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13 January 2011
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Dear FIA member, The FIA wishes all of its clubs and federations around the world every success for the New Year. The events and achievements of last December encapsulate those of 2010. It was a great pleasure for an FIA delegation to attend the Central European Zone’s annual prize giving ceremony in Krakow, Poland, which was organised by our friends from the Polski Zwiazek Motorowy (PZM) at the beginning of the month. In Krakow an extremely constructive meeting with members from Poland, Serbia, Slovakia, Hungary, Macedonia, Montenegro, the Czech Republic, Croatia, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Austria took place. The prize giving event was characterised by the delight and pride of the prize-winners receiving the many club and federation awards. We pass on our congratulations on to the PZM for organising such an enjoyable event. December was dominated by the work of the FIA in the Principality of Monaco, which included a World Motor Sport Council meeting that produced several significant technical decisions affecting all the major FIA sporting disciplines. One of the most important of these decisions concerns Formula One engines: from 2013, in line with the dual imperatives of sustainability and ensuring that the demands of the motor industry are met, Formula One engines will comply with a reduction in fuel consumption of 35% while still maintaining current performance levels. This substantial agreement is an example of the FIA’s belief in the importance of linking key areas of activity together namely: safety, sustainable mobility and motor sports. The unanimous support of the United Nations for the Decade of Action is testament to the FIA’s continued efforts to improve safety. The Decade of Action will officially be launched on May 11th 2011. This initiative to improve global road safety is bolstered by the creation of a working group made up of members of the WMSC. It will provide extensive support to FIA members around the world. The working group’s efforts will be complemented with the strong backing of the FIA Foundation, iRAP and eSafety Aware. Its aim is to work continuously on making cars safe and to develop integrated educational programmes relating to road safety. The ultimate aim of the Decade of Action for Road Safety is to save five million lives and prevent fifty million injuries over the next ten years. The WMSC and various other additional meetings in Monaco were followed by the annual FIA Prize Giving Gala, held in the renowned Salle des Etoiles in the Sporting d’Eté, Monte Carlo. This superb venue provided the backdrop for motorsport champions in 26 categories to receive their awards. The climax of the evening was the presentation of the FIA Formula One World Championship Drivers’ Title, to its youngest ever winner, Sebastian Vettel. The Constructors title was received by the Team Principal of Red Bull Racing, Christian Horner. Of course this event would not have been possible without the hard work and dedication of the FIA staff that ensured a memorable evening was had by all attending. Indeed December saw many prize ceremonies taking place, including the Real Federacion Española de Automovilismo’s annual awards held at the prestigious Auditorium del Comité Olimpico Español. This special evening, was an occasion when pertinent sporting themes were discussed by FIA representatives with Alejandro Blanco, President of the Spanish Olympic Committee. The end of year break provided the opportunity for several high level meetings in South East Asia to take place. In Sri Lanka FIA policies and the theme of road safety, both nationally and across southern Asia, were discussed at the highest levels at an audience with the President of the Sri Lankan Republic, Mahinda Rajapaksa. Discussions with the Sports Minister, Mahindananda Aluthgamage and additional meetings with the AA Ceylon and the Ceylon Motor Sports Club allowed the FIA delegation to gain a comprehensive understanding of sporting matters in the country. In Singapore meetings took place with members of the AA Singapore and the Singapore Motor Sports Association. FIA representatives visited the Philippines and were briefed on the progress made regarding road safety policies and the use of helmets there. On the 1st of January 2011 a visit to Hong Kong took place where, apart from a meeting with members of the HK Automobile Association, talks were also held with senior members of the local police force. At a gathering of the Legislative Council, Hong Kong’s lawmaking assembly, HKAA President Wesley Wan addressed an audience of sixty parliamentary advisers on the importance of road safety. Macau was the final destination of the South East Asian visit and fruitful discussions on the development of motorsport and road safety in the region were held with the Chief Executive of the Macau Special Administrative Region, Chui Sai On, the President of the Macau Sport Development Board, Alex Vong, the Director of the Macau Government Tourist Office João Antunes and representatives of the Automobile General Association Macau-China. The dedication and enthusiasm of FIA members around the world in promoting road safety, as observed by this administration during its many visits over the last weeks and months, reflects a growing interest in the Decade of Action for Road Safety. We must continue to build on this momentum which is steadily growing and pursue the WMSC’s initiatives to promote the Decade with greater determination. 2011 offers the chance for a positive launch of this pioneering life saving campaign.
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