• Mosley Re-Elected As FIA President
• FIA World Motorsport Council Confirms 2006 F1 Rule Changes,...
• …Creates New Technology Commission & Makes Pit Fence A No Go Area,…
• …Reveals 20006 Formula One Calendar,…
• ….Plans Two Year World Rally Championship Seasons,….
• … Announces 2006 WTCC and GT Calendars
• Michelin Reacts to 2006 F1 Tyre Rules
• Citroen To Return to WRC in 2007
• Leading South African Motorsport Figure Dies
• Grand Am Refutes Magazine Story
• European biofuels research programme launched

As expected Max Mosley has been re-elected president of the Federation International de l’Automobile (FIA), the Paris, France based organisation that is, among other things, the governing body of international motorsport.

An FIA spokesman told the Reuters news agency that Mosley’s fourth term as the organisation’s president was confirmed by “universal acclamation” at a meeting of the FIA’s General Assembly in Rome, Italy.

As reported earlier Mosley was unopposed in the vote.

(Source: Reuters)

The FIA’s World Motor Sport Council also met in Rome this week where it took a number of decisions concerning FIA sanctioned championships and events including confirmation of the regulations for the 2006 FIA Formula One World Championship.

Among the new F1 rules approved was one allowing a driver to use seven sets of dry-weather tyres for each event with the requirement that all tyres used for qualifying and race must be of the same specification. Tyre changes will be permitted at any time during the race. In 2005 drivers were restricted to a single set of tyres for qualifying and the race.

The WMSC also rubber stamped a new ‘knockout’ system for determining grid positions for the race in which the slowest five cars will be eliminated from the qualifying session at fifteen minute intervals until the fastest ten remain. These will then contest the front rows of the grid in a final 20-minute session at the start of which they will be required to be carrying the amount of fuel with which they will start the race.

Among measures were approved by the WMSC for the 2008 F1 Championship were the introduction of the Centreline Downwash Generating wing, larger wheels with slick (non-grooved) tyres and a single tyre supplier. Subject to an 80% majority agreement by the Formula One Technical Working before the end of December 2005 these rules will be brought forward for introduction in 2007.

(Source: FIA)

Also confirmed at the meeting of the FIA World Motor Sport Council in Rome was the creation of an FIA Commission on Future Technologies that is intended to look at the introduction of new and future road-relevant technologies into motor sport.

Each major car manufacturer will be invited to nominate two members (a senior employee plus an academic) to join the commission.

In a safety related announcement the WMSC confirmed that race team personnel and spectators would be prohibited from climbing on the pit wall debris fence during or after any circuit race.

(Source: FIA)

The provisional calendar for the 2006 FIA Formula One World Championship confirmed at the WMSC meeting comprises 19 races, as in 2005, but features a number of scheduling changes.

The championship will start with the Bahrain Grand Prix on March 12 the Australian Grand Prix that has been the opening race since it moved to Melbourne in 1996 has been moved to April to avoid a clash with the 2006 Commonwealth Games, which take place in the city from March 15-26

The British Grand Prix has been moved from its traditional mid July date to June 11 ostensibly to avoid a clash with the football World Cup but the French Grand Prix is scheduled for July 11. The United States Grand Prix has been allocated a date on July 2, the country’s Independence Day holiday weekend.

(Source: FIA)

The World Motor Sport Council meeting confirmed that with effect from August 2007 the FIA World Rally Championship would be contested over two calendar years.

Following a truncated 2007 championship held between January and May, the 2007-8 championship will begin in August 2007 and end in May 2008.

A feature of the 2006 FIA World Rally Championship calendar released by the WMSC is the re-instatement of the Wales Rally GB as the closing round of series. In 2004 and 2005 this event was held in September but in 2006 the event is scheduled for December 1-3.

(Source: FIA)

… Announces 2006 WTCC and GT Calendars

The WMSC meeting confirmed an 11-race calendar for the 2006 FIA World Touring Car Championship, which will be an independent series next year having been partnered with the FIA GT Championship in 2005.

A commercial rights agreement with WTCC promoter KSO lasting until 2009 was also signed. Under the terms of the agreement the pan-European television company Eurosport, the parent company of KSO, will continue to be the host broadcaster for the WTCC and broadcast live coverage of every race.

