Drivers protest swearing crackdown with Safari silence
March 19 (Reuters) - Drivers competing in the World Rally Championship (WRC) will stay silent, or speak only in their own languages, in stage-end interviews at this week's Kenya Safari Rally in protest at the governing FIA's ban on swearing.
The World Rally Drivers Alliance (WoRDA) said in a statement on Wednesday that the action was necessary in the sport's interest.
here.
"We apologise to all the rally fans, even though we know they support us," it added.
There was no immediate comment from the FIA.
Hyundai's French driver Adrien Fourmaux was fined 10,000 euros ($10,907) with a further 20,000 suspended, for swearing in a television interview at the end of Rally Sweden in February.
The fine was the first since amendments to the FIA sporting code in January set out stiff sanctions for drivers who break the rules concerning conduct, including bad language.
The drivers and co-drivers set up WoRDA, which is similar to Formula One's GPDA, after Fourmaux's penalty when they condemned "exorbitant" fines that they said were vastly disproportionate to average incomes and budgets in rallying.
"We all agree to keep rudeness at the microphone to a minimum," they said in their latest statement.
"At the same time, it is necessary to maintain a certain freedom of expression and to keep emotions alive while drivers don't need to be afraid of getting punished in any way."
WoRDA said it had asked FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem, a 14-times Middle East rally champion, for "some positive changes in the rules to help us achieve this goal.
"It is impossible for us to guarantee that we (drivers and co-drivers) will be able to follow these rules perfectly and systematically.
"That is why we -- WoRDA members -- are now taking the responsible decision to remain silent at the live stage end interviews or to answer in our mother tongue."
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