The Australian Auto Sport Alliance has been shocked by the Confederation of Australian Motor Sport’s (CAMS) decision to reprimand a council member for competing in an AASA sanctioned event.

CAMS has chosen to issue a $5,000 fine, suspended for 12 months, to State Council Executive Paul Zsidy, who was deemed to have breached CAMS Constitution regulations clause 14b.

Zsidy incurred the fine by competing in an AASA sanctioned round of the Australian Formula Ford Series at Winton from September 24-25.

AASA chairman Bruce Robertson has been stunned by the move to impose a fine on Zsidy for racing in a series, which has run under CAMS sanctioning for five of its six rounds this year.

Robertson has also called for CAMS to reverse its decision.

“Paul Zsidy is an exemplary competitor, administrator, and investor in the sport,” said Robertson in a statement released on the AASA website.

“It is appalling that Mr Zsidy is treated in such a manner by using such inappropriate and damaging components of the CAMS Constitution, the existence of which most CAMS affiliated car clubs and members would be unaware.

“It is a fact that the AASA is a robust and effective competitor to CAMS in the motor sport market place, recognised in its endeavours by government in all states and at all levels.

“CAMS should compete with the AASA on commercial merit, capability and delivery, not by engendering a culture of fear of sanction amongst volunteers and competitors, and with the accompanying threat of commercial disadvantage, and as seen in this case, punishing individuals for participating in and contributing to the sport they love.

“It is most unfortunate that the ability to compete within the sporting framework has become muddied by competing commercial interests in the sanctioning arena.

“This unfortunate situation, may have been triggered by a commercial and/or sporting decision to down grade the status of the Formula Ford category within the CAMS system, and with CAMS and aligned promoters not being able to provide enough race meeting slots for the category’s needs.

“The AASA cannot and will not interfere in the CAMS legal process, but can certainly comment on the result.

“The AASA executive and senior personnel are CAMS members, via their respective car club affiliations, and have had the similar threat or actual charge laid at their feet.

“It is notable that the CAMS Constitution also announces to the wider sport, that it is supposed to work positively with like-minded organisations.

“Is the AASA a like- minded organisation? Very probably. The Board, in this case seems to have expended considerable energy to chase down and punish an individual within its own system.

“I think the wider motor sport public can be the judge of the appropriateness of that action.”

“This outcome for Mr Zsidy is an absolute indictment on the corporate direction and capacity of the CAMS Board to understand the nuances of the sport and the expectations of the wider customer base.

“The whole sport should be concerned, offended and dismayed at this attitude to the sport’s participants, whether that be by competing, being an official or as an administrator or promoter.

“The offending Constitutional clauses should never have been added, as a means to ward off commercial threats.

“The Australian Sports Commission needs to be informed of this abuse of power inflicted on the wider CAMS membership, and members need to demand that they immediately force CAMS to modernise its Constitution, and remove the components that can be used to attack members for exercising freedom of action and commercial independence within the motor sport market.

“CAMS does not have a monopoly in the motor sport sanctioning and insurance space.

“Those days are well and truly over, with more than one alternate body emerging over the past 14 years.

“As an individual CAMS member who was similarly challenged many years ago, I call on the CAMS Board to reverse the decisions against Mr Zsidy, remove the reprimand, and penalty, apologise to him, and allow him to continue to serve the sport in his exemplary manner, and leave his reputation untarnished.”