APRIL 25, 2006

Mosley loses another ally

Max Mosley has lost his second major ally within a couple of weeks with the death of John Large, a man who played a key role in Mosley's control of the FIA through his influence in the Asia-Pacific region. Large was 67.

From Tasmania, Large qualified as a pharmaceutical chemist and built up the Lighthouse Chemists chain in Western Australia and afterwards expanded the business into a pharmacy consultancy and a computer company. A trials competitor in the late 1960s, he moved on to compete in rallying and won a national title in 1975, by which time he had become a member of the National Council of the Confederation of Australian Motor Sport (CAMS). He became CAMS president in 1983 and four years later became the Australian delegate at the FISA, the sporting arm of the FIA, which was run at the time by voluble Frenchman Jean-Marie Balestre. A strong supporter of Balestre, he was elected a FISA vice-president in 1989. Two years later he sold his businesses in order to concentrate on the sport and became a supporter of Max Mosley and, as a result, was named as an FIA Vice-President in 1993. He was also an important figure in the development of the Targa Tasmania, back in his home land. He remained an active member of the World Motor Sport Council but had stood down as an FIA Vice-President.

Mosley has now lost two of senior FIA men within a couple of weeks, Large's death coming soon after that of Shekhar Mehta.