Breaking new ground in the seventy-year history of Grand Prix Racing, the recently appointed FIM President Jorge Viegas made the first ever presentation of its kind on the eve of the opening MotoGP event of the 2019 season in Doha, Qatar.
In front of a large gathering of International media, Mr Viegas was joined by invited guests - Carmelo Ezpeleta - Dorna CEO; Abdul Rahman Al Mannai - QMMF President; Khalid Al Remaihi - LCSC Vice President and General Manager Losail Circuit; Hervé Poncharal - IRTA President; Mike Trimby - IRTA CEO; Takanao TSUBOUCHI - MSMA Representative and FIM Board members.
The new FIM President explained that it is his aim to highlight the role of the FIM to the outside World, and to clearly show how its function is fundamental to the safe and fair running of the championship through the services, support and staff that it provides.
Mr Viegas confirmed that the FIM’s mission in MotoGP is to create the rules together with the Grand Prix Commission and to apply the rules and the relevant sanctions issued by the FIM Stewards panel. The FIM is also in charge of circuit homologation, safety including all medical aspects and the antidoping programme. The FIM’s remit also covers the training of the officials, including the race director, clerk of the course, marshals, the technical and environmental stewards. This important training is conducted through FIM seminars delivered by FIM instructors around the World. The FIM President also acknowledged that approximately three hundred track marshals are required during a Grand Prix weekend and how big a challenge it is for these people who are volunteers and who dedicate their free time to our sport.
Having set out the position of the FIM, the FIM President then invited each member of the FIM staff who were in attendance to present themselves and to explain their role within the MotoGP structure.
The invited speakers included:
- Franck Vayssié (FRA) - FIM Commission of Circuit Racing Director & Clerk of the Course
- Paul Duparc (FRA) - FIM Commission of Circuit Racing Coordinator
- Giancarlo Di Filippo (ITA) - FIM Permanent Medical Officer
- Franco Uncini (ITA) - FIM MotoGP Safety Officer
- Bill Cumbow (USA) - FIM Permanent MotoGP Steward
- Stuart Higgs (GBR) - FIM MotoGP Steward
- Ralph Bohnhorst (GER) - FIM MotoGP Appeal Steward
- Fabio Muner (ITA) - FIM Marketing & Communications Director
- Isabelle Larivière (FRA) - FIM Communications Manager
Following the individual presentations, the FIM President Jorge Viegas concluded by saying: “It is the first time in seven decades of Grand Prix racing that the FIM has organised this kind of presentation, like has been done here today in Doha. My goal is to open the FIM to the outside World and to explain the fundamental role of the FIM and the important part it plays within the championship. Thanks to the close collaboration of all the stakeholders DORNA, IRTA, MSMA, we are all working hard together to manage and to promote with great success the FIM MotoGP World Championship. After today, we plan to repeat this kind of presentation in all of the other disciplines too.”
FIM Communications