43 replies to this topic

[D.M.N.]

http://www.fiafounda...Foundation.aspx

 

David Ward, who has served for the last twelve years as the FIA Foundation’s Director General, has resigned. His Deputy, Saul Billingsley, has been appointed Acting Director General pending recruitment of a permanent successor.

 

David Ward has issued the following explanatory statement:
 
“After much careful thought I have decided to stand as a candidate in the 2013 FIA Presidential election. The election period begins in September and it will be necessary for me to approach FIA members to secure nominations. In these circumstances I think that the correct course of action is to resign. Election processes inevitably involve robust and lively debate, and whilst the Foundation is independent and there is no legal requirement for me to resign, I believe that it is in the best interests of the charity that I stand down now."

[Slackbladder]

Hmmm Mosleys old buddy.

 

What does this mean in terms of any practical implications (if Ward wins) I wonder.. Todt's been rather anonomous as FIA president I feel. 

[Gilles4Ever]

Excellent bit of background by Dieter Rencken from the beginning of the month. 

The fight for the FIA presidency

The first, though not necessarily last, candidate to challenge Jean Todt for the FIA presidency emerged last month. Dieter Rencken looks at the story behind David Ward 

[Afterburner]

I remember reading a while ago that someone suggested he'd be a token candidate--if he's resigning from his post just to run, I'd say he's obviously quite serious about it unless he doesn't expect to win and is looking for an excuse to retire.

[maverick69]

Hmmm Mosleys old buddy.

 

What does this mean in terms of any practical implications (if Ward wins) I wonder.. Todt's been rather anonomous as FIA president I feel.

 

Just what was needed after the chaotic reign of Spanky.......

[KWSN - DSM]

We should not delude ourselves to think that the FIA or any other international sporting authority are democracies, they are run by a form of old boys network, with the various fractions each getting their piece of the pie. Ward may or may not be a token candidate, I have no idea but expect that Todt eventually does declare himself as a candidate and that he will win easily. If Ward is then given a new prestigious job within the FIA, we can expect that it was nothing but a token run.

Even though I do not expect it to be a democratic exercise, I think it good that some opposition is showing.

My vote would go to Todt regardless of who else was running.

[Wingcommander]

Who? He doesnt have a chance.

[JHSingo]

Didn't Rencken suggest that there is potentially a third, higher profile candidate, who may well throw his hat into the ring as well?

[Gilles4Ever]

Didn't Rencken suggest that there is potentially a third, higher profile candidate, who may well throw his hat into the ring as well?

Yes he did, someone who will just be using the FIA presidency as a stepping stone to greater things.

Something else that must be noted, Todt is yet to announce he is standing for reelection.

[undersquare]

Didn't Todt originally say he would only do one term and not stand for re-election?

[Gilles4Ever]

Didn't Todt originally say he would only do one term and not stand for re-election?

Yes he did though I will e damned if I can find an actual quote, only a reference to the fact by Will Buxton in his blog

 

Edit: Found it http://www.crash.net...r_one_term.html

[Gilles4Ever]

So Rencken's comments probably mean a 3 way fight excluding Todt who has his sights on another office.

According to well-placed sources, a respected, global automotive executive has designs on the office situated at 8 Place de la Concorde, 75008 Paris. A three-way fight surely looms.

 

[eronrules]

it's all fine and dandy, this ward dude against todt

 

but

 

what does this mean for the general motorsport fans (specially F1 fans)??? i mean

 

-what is the implication of who gets to be FIA president??? 

-does this Ward guy has shady background or is a foot-licker of bernie E???

-what bearing does the past connection with MAx Mosely has with this Ward guy???

-why would anyone care if Todt is replaced??? he wasn't as visible as Max mosely IIRC.

-what connection does LDM has with Todt and how he can influence the outcome of the election???

-is LDM the surprise 3rd candidate??

-how will this affect the running of Formula 1???

-Finally, again, why should a Motorsport fan should care about this election and the power struggle??? (in laymans term ofcourse)

as a member of the 'Formula 1' worshiper club, i'd like anyone the shed some lights on this please 

[lustigson]

Interesting to note from, I believe, Rencken's article, is that Ward supported Todt's candidacy last time around.

[JHSingo]

it's all fine and dandy, this ward dude against todt

 

but

 

what does this mean for the general motorsport fans (specially F1 fans)??? i mean

 

-what is the implication of who gets to be FIA president??? 

-does this Ward guy has shady background or is a foot-licker of bernie E???

-what bearing does the past connection with MAx Mosely has with this Ward guy???

