Mosley insists he has done nothing wrong

The head of motor racing's governing body has so far resisted all calls for him to resign in the wake of the sexual allegations made by the News of the World, and last night revealed that he would be suing the newspaper over the story.

In a letter to the German motoring federation ADAC, which has asked Mosley to seriously consider his position, Mosley says that he cannot see any reason why he should quit - and claims he has support from 20 FIA clubs and representatives of some additional 50 clubs to stay on in his role.

The letter, a copy of which has been seen by autosport.com, is addressed to ADAC president Peter Meyer and has also been sent to all FIA member clubs, members of the World Motor Sport Council, members of the FIA Senate and members of the World Council for Automobile Mobility and Tourism.

"Had I been caught driving excessively fast on a public road or over the alcohol limit (even in, say, Sweden where it is very low) I should have resigned the same day," wrote Mosley.

"As it is, a scandal paper obtained by illegal means pictures of something I did in private which, although unacceptable to some people, was harmless and completely legal. Many people do things in their bedrooms or have personal habits which others find repugnant. But as long as they keep them private, nobody objects.

"The offence seems to be not what I did but the fact that it became public. But I played no role in this, indeed I did my utmost to ensure it remained private. I was the victim of a disgusting conspiracy.

"It goes without saying that the so-called Nazi element is pure fabrication. This will become crystal clear when the matter comes to trial. The newspaper invented this in order to spice up their story and introduce my family background."

He added: "In short, I think I have done nothing wrong and that the wrong was done by the newspaper. That is why I am suing them.

"I don't think any of this should affect my work on motoring safety, the environment or the sport. I believe that 21st century adults do not worry about private sexual matters as long as they are legal and harmless. I shall put this view to the Assembly in due course."

As well as ADAC's criticism, other motoring organizations that have expressed concern about Mosley's behaviour include the Dutch federation KNAF, the American federation AAA and Israel's Automobile and Touring Club.

Furthermore in the letter, Mosley reveals that he has also received a letter from the Australian touring club in a similar tone to that expressed by ADAC.