Ahead of Rally Wales in the ERC, some rather unusual news broke when Italian driver Andrea Mabellini, who is fighting for the championship, and his The Racing Factory team were caught in serious misconduct.
Mabellini was handed a two-minute penalty for the asphalt rally in the Ceredigion region after it was revealed that they had attempted to gain an advantage in highly questionable and fraudulent ways.
The stewards received a report from FIA safety delegate Benjamin Schmidt, who, together with the event’s safety officer Sue Sanders, encountered two representatives of Mabellini’s The Racing Factory team during stage safety inspections. The representatives claimed they were Mabellini’s engineers and said they had nothing to do, as the car was still held in customs. The shocking incident occurred on Thursday before the start of the rally.
The stewards launched an investigation into the matter because team representatives are not allowed by regulations to enter special stages by car before competitors have driven through them and the roads have been reopened for public use.
Mabellini’s team representatives defended themselves by saying that they had already been dismissed and were therefore no longer employees of the team. However, the stewards did not accept this explanation, as the profiles and photos of the allegedly dismissed engineers, Manuel Huguet Panella and Andrea Barbosa, were still visible on the team’s website. As a result, the stewards handed Mabellini’s crew a two-minute penalty.
Now Mabellini’s The Racing Factory team has spoken out again. It issued a statement in which it continues to insist that no fraudulent activity took place.
“We wish to make it absolutely clear that there was never any intention to infringe the regulations of the FIA European Rally Championship. The incident was the result of an unfortunate coincidence, where people linked to the team happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. No competitive advantage was gained, nor could it have been gained, from this situation,” the team claimed in its statement.
“Nevertheless, we fully respect the authority of the FIA and the Stewards, and we accept our responsibility for the incident. Motorsport operates under strict regulations, and therefore we accept that even unintentional mistakes must be treated seriously,” the statement continued.
The team further emphasised that it does not support any form of fraudulent behaviour.
“We also wish to underline our commitment to integrity and fair play. The Racing Factory has always stood for transparency and respect for the rules, and we remain proud of the work and dedication of all our drivers, engineers, and staff. This episode, while regrettable, does not reflect our values nor the way we compete.”
