Motorsport: BAR plead for a start in Spain

BARCELONA - BAR-HONDA will seek an injunction to allow them to race in the Spanish Grand Prix this weekend, after being suspended yesterday.

The court of appeal of motor sport's international governing body, the FIA, ruled that the team had contravened the weight-limit rules in the San Marino Grand Prix and suspended them for two races.

As well as being suspended from the Spanish and Monaco races, BAR face a six-month ban, suspended for one year.

The court met in Paris yesterday after the FIA took the extraordinary step of appealing against the verdict of its own stewards, who ruled Jenson Button's car had not contravened regulations demanding a minimum weight of 600kg, following protracted post-race tests after Button had finished third in Italy.

The FIA claimed that BAR used a supplementary tank designed to hold fuel that would act as ballast in post-race checks, and that without this the car contravened the regulations. It charged the team with acting "fraudulently".

The federation demanded the team's exclusion from the world championship and a fine of 682,000 ($1.7 million).

It was surprising that neither the FIA nor BAR called the stewards to give evidence to the court.

But FIA technical delegate Jo Bauer said he accepted the BAR supplementary tank had a legitimate use.

He told the court he had no concerns at the time about it and that the team had co-operated fully.

The team produced charts and documents to establish that the car had been legal at all times and maintained their innocence throughout.

Yesterday, however, the court ruled that since the BAR car weighed only 594.6kg without fuel, it was illegal.

Takuma Sato had a similar tank on his sister car, so he, too, was excluded from the results in Italy.

It was claimed that after the team had agreed that all of the fuel had been drained, subsequent inspection revealed that 8.92kg remained in the special compartment and a further 2.46kg in the bottom of the tank.

The court was unable to substantiate the FIA's claim of fraud.

The president of FIA, Max Mosley, sent a strong message to all the teams, several of whom are believed to be doing what BAR were found guilty of.

"We are now considering whether to select one car at random of the points scorers at every race, and stripping it to the last nut and bolt," he said.

"That will give a seven-to-one chance that if you are cheating and finish in the points, you will get caught."

BAR chief executive Nick Fry said: "BAR-Honda are appalled at the decision of the FIA International Court of Appeal and assert that the judgment is contrary to all of the evidence heard yesterday.

"The team proved that they complied with the current regulations and the FIA now acknowledge that the regulations are unclear.

"We repeat that at no time did we run underweight at the San Marino Grand Prix and this was also unchallenged by the FIA."

- INDEPENDENT