-why would anyone care if Todt is replaced??? he wasn't as visible as Max mosely IIRC.

-what connection does LDM has with Todt and how he can influence the outcome of the election???

-is LDM the surprise 3rd candidate??

-how will this affect the running of Formula 1???

-Finally, again, why should a Motorsport fan should care about this election and the power struggle??? (in laymans term ofcourse)

as a member of the 'Formula 1' worshiper club, i'd like anyone the shed some lights on this please 

 

Personally, I'd be more interested to hear what it means for general motorsport fans (excluding F1).

 

F1 sort of takes care of itself thanks to Bernie, and the FIA should be concentrating on other things, like helping the WRC become stronger again, and sorting out the absolute mess that is the world of junior single seater racing in Europe.

 

As I've said before on this forum, the reason I like Todt as FIA president is that he IS aware that there is other forms of racing, besides F1. He came through rallying, and was part of Peugeot's Le Mans team in the early 90s.

 

Mosley wasn't like that. He came through F1, and seemed to be an F1 exclusive guy. I can't recall him attending rounds of the WRC, or turning up at Le Mans, like Todt has done, for instance. So to hear that Ward is (for want of a better word) a Mosleyite, concerns me.

 

Maybe I'm wrong, but he doesn't really seem to have been as present in motorsport over the years as Todt has.

 

It'll be interesting to see how it develops though.

[Atreiu]

Just what was needed after the chaotic reign of Spanky.......

 

A lower profile was definitely needed, but it doesn't stop there.

 

It seems more as if he simply followed along as things developped instead of taking a firm yet discrete comand. Or maybe my perception is totally skewed by mainly associating FIA with F1 and nothing else. Still...

 

Anyhow, what cna be expected form Ward if he eventually is elected?

Edited by Atreiu, 29 August 2013 - 15:48.

[BRG]

It seems more as if he simply followed along as things developed instead of taking a firm yet discrete command. Or maybe my perception is totally skewed by mainly associating FIA with F1 and nothing else. 

You want the FIA to be a dictatorship?  That was the Mosley style (it ran in his family of course) and it stank.  Todt perhaps sees his role more as the head of state, with the various Commissions - made up of people with the right experience and with stakes in their particular bit of the sport - making most of the running.  Which is a far healthier way to run things.  I hope that any successor follows Todt's example.

[Atreiu]

You want the FIA to be a dictatorship?  That was the Mosley style (it ran in his family of course) and it stank.  Todt perhaps sees his role more as the head of state, with the various Commissions - made up of people with the right experience and with stakes in their particular bit of the sport - making most of the running.  Which is a far healthier way to run things.  I hope that any successor follows Todt's example.

 

Of course not, don't overreact.

[BRG]

Of course not, don't overreact.

Don't overreact?  But this is an Internet Forum, I thought that was what you were supposed to do?

[KWSN - DSM]

Don't overreact?  But this is an Internet Forum, I thought that was what you were supposed to do?

Al Gore did not give us the internet to overreact.

[Viryfan]

So Rencken's comments probably mean a 3 way fight excluding Todt who has his sights on another office.

 

Carlos Tavares?

[Myrvold]

I'm extremely disappointed with Todt and his handle of WRC, so, bring in a new guy!

[dau]

-is LDM the surprise 3rd candidate??

Nah. It says "respected".

[eronrules]

Nah. It says "respected".

flavio briatore  ????    

[BRG]

I'm extremely disappointed with Todt and his handle of WRC, so, bring in a new guy!

I know what you mean.  As a former top level rally co-driver and then rally team manager, i thought he would take a more positive approach to rallying in general, compared to Mosley and Balestre who knew zero about it and cared even less.  I guess Ari Vatanen would have been better had he won the election.

 

But sadly, no candidates with any hope of success are going to be rally people.

Edited by BRG, 29 August 2013 - 20:07.

[Bloggsworth]

What! No poll?

[SanDiegoGo]

Way too late in the day to be considered a serious candidate. Todt has already been securing votes for months, now.

[JHSingo]

I know what you mean.  As a former top level rally co-driver and then rally team manager, i thought he would take a more positive approach to rallying in general, compared to Mosley and Balestre who knew zero about it and cared even less.  I guess Ari Vatanen would have been better had he won the election.

 

But sadly, no candidates with any hope of success are going to be rally people.

 

To be fair, the WRC hasn't really helped itself in the last few years, and I seem to remember that any suggestion Todt made was met with a load of moaning and gnashing of teeth from teams/other people involved. Hard to do much when everyone just says "no" to everything you say, whether you're the FIA president or not...

