Former Ferrari boss takes over FIA Single-Seater Commission
Sun, Dec 7 2014The FIA Single-Seater Commission, for those unfamiliar, is responsible for organizing and fostering the ladder of formula racing – right up to (but not including) Formula One. The presidency of the commission was previously held by Gerhard Berger, former F1 driver and Toro Rosso team principal, who was largely credited with the rebirth of the FIA Formula 3 European Championship and the founding of the FIA Formula 4 category. Before Berger the position was held by racing consultant Barry Bland, and serving alongside Domenicali as vice-president of the commission will be John Ryan of the UK's Motor Sports Association (MSA).
In taking over the commission, Domenicali will be charged with further defining a clear progression for aspiring racers to graduate to increasingly more challenging forms of open-wheel racing. He recently served as well on the special Accident Panel that looked into the Jules Bianchi incident. In that regard he seems to be following a similar trajectory to his predecessor Jean Todt, who was elected president of the FIA shortly after leaving his long career at Ferrari.
The FIA appointment, however, isn't the only thing Domenicali has been working on lately. He was also recently hired by Audi in an undisclosed capacity that is said to include evaluating prospects for the German automaker's potential future F1 program.
FIA Annual General Assembly
FRI 05.12.14
The FIA Annual General Assembly, held in Doha, Qatar, today (5 December 2014), marked the end of the annual meeting week attended by Sport and Mobility FIA Member Clubs from around the world and which culminates with the FIA Prize-Giving ceremony this evening. The FIA President, Jean Todt, along with Senate President Nick Craw and Deputy Presidents Brian Gibbons and Graham Stoker, welcomed the delegates to the meeting and, on behalf of the General Assembly, thanked hosts Nasser Khalifa Al Attiyah and the Qatar Motor and Motorcycle Federation (QMMF) for their warm hospitality and assistance. His Excellency, Salah bin Ghanem bin Nasser Al Ali, Minister of Youth and Sport was also present to welcome the General Assembly to Qatar.
In his opening address, FIA President Jean Todt underlined the direct support the FIA has been able to provide to its member clubs through training programmes and grants, which have been significantly increased over the past year. In Sport, he noted the work which has been made to build a single-seater pathway for young talent to follow from grassroots level to the pinnacle of motor sport, F1. The advancement of sustainability in sport has been a priority of the past year, with new hybrid technologies promoted in the FIA Formula One World Championship and the FIA World Endurance Championship, and the launch of the new FIA Formula E Championship.
In Mobility, the FIA University and regional training programmes have been expanded, while a Connected Car taskforce has been established to help prepare clubs for this challenge. The FIA President stressed the FIA's commitment and determination to continue to improve safety both on the track and the road, and the further progress made to build new partnerships with leading international bodies and private partners. He thanked FIA Foundation President Tim Keown and FIA Institute President Gerard Saillant for their ongoing strong cooperation, and welcomed the appointment of the new Secretary General of Mobility Andrew McKellar.
The following decisions were taken during the meeting:
Amendments to the FIA Statutes
Amendments have been made to the FIA Statutes, following the work of the Statutes Review Commission (SRC), in order to better service the interests of the FIA and its members today and in the future. These amendments are as follows:
Clubs' support for the presidential list
The General Assembly agreed to reduce the number of Clubs that have to declare their support for any presidential list and to retain a fixed number of six per each statutory category (ACNs, Mobility Clubs, ASNs), i.e. 18 different Clubs representing about 10% of the FIA Members having the right to vote at the General Assembly.
Senate supervision of the electoral procedures
The General Assembly decided to formalise the competence of the Senate with regard to the monitoring of the electoral operations (granted in 2013) in the FIA Statutes (admissibility of the candidatures, list of those Members authorised to vote, etc).
Statutory mechanism regarding the management of FIA Members' debts
The recommendation was approved to establish a simple time-based criterion for when an FIA Member's debts are in arrears and the strengthening of the system of penalties incurred in such an event.
