ALL THE PHONE LINES THROUGHOUT THE AUTO RACING WORLD have been humming since Sunday.

Max Mosley, 67, is the president of FIA, the world umbrella organization of auto racing clubs and sanctioning bodies.  Their premier venue is the Formuala One circuit that was in a poor financial situation and suffering from a bad reputation until 1993 when they hired Mosley to head up the organization.

He strengthened the rules, upgraded the competition and reworked the traveling show.  Within a couple of years the F-1 had returned to its premier position in the world of motor sports outside of North America where its antics are not taken as seriously by race fans.

In this past Sunday’s edition of News of the World, the UK’s equivalent of National Enquirer, there was a feature article about Mosely and his visit to a German S & M sex club recently.  They acquired a 5-hour video of the motor master doing some really kinky things that involved chains, whips and role-playing.

The News of the World ran a big spread on the story complete with photos and, for a while, online clips from the video.

As you can imagine, this has proved very embarrassing for the FIA and many of the people associated with it.  Several influential people are calling for Mosley to resign while just as many say that he shouldn’t, because it was “off duty,” don’t you know?

Bernie Ecclestone (left) with Max Mosley (right)

Bernie Ecclestone, the head of F-1 and close friend of Mosley is quoted as saying that many would find the disclosures of Mosley’s personal conduct hard to understand. “If Max was in bed with two hookers, they’d say ‘good for you or something like that’,” Mr Ecclestone said. “But this, as it is, people find it replusive. I think that’s the problem.”

If you are interested in motor sport, here are some links for you to follow the story:

The Melbourne Herald Sun has a story in Mosley’s refusal to resign HERE.
The UK Press Association REPORT.
Reuters ARTICLE.
The London Times has good coverage HERE.

The News of the World article that started it all is HERE.
Warning:  The story contains graphic descriptions of perverted behavior.

Motorsport.com photo

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