by Chris Hayes
Embattled motor racing chief
Max Mosley has accused
Bernie Ecclestone's
Formula One Group of trying to seize control of the sport's regulations from the FIA in a further attempt to escape a vote of no confidence.
The FIA president, who is fighting to keep his job following a lurid sex sting by the
News of the World, sent a letter to FIA club presidents on Friday pleading with them to let him stay on as president until 2009.
In the letter, which the sport's governing body made public today [to read the letter in full,
click here], Mosley warns delegates that voting him out of office would leave the
FIA's responsibility for
F1's sporting regulations subject to a take over by commercial rights holders CVC and Bernie Ecclestone's Formula One Group.
Mosley - who believes that giving up this function would be to 'abandon core elements of the FIA's patrimony' - claims that negotiations are already well underway to this end and that a vote of no confidence would prevent him from protecting the FIA's interests.
"Commercial Rights Holder (CRH) has also now asked for control over the Formula One regulations and the right to sell the business to anyone - in effect to take over Formula One completely. I do not believe the FIA should agree to this," Mosley said in the letter to Club Presidents.
"I believe that unless invited to do so by the clear majority of FIA member clubs, it would be irresponsible, even a breach of duty, to walk away from a number of negotiations currently under way."
He warned that if he was forced to stand down an election would have to be held within two to four months and this could produce a poor choice of candidate and even a sympathiser with the Formula One Group.
"Literally anyone could stand and there would be no list to stabilise the process and ensure that each candidate had the support of a real cross section of FIA member clubs.