Rules governing the Senate
Recommendations were approved not to include any Senate member, who has a financial or personal conflict of interest regarding the vote submitted, in the number of voting members and to consider a procedure for replacing temporarily the President of the Senate in the event that the latter would be conflicted.
Nominations Committee
A proposal was approved to establish a Nominations Committee, based on the model of the FIA Judicial Appointment Committee, which will have the exclusive competence to make recommendations to the competent bodies of the FIA concerning the election of the members of the International Tribunal, the International Court of Appeal, the Anti-Doping Disciplinary Committee and the Ethics Committee.
Report from the Ethics Committee
In the event that the FIA President or any other elected person appearing on the presidential list is the subject of an investigation by the Ethics Committee, it was decided that the report will be sent to the Senate which will be entrusted with the power to decide whether or not to instigate disciplinary proceedings.
Composition and operation of the Ethics Committee
To strengthen the independence of the Ethics Committee, the following recommendations were approved:
- That the exercise of the role of a member of the Ethics Committee be made incompatible with the exercise of any role whatsoever within a body of the FIA (World Councils, Senate, etc.). This rule comes into effect immediately, and applies to all the members of the Ethics Committee.
- To add a new member who will exercise the role of "President" of the Ethics Committee. The exercise of this role would be incompatible with the exercise of any role whatsoever within a body of the FIA (World Councils, Senate, etc.) or within an FIA Member Club. The President of the Ethics Committee will be elected by the General Assembly and have the casting vote in the event of an even vote.
- To provide that only the President of the Ethics Committee will be required to have cumulatively a legal experience and an experience in matters of ethics.
Electronic participation and voting in FIA meetings
The SRC recommendations were approved to extend to all the FIA bodies (and under specific conditions at the General Assembly) the possibility to participate by any electronic means to the meeting of these bodies and to vote by correspondence.
Judicial and Disciplinary Rules
Proposals of the Congress of the International Tribunal (IT) and of the International Court of Appeal (ICA) to clarify the status of third parties in proceedings before the IT and ICA were approved and relevant amendments adopted.
International Historical Commission
The General Assembly approved two new Vice Presidential positions on the Commission to be filled by Jan Dyck (BEL) and Franz Graf zu Ortenburg (DEU), under the Presidency of Michel de Thomasson.
International Tribunal and International Court of Appeal
The General Assembly approved the recommendations from the Judicial Appointment Committee with regard to the following candidatures for election as judges on the IT and ICA for a full 3-year term of office starting on 1 January 2015.
International Tribunal:
Ethics Committee
The General Assembly elected the new President of the Ethics Committee and three members to be renewed. The members, who will serve from 2015-2018, are:
Francois Bellanger (CH-FRA), elected as President
Robert Darbelnet (USA)
Henry Peter (CH)
Gabriela Barreto (PRT)
They will serve alongside existing members Ajmalul Hossain (GBR-BGD) and Viviane Monteiro (BRA).
Anti-Doping Disciplinary Committee
The General Assembly approved the re-nomination of four members to the Anti-Doping Disciplinary Committee proposed by the WMSC. The members, who will serve from 2015-2017, are:
Jan Stovicek (CZE), elected as President
Cem Boneval (TUR)
Phil Rayner (GBR)
Gerard Martin (BEL)
Sporting Commissions
The composition of the Sporting Commissions was approved as follows:
Members of the World Council for Automobile Mobility and Tourism (WCAMT)
The General Assembly agreed to co-opt the following members:
- Frits van Bruggen (ANWB, The Netherlands) to replace Guido van Woerkom, on proposal of Region I
- Peter Joyce (AAA, Australia) to replace Ajmalul Hossain (AAB, Bangladesh) on proposal of Region II
- Bernard Tay (AA Singapore) to replace Takayoshi Yashiro (JAF, Japan) on proposal of Region II
- Dhammika Attygalle (AACeylon, Sri Lanka) to replace T.K. Malhotra (FIAA, India) on proposal of Region II
President of Region II
Takayoshi Yashiro (JAF) was elected as President of Region II.
