Quick, Get Me a Cross-Dressing Rally Racer!
No women, no points. That’s the decision motor racing governing body FIA made with the Saudi Arabian Motor Federation after learning that women were not allowed to compete in Hail Baja Rally, a four-day event that starts tomorrow.
After a Russian woman’s request to compete in the desert rally wasn’t granted, the Saudi federation opted to stage the race on its own because it could not comply with FIA’s ruling to let females behind the wheel.
“We cannot accept women in the race,” Saudi Arabian Motor Federation chairman Mishaal al-Sudairy told The Associated Press. “We are a sports entity. We abide by the laws, and we do respect them. We don’t even question them.”
The allegation was made by the Federation the un-named Russian applied for her visa under the guise of being a technical adviser for a Russian driver, but once she got the visa she then applied for herself to be a driver in the race.
After denial of the request to compete in the desert rally, the Saudi federation opted to stage the race on its own because it could not comply with FIA’s ruling to let females behind the wheel.
“We cannot accept women in the race,” Saudi Arabian Motor Federation chairman Mishaal al-Sudairy told The Associated Press. “We are a sports entity. We abide by the laws, and we do respect them. We don’t even question them.”
The end result of this bruhaha is the local governing body and the FIA agreed to “withdraw and change our event to an international stand-alone competition,” meaning the top racers will not get points toward the championship standings.
My Two Rials, (the Saudi currency): Funny this wasn’t an issue in last years edition of the Hail Baja Rally? Where was the FIA when female racers were excluded in 2008?
Speculation ALERT: Might this be a publicity effort on the part of Max “The Littlest Perv” Mosley to appear more, shall we say, friendly to the female gender?
Not that allowing a couple of them to whack the bejesus out of your ass repeatedly isn’t, it is in Max’s world.
In late breaking “news,” Jutta Kleinschmidt was just spotted in the Cologne, Germany airport wearing an Armani 3-piece suit and carrying a Man Bag. The 2001 Dakar winner was sighted in the check-in line for a flight bound for Riyadh, capital of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
More when the Half-Vast Staff™ of Full Throttle gets it.
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Sorry Marc, I think Max will embrace these guys.
Anybody who can say :- ““We are a sports entity. We abide by the laws, and we do respect them. We don’t even question them.” is right up Spanky’s alley IMHO.
In fact I bet Max has that printed out & handed to every F1 team principal & race organiser/promoter.”Don’t question the law”
Funny how the Saudi’s weren’t so touchy on the subject in 90/91. Exactly how many women made up the forces involved in Desert Shield/Storm?
Touchy subject you have hit.
I was in Riyadh in ‘91 for a month.
You’re correct, they had zero trouble with the females stationed there as members of the U.S. Air Force. Never said a word about them shopping in the Souk wearing much less than head-to-toe horseshit.
Well, they never SAID a word, the leering eyes of the men did the talking.