Tomas Enge's F3000 title taken away

[Morcilman]

If his career is over or harmed, is only his fault, nobodys else. If he has not smoked wich is unlikelly (because if the substance shows because passive smoking it shows in some determined quantities, and enges was like 10 times more)is still his fault. I know many drivers that leave a building if somebudy is smoking drugs. If he was having a parti with pot smokers arrownd him is still a big mistake and his own.

[Don K]

Originally posted by Morcilman
I know many drivers that leave a building if somebudy is smoking drugs.

How do they know? Are all drivers supposed to recognize the smell?

If he has not smoked wich is unlikelly (because if the substance shows because passive smoking it shows in some determined quantities, and enges was like 10 times more) is still his fault.

And what if someone drugged him, for instance by offering him a piece of space cake? Are all drivers supposed to recognize space cake on sight/smell/taste/whatever?
Are all friends and relatives of sportsmen supposed to know which food items (like coffee, poppy seed bread, ...) may contain illegal ingredients?
Suppose it happened during an event organized by his sponsor (or his teams' sponsor). Would his contract allow him to leave the building whenever he suspects someone is using some illegal substance?

[paul-collins]

Originally posted by Morcilman
If he has not smoked wich is unlikelly (because if the substance shows because passive smoking it shows in some determined quantities, and enges was like 10 times more)is still his fault.

Really? I know nothing about the numbers. In fact, I didn't even see his test quantity.

Could you enlighten me on this?

[Ria]

Some of you have failed to notice that Tomas was NOT sponsored by Coca-Cola 2002 season.....Coke were still sponsoring Nordic Racing.

For what it's worth....in my opinion....Tomas is a true Champion in every sense of the word!!!

[Super Tourer]

Thomas won the series fair and square, cannabis is not a performance enhancing drug, whatever the circumstances are that allowed it to enter his body, it doesn't diminsh the job he did on the track.

Can't help feeling that there is an element of double standard with the FIA. They have used the letter of the law in Enge's case, yet let Arrows miss Grand Prix with out a word, when they are clearly in breach of the concorde agreement - in which case they should have been excluded with the usual right to appeal if they have a case....But then again Thomas is only 1 driver and Arrow's are team.

I think it was a political decision, rather than a sporting one.

We all know Enge won the championship, we all know cannabis does not enhance performance. We also know that motor racing has a carefully manicured PR image to uphold regardless of cost. Corporations (sponsors) do not want to be associated with "drug use" because they are (ahem) all so squeaky clean and non corrupt themselves and this could damage their own "holier than thou" reputations. . . .

[DanFlag]

Originally posted by TTT
I think it was a political decision, rather than a sporting one.

We all know Enge won the championship, we all know cannabis does not enhance performance. We also know that motor racing has a carefully manicured PR image to uphold regardless of cost. Corporations (sponsors) do not want to be associated with "drug use" because they are (ahem) all so squeaky clean and non corrupt themselves and this could damage their own "holier than thou" reputations. . . .

While I completely agree with Liz comments on page 1, I agree with yours too TTT

[JohnSSC]

I think there should be a thread started to discuss the "Is the drug in question good or bad?"

As has been stated before (and I would like to see the wording in the regs, not what it is "assumed" to be), if the rules say you cannot use certain drugs, then you cannot use them - period. Whether the rest of the world agrees or not or if medical science agrees or not is a specious arguement. The governing body dumped on him because he broke the rules.

I know as a former competitor that I would have a real low tolerance for another driver who had been using recently and all the bickering here about how X is really not that bad or as bad as Y - bottom line is anything that could even remotely dull performance is a bad thing when you are wheel-to-wheel at 150 mph. Tomas knew better. He knew the rules. He knew the potential consequences. He did it anyway so he (and we) should accept the punishment.

As far as bringing up Al, Jr. or Hunt - if the sanctioning bodies knew about it (particularly Al) at the time then Al would never have hit the track. I do not think that the regs governing F1 in Hunt's day even addressed this.

[paul-collins]

Originally posted by JohnSSC
As has been stated before (and I would like to see the wording in the regs, not what it is "assumed" to be), if the rules say you cannot use certain drugs, then you cannot use them - period. Whether the rest of the world agrees or not or if medical science agrees or not is a specious arguement. The governing body dumped on him because he broke the rules.

Which I think everyone is agreeing to, here. As did Tomas.

Originally posted by JohnSSC
I know as a former competitor that I would have a real low tolerance for another driver who had been using recently and all the bickering here about how X is really not that bad or as bad as Y - bottom line is anything that could even remotely dull performance is a bad thing when you are wheel-to-wheel at 150 mph.

But this is the crux of the argument. If the marijuana is detectable 2, 4, even 6 weeks (as some have asserted here) after consumption, then what does detection mean? It certainly won't have any correlation with effect on performance.

[Morcilman]

My information and a really good article about it cames from the Auto Hebdo French magacine, it was very clear the complete procss and the quantities. I dont have it any more, does somebody have it? can he translate it?

[Mekola]

When I read that Enge was proved positive in doping, I was
afraid that his title will be in risk. And I was right to be afraid. Tomas won the title on the road but lose it in the laboratory: the positive doping in Hungary dropped his race win and bring the title to Sebastien Bourdais.
I know one precedent in lower formula, when in 1999 Gabriele Varano also tested positive (also for cannabis) after the Binetto round of the Italian F3 of that year. The consequences were more terrible than Enge's case: Varano lost all his points of that year (losing also the Melandri trophy for rookies) and was banned for racing for six months.
Varano don't lose the place into motorsport for the doping: next year Piercarlo Ghinzani contracted him for his Italian (now Euro) F3000 team, but must wait until the fourth race to giving him the ride. Later he bring up to International F3000 at the start of 2001 with Prost, and some time after lose the seat and went back to Euro F3000 for a while.
At last, I think it was a shame that a great eastern european driver like Enge lost a title in this form. But the rules are the rules.