New FIA member
The FIA is proud to enlarge its membership and international representation by welcoming Auto Sport d'Haiti (Sporting / Automobile mobility and tourism competence) into its structure.
Membre d'Honneur
The General Assembly is pleased to nominate Guido van Woerkom (ANWB, The Netherlands) as a Membre d'Honneur on proposal of the WCAMT.
FIA Financial Accounts and Budget
The FIA Membership has unanimously approved the 2013 FIA Financial Accounts and the 2015 FIA Budget.
Date of next meeting
The 2015 FIA Annual General Assembly and Prize Giving Ceremony will take place in Paris, France, on 11 December.
FRI 05.12.14
The FIA Annual General Assembly, held in Doha, Qatar, today (5 December 2014), marked the end of the annual meeting week attended by Sport and Mobility FIA Member Clubs from around the world and which culminates with the FIA Prize-Giving ceremony this evening. The FIA President, Jean Todt, along with Senate President Nick Craw and Deputy Presidents Brian Gibbons and Graham Stoker, welcomed the delegates to the meeting and, on behalf of the General Assembly, thanked hosts Nasser Khalifa Al Attiyah and the Qatar Motor and Motorcycle Federation (QMMF) for their warm hospitality and assistance. His Excellency, Salah bin Ghanem bin Nasser Al Ali, Minister of Youth and Sport was also present to welcome the General Assembly to Qatar.
In his opening address, FIA President Jean Todt underlined the direct support the FIA has been able to provide to its member clubs through training programmes and grants, which have been significantly increased over the past year. In Sport, he noted the work which has been made to build a single-seater pathway for young talent to follow from grassroots level to the pinnacle of motor sport, F1. The advancement of sustainability in sport has been a priority of the past year, with new hybrid technologies promoted in the FIA Formula One World Championship and the FIA World Endurance Championship, and the launch of the new FIA Formula E Championship.
In Mobility, the FIA University and regional training programmes have been expanded, while a Connected Car taskforce has been established to help prepare clubs for this challenge. The FIA President stressed the FIA's commitment and determination to continue to improve safety both on the track and the road, and the further progress made to build new partnerships with leading international bodies and private partners. He thanked FIA Foundation President Tim Keown and FIA Institute President Gerard Saillant for their ongoing strong cooperation, and welcomed the appointment of the new Secretary General of Mobility Andrew McKellar.
The following decisions were taken during the meeting:
Amendments to the FIA Statutes
Amendments have been made to the FIA Statutes, following the work of the Statutes Review Commission (SRC), in order to better service the interests of the FIA and its members today and in the future. These amendments are as follows:
Clubs' support for the presidential list
The General Assembly agreed to reduce the number of Clubs that have to declare their support for any presidential list and to retain a fixed number of six per each statutory category (ACNs, Mobility Clubs, ASNs), i.e. 18 different Clubs representing about 10% of the FIA Members having the right to vote at the General Assembly.
Senate supervision of the electoral procedures
The General Assembly decided to formalise the competence of the Senate with regard to the monitoring of the electoral operations (granted in 2013) in the FIA Statutes (admissibility of the candidatures, list of those Members authorised to vote, etc).
Statutory mechanism regarding the management of FIA Members' debts
The recommendation was approved to establish a simple time-based criterion for when an FIA Member's debts are in arrears and the strengthening of the system of penalties incurred in such an event.
Rules governing the Senate
Recommendations were approved not to include any Senate member, who has a financial or personal conflict of interest regarding the vote submitted, in the number of voting members and to consider a procedure for replacing temporarily the President of the Senate in the event that the latter would be conflicted.