[HaydenFan]

Todt has been good. Not sure if his doing to the natural trend of the sport, but rallying changed greatly during his tenure. WTCC kinda has died off at bit (mostly due to BMW leaving it's factory supported teams for DTM), and national series have rebounded (not directly due to Todt as president, much more the economy is one a small upswing). 

 

But I really thought, at least for F1, Mad Max Mosley got stuff done. Most of what F1 is doing now if a product of things introduced/proposed by Max and the gang on the final years before he exited. I think a guy like Ward who was a big part of Max's gang would at least be better for F1. Does he care much for the other series? Maybe not, probably not, but those series seem to work well without major FIA intervention in the past, and would still grow/shrink whether the FIA is 100% behind them or not. 

[packapoo]

Endeavouring to swap many high-flying and meaningless sinecures for just the one sinecure that Todt has presently?

Go for it!  

[SophieB]

Dramatic news!

 

Telegraph: FIA presidential candidate David Ward is to refer the conduct of his rival, incumbent Jean Todt, to the Ethics Committee of world motorsport’s governing body, it emerged on Monday night

 

Ward believes that Todt has used various regional meetings of FIA member clubs to help secure block votes before the election was officially called, by encouraging the practice of ‘support letters’ which are signed en masse.

It is understood that two meetings in particular are under the microscope, one involving 23 Pan-American FIA mobility and sport clubs in Uruguay at the beginning of March and the other a meeting of 15 Asia Pacific region ASNs (National Sporting Authorities) in Thailand in April.

 

 

[Gilles4Ever]

And the real threat to Todt steps into the fray?

[stillOrange]

Well, that is a proper threat to Todt.

[Gilles4Ever]

Dimi PAPADOPOULOS @f1enigma

Its going to be epic! Remember that Ward wants a President and a CEO at FIA so maybe this is the plan? 

[SophieB]

@adamcooperf11m

David Ward has failed to land enough support from the FIA membership to be nominated for the presidential election

 

‏@adamcooperf12m

That means the upcoming FIA presidential election will feature Jean Todt and, err, nobody else. Tough choice for the voters...

[stillOrange]

Let's be honest, Ward was never a serious contender for Todt. Never.

[Fastcake]

Democracy in the finest Mosleyite traditions there.

[dau]

Doesn't come as a surprise. Ward never had a real chance after all, but with the current election requirements it's going to be a loooong time until Todt needs to be concerned, even if there should be suitable candidates one day. I'm not sure whether that's good or not, Todt has been more or less invisible so far.

[Tonka]

It's obvious the way that elections are carried out by the FIA are not acceptable, in fact it stinks.  If the EU can tell the FIA to sell off the commercial rights to Bernie, I don't see why they can't ensure the election of the FIA president is carried out to normal democratic standards.

[Dalton007]

Didn't Todt originally say he would only do one term and not stand for re-election?

 

Absolute power corrupts absolutely.

[X61]

Doesn't come as a surprise. Ward never had a real chance after all, but with the current election requirements it's going to be a loooong time until Todt needs to be concerned, even if there should be suitable candidates one day. I'm not sure whether that's good or not, Todt has been more or less invisible so far.

I believe it's good that he has been invisible so far.  I view his position much like a referee in any other sport--the only reason you would hear about them or be discussing them is if they royally screwed something up.

[BRG]

It's obvious the way that elections are carried out by the FIA are not acceptable, in fact it stinks.  If the EU can tell the FIA to sell off the commercial rights to Bernie, I don't see why they can't ensure the election of the FIA president is carried out to normal democratic standards.

Every normal democracy that I know of sets some basic standards that a candidate has to meet before they can stand for election.  This is to stop there being several million candidates, of which 99.9% would be certifiable loonies, standing at each election and costing the public purse a fortune.  The FIA require that a candidate is nominated by a certain number of members before he can stand for election.  Ward has failed to meet that requirement.  End of story.  If he really was Mosley's protege, he would have known how to buy enough support.....

[SophieB]

@fia5m
#FIAAGA: Jean #Todt re-elected for a second term as #FIA President at federation’s Annual General Assembly in Paris this morning.

[chunder27]

Vatanen should have been elected in the first place

 

He has much more respect among far more countries and isnt totally F1 blinkered. And would certainly have managed to get more support in areas previously bereft of motorsport like Africa. Where it maybe isnt vaild but possible.

 

but I dont think Todt is a bad president and nowhere near as charmless and political as Mosley who was almost as bad as Balestre at times.