The 10- round 2006 FIA GT Championship Calendar confirmed by the WMSC is due to start on April 23 with a race in streets of the Romanian capital Bucarest.

(Source: FIA)

French tyre company Michelin issued a statement in reaction to the changes in the regulations relating to tyres for the 2006 FIA Formula One World Championship.

In the statement the company says that it is “perplexed by the step backwards of the FIA's F1 regulation for 2006, felt to be incoherent with the FIA’s proclaimed policy to reduce costs. On October 26, 2005 the FIA’s World Motor Sport Council adopted new rules concerning the use of tyres in 2006: restoration of tyre changes during the race as well as increase in the number of tyres allotted per team. This is to be effective immediately for the 2006 season. This urgent change, without advance notice: Is incoherent with the cost reduction objectives sought by the FIA President Is a step backwards in regards to the 2005 regulations presented, at the time, by the FIA solely for cost reduction purposes. As a result, these new rules will immediately increase tyre development, production and logistics costs by 15% since, contrary to what has been said, the 2005 solutions can by no means be adapted to the new 2006 regulation.”

“This decision reveals a lack of technical understanding of the product and of what a tyre really is. In fact, tyre wear and grip are calculated to ensure an optimum performance for a specific distance. To switch from a tyre designed to run for 350 kms in 2005 to a tyre that can be changed every 100 kms (or less) in 2006 will require tyre manufacturers to design an entirely new generation of tyres and will therefore increase costs. As many have said and written in the past few weeks, we can only question the meaning behind this decision which negates all of the benefits of Michelin’s research in 2005 to design a tyre capable of running for 350 kms, allowing its partners to win 18 races throughout the year. Michelin, therefore, questions the FIA's hidden motivations for the 2006 F1 regulation. Once again, this event illustrates F1’s problems of incoherent decision-making and lack of transparency. In light of this situation, Michelin would like to thank its partner teams who did everything possible, unfortunately in vain, to inhibit a last minute new regulation returning, in fact, to previous regulations. “

(Source: Michelin)

French car manufacturer Citroen confirmed that it would return to the FIA World Rally Championship in 2007 after taking a sabbatical year in 2006.

WRC team principal Guy Frequelin said that new cost cutting measures being introduced by the FIA was behind the decision to return to the series.

Frequelin said, "The new regulations allow us to meet our budget targets. There is no longer anything standing in the way of our return to the sport.

We will be back in 2007 as we are now certain to have the required budget for the world championship.”

Frequelin also confirmed that Citroen’s 2004 and 2005 World Championship winning driver Sebastien Loeb would drive for a privately run Citroen team in 2006 while helping to develop a new car based on the manufacturer C4 model ahead of the factory teams return in 2007.

(Source: Reuters)

Dave Clapham, a key figure in the development of South African motorsport for more than 40 years, has passed away aged 74.

An active competitor from 1956 to 1975 in saloon cars and single seaters Clapham was also the manager of the Sports Car Cub of South Africa from 1960 to 1975. During that time he was responsible for the introduction of the Formula Vee and Formula Ford junior single seater categories to South Africa. Clapham was also behind the Formula Ford Sunshine Series that included a Driver to Europe prize, which launched 1979 Formula One World Champion Jody Scheckter into international racing in 1970.

(Source: SAPA)

The American Grand American Road Racing Association organisation has denied a story in the UK published F1 Business magazine that claimed that NASCAR, the US stockcar racing sanctioning body, which has an interest in GARRA, would launch “a Grand Am style championship” in Europe in 2007 as part of an expansion programme.

The Story states that “an initial $30 million has been allocated to get the series going, although an insider said this could stretch to as much as $50-100 million.”

Grand-Am director of communications Adam Saal told the Daily Sportscar.com website, “These are baseless reports and we are not sure how they originated. Our focus remains on North America.”

(Source: Daily Sportscar.com)

A European research project on biofuels development called ‘NILE’ has been launched by 11 EU Member States. Its target is to develop new competitive technologies for the production of ethanol fuel based on cellulosic biomass. It will be allocated a budget of €12.8 million, €7.7 million of which will be contributed by the European Commission over a period of four years.

(Source: Vehicle News)