SEPTEMBER 12, 2002

Enge in trouble?

Following an anti-doping test at the recent Hungarian Grand Prix, Formula 3000 driver Tomas Enge tested positive for a substance prohibited by the FIA in the International Sporting Code.

Following an anti-doping test at the recent Hungarian Grand Prix, Formula 3000 driver Tomas Enge tested positive for a substance prohibited by the FIA in the International Sporting Code. Enge, who is in the running for the Formula 3000 title, has been summoned to appear before the World Motor Sport Council in Paris on October 1 to answer the charges.

The FIA is refusing to say what the illegal substance involved may be but the regulations state that the substances are those that appear on the International Olympic Committee's list. There are hundreds drugs on the list but very few of them would have any positive effect on the performance of a racing driver.

The rules also state that tests will be carried out for alcohol, marijuana and beta blockers. If traces of one of these has been found in Enge's sample from Hungary the Czech driver is likely to be in very serious trouble and could face a variety of serious sanctions from the FIA.

Enge has been a leading Formula 3000 competitor for the last couple of years and raced in F1 for the Prost team last season.