Formula One’s image, in particular any behaviour which could be understood to be racist or anti-Semitic.

“Senior figures within any sport or business must adhere to high standards of behaviour.”