Prodrive and FIA rally politics at it again

David Richards and Prodrive are at it again, getting the FIA to block the approval of Tuthill's 911 R-GT efforts at Rally GB this weekend. Richards has done his best to squash any Porsche based efforts since taking their money and running in the early-mid 80's after not getting an open class 959 effort as he had wanted. The most recent effort, possibly involving bribery to the FIA, stems around bitterness of Graham Prew having left Prodrive for Tuthill and Prodrive attempting to have less competition their new privateer offering, the VW golf based SCRC.

Both the SCRC and R-GT efforts are slotted under the Open Class regarding cost and performance potential, but the expenses of the efforts are similar, despite the vastly different machinery. This blockage of a previously approved, and even promoted, package by the FIA is cowardly and possibly criminal.

Interesting. Sources? articles?

I'll have an article out by tomorrow evening (hopefully) I want to get it out before the end of the weekend with the event occurring obviously. I'll have a number of my sources cited. There's a LONG history regarding Porsche and rally, and not taking part in rally, going back 30 years involving Richards that I can highlight if need be. He's finally overstepped his bounds here in a manner that may result in cleaning of house within FIA before all is said and done as this time they left a smoking gun.

regarding the blockage of competition of the Tuthill effort. The brake package had previously been used by another privateer effort at Finland earlier this year:

http://www.tuthillporsche.com/blog/tuthill-porsche-rally-gb/

http://www.crash.net/wrc/news/210922/1/tuthill-porsche-rgt-ruled-out-of-rally-gb.html

Links for the Porsche-Prodrive history?

a brief fairly censored history of Prodrive and Porsche

http://www.rallye-info.com/carmodel.asp?car=127

In short Richards was basically working out of a shed, despite his connections within Rothmans prior to his dealings with Porsche, he funneled Porsche money into Prodrive funding his development and headquarters (which was used until this calendar year)

But the FIA is so widely known for its apolitical nature and lack of corruption...