MAY 5, 2005

BAR comes out guns blazing

BAR Honda is not going to take the FIA International Court of Appeal decision sitting down. The team's chief executive Nick Fry read a statement to the media in Barcelona two hours after the FIA decision was made public and made it clear that the team is not going to give up.

"BAR Honda is appalled at the decision at the FIA International Court of Appeal ," the statement read, "and asserts that the judgement is contrary to all the evidence heard yesterday. The team proved that it complied with the current regulations and the FIA now acknowledges that the regulations are unclear. We repeat that at no time did BAR-Honda run underweight at the San Marino Grand Prix and this was also unchallenged by the FIA.

"While the International Court of Appeal rejected the FIA's original accusations of fraud and deception, BAR-Honda says that this penalty is wholly and grossly disproportionate. The team is advised by its legal counsel that the judgment is plainly wrong, based on the evidence presented and it is currently examining its options."

Fry went on to say that the team's intention is to race in Spain.

"Our objective is to race this weekend," Fry said. "We need to get some judgement from a court very soon. Probably tomorrow morning."

Fry refused to comment on whether politics may have coloured the judgement.

"The next races are critical to us," Fry said. "Both of them are races that we can win. We need to get a fair hearing and to clear our name. The most important thing to us is to clear our name. Our integrity is being challenged. The penalty implies we are guilty and we are not. We have to do what we think is right."