Nominations Committee
A proposal was approved to establish a Nominations Committee, based on the model of the FIA Judicial Appointment Committee, which will have the exclusive competence to make recommendations to the competent bodies of the FIA concerning the election of the members of the International Tribunal, the International Court of Appeal, the Anti-Doping Disciplinary Committee and the Ethics Committee.
Report from the Ethics Committee
In the event that the FIA President or any other elected person appearing on the presidential list is the subject of an investigation by the Ethics Committee, it was decided that the report will be sent to the Senate which will be entrusted with the power to decide whether or not to instigate disciplinary proceedings.
Composition and operation of the Ethics Committee
To strengthen the independence of the Ethics Committee, the following recommendations were approved:
- That the exercise of the role of a member of the Ethics Committee be made incompatible with the exercise of any role whatsoever within a body of the FIA (World Councils, Senate, etc.). This rule comes into effect immediately, and applies to all the members of the Ethics Committee.
- To add a new member who will exercise the role of "President" of the Ethics Committee. The exercise of this role would be incompatible with the exercise of any role whatsoever within a body of the FIA (World Councils, Senate, etc.) or within an FIA Member Club. The President of the Ethics Committee will be elected by the General Assembly and have the casting vote in the event of an even vote.
- To provide that only the President of the Ethics Committee will be required to have cumulatively a legal experience and an experience in matters of ethics.
Electronic participation and voting in FIA meetings
The SRC recommendations were approved to extend to all the FIA bodies (and under specific conditions at the General Assembly) the possibility to participate by any electronic means to the meeting of these bodies and to vote by correspondence.
Judicial and Disciplinary Rules
Proposals of the Congress of the International Tribunal (IT) and of the International Court of Appeal (ICA) to clarify the status of third parties in proceedings before the IT and ICA were approved and relevant amendments adopted.
International Historical Commission
The General Assembly approved two new Vice Presidential positions on the Commission to be filled by Jan Dyck (BEL) and Franz Graf zu Ortenburg (DEU), under the Presidency of Michel de Thomasson.
International Tribunal and International Court of Appeal
The General Assembly approved the recommendations from the Judicial Appointment Committee with regard to the following candidatures for election as judges on the IT and ICA for a full 3-year term of office starting on 1 January 2015.
International Tribunal:
| Name |
Nationality |
Prosposed by |
||
| ANSELMI Laurent |
Monaco |
Automobile Club of Monaco |
||
| HARRIS Chris |
United States |
Automobile Competition Committee for the United States / F1 Teams (8) |
||
| LEROY |
France |
Federation Francaise du Sport Automobile / F1 Teams (8) |
||
| MARTIN Gerard |
Belgium |
Royal Automobile Club of Belgium |
International Court of Appeal:
| Name |
Nationality |
Proposed by |
||
| JULLIARD Thierry |
Switzerland |
Auto Sport Suisse / F1 Teams (8) |
||
| McLAREN Richard |
Canada |
F1 Teams (8) |
||
| MILES David |
Australia |
Confederation of Australian Motor Sport |
||
| ROBERTI de WINGHE Philippe |
Belgium |
Royal Automobile Club of Belgium |
||
| SHETTY Nish Kumar |
Singapore |
Singapore Motor Sports Association / F1 |
||
| STOVICEK Jan |
Czech Republic |
Autoclub of the Czech Republic / F1 Teams (8) |
||
| TOURIGNY Pierre |
Canada |
ASN Canada |
||
| ZERAIK Felippe |
Brazil |
Confederacao Brasileira de Automobilismo |
Ethics Committee
The General Assembly elected the new President of the Ethics Committee and three members to be renewed. The members, who will serve from 2015-2018, are:
Francois Bellanger (CH-FRA), elected as President
Robert Darbelnet (USA)
Henry Peter (CH)
Gabriela Barreto (PRT)
They will serve alongside existing members Ajmalul Hossain (GBR-BGD) and Viviane Monteiro (BRA).
