There "will be a fight for the presidency of the FIA" after Jean Todt "declared that he will stand for a second term," according to Kevin Eason of the LONDON TIMES.
There "had been widespread speculation that Todt would back away from an election contest with David Ward, the former right-hand man of Max Mosley, the Frenchman’s controversial predecessor." He said that "he had waited before declaring he would run until the formal nominations process got under way." Todt: "There is no speculation. I will go for it. All our community knows and I have a lot of support and we have started something" (LONDON TIMES, 9/8). In London, Tom Cary reported "rumours had been swirling that the Frenchman might pull out of the running" after Ward, a former chief policy adviser of the Labour Party and a close ally of Mosley, "declared his intention to stand for election." Of the challenge presented by Ward, who quit his job as director general of the FIA Foundation to stand, Todt added, "In life you must respect the freedom of everyone. Whoever wants to compete can compete" (TELEGRAPH, 9/7). The BBC reported Todt, 67, succeeded Mosley when he was elected in '09 and said, "We have started something [at the FIA]. It's like climbing a mountain. We try to go up and up. We're at 3,000 meters, but there is still some way to go" (BBC, 9/8).
