Ben Sulayem proposes Malcolm Wilson as Robert Reid’s successor at FIA

British Rally Championship winner and M-Sport founder Malcolm Wilson has been nominated by FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem as his preferred candidate to succeed Robert Reid as the governing body’s deputy president for sport.

Members will vote on this at the extraordinary general assemblies and conference in Macau in June.

Reid resigned from the role earlier this month, citing a ‘standards breakdown’ and saying: “Over time, I have witnessed a steady erosion of the principles we promised to uphold. Decisions are being made behind closed doors, bypassing the very structures and people the FIA exists to represent.”

Wilson is a big hitter in the world of rallying, both as a driver and entrepreneur. His long relationship with Ford netted him the British Rally Championship in 1994, and M-Sport won the World Rally Championship for manufacturers in 2006 and 2007.

He was awarded the Order of the British Empire in HM The Queen’s birthday honours list in 2009 for services to motorsport.

M-Sport, based in Dovenby Hall near Cockermouth, Cumbria, weathered Ford’s withdrawal as a works entity thanks to Wilson’s entrepreneurial zeal. Beyond rallying it has built customer engines for the British Touring Car Championship, run Bentley’s GT3 campaign and partnered with Jaguar on the i-PACE eTROPHY support series for Formula E.

“I am delighted to nominate Malcolm Wilson OBE for the role of FIA deputy president for sport,” said Mohammed Ben Sulayem in the FIA’s official statement.

“Malcolm has had a distinguished career in global motorsport. For over 40 years he has competed at the highest level both as a driver and technical partner to teams. This experience will be invaluable to the FIA and our member clubs as we continue to grow grassroots and professional motorsport, driving innovation in the sport to benefit fans, drivers and teams.”

“The FIA has played a central role in my career,” said Wilson, “and I very much look forward to supporting the president and all the FIA family in its important mission. There has never been a more exciting time to be in motorsport, and I know first-hand the benefits the sport brings to families and communities across the world.

“I look forward to working with the president for the duration of his current term of office, bringing our sport to new audiences and ensuring we deliver the very best championships for all our competitors.”

Ben Sulayem’s current term of office ends this year; he is up for re-election in December.