Anti-Doping Disciplinary Committee
The General Assembly approved the re-nomination of four members to the Anti-Doping Disciplinary Committee proposed by the WMSC. The members, who will serve from 2015-2017, are:
Jan Stovicek (CZE), elected as President
Cem Boneval (TUR)
Phil Rayner (GBR)
Gerard Martin (BEL)
Sporting Commissions
The composition of the Sporting Commissions was approved as follows:
| President |
Vice President |
|||
| World Rally Championship |
C. Barbosa (PRT) |
R. Reid (GBR) |
||
| Rally Commission |
A. Barfull (ESP) |
U-M. Schmidt |
||
| Cross-Country Rally |
R. Schilling (ZAF) |
F. Gallagher (GBR) |
||
| GT Commission |
C. Schacht (GER) |
S. Atherton (USA) |
||
| Touring Car Commission |
A. Gow (GBR) |
A. Craig (USA) |
||
| Hill-Climb Commission |
P. Gutjahr (CHE) |
S. Minarik (CZE) |
||
| Historic Motor Sport Commission |
P. Cantarella (ITA) |
HRH Prince |
||
| Off-Road Commission |
A. Lasure (BEL) |
W. Szaniawski |
| Drag Racing Commission |
G. Light (USA) |
L. Pettersson (SWE) |
| Truck Racing Commission |
M. Vidal (ESP) |
L. Gallucci (BEL) |
| Electric & New Energy |
B. Goeschel (DEU) |
R. Lanzafame (ITA) |
| Circuits Commission |
R. Peart (CAN) |
T. Schenken (AUS) |
| Homologation Regulations |
D. Fausel (CHE) |
M. de Mello Breyner (PRT) |
| Medical Commission |
Prof. G. Saillant (FRA) |
Prof. J-C. Piette |
| Land Speed Records |
D. Dean (USA) |
B. Swaner (SWE) |
| Safety Commission |
P. Wright (GBR) |
M. Guenther (DEU) |
| Women in Motor Sport |
M. Mouton (FRA) |
R. Nabulsi (JOR) |
||
| Volunteers & Officials |
M. Tahincioglu (TUR) |
A. Dean-Lewis |
||
| Single-Seater Commission |
S. Domenicali (ITA) |
J. Ryan (GBR) |
||
| Endurance Commission |
Sir L. Owen-Jones |
|||
| Drivers' Commission |
E. Fittipaldi |
T. Kristensen (DK) |
||
| CIK/International Karting |
A. Al Khalifa (BRN) |
K. van de Grint (NDL) |
||
| Closed Road Commission |
A. Vatanen (EST) |
J. Bartos (POL) |
Members of the World Council for Automobile Mobility and Tourism (WCAMT)
The General Assembly agreed to co-opt the following members:
- Frits van Bruggen (ANWB, The Netherlands) to replace Guido van Woerkom, on proposal of Region I
- Peter Joyce (AAA, Australia) to replace Ajmalul Hossain (AAB, Bangladesh) on proposal of Region II
- Bernard Tay (AA Singapore) to replace Takayoshi Yashiro (JAF, Japan) on proposal of Region II
- Dhammika Attygalle (AACeylon, Sri Lanka) to replace T.K. Malhotra (FIAA, India) on proposal of Region II
President of Region II
Takayoshi Yashiro (JAF) was elected as President of Region II.
New FIA member
The FIA is proud to enlarge its membership and international representation by welcoming Auto Sport d'Haiti (Sporting / Automobile mobility and tourism competence) into its structure.
Membre d'Honneur
The General Assembly is pleased to nominate Guido van Woerkom (ANWB, The Netherlands) as a Membre d'Honneur on proposal of the WCAMT.
FIA Financial Accounts and Budget
The FIA Membership has unanimously approved the 2013 FIA Financial Accounts and the 2015 FIA Budget.
Date of next meeting
The 2015 FIA Annual General Assembly and Prize Giving Ceremony will take place in Paris, France, on 11 December.
By Noah Joseph
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