Rally Oz organisers hit back at FIA

Mosley had said that the current contract allowed the WATC to "interfere" with the sporting aspects of the rally, and that a confidentiality clause prevented CAMS from discussing the event with the FIA.

But WATC chairman Alan Mulgrew has said that the existing contract is valid, and that a new agreement could place in doubt further investment in the rally, and lead to it being moved away from its Perth base.

"There appears to be a misconception that we need to sign a new contract," he said. "The fact is that the WATC and CAMS have a contract that has stood for 15 years and has 65 years remaining.

"The WATC Board of Commissioners does not want the original contract with CAMS diluted as it is the only agreement that secures the tenure of the event in West Australia in both the short and long term.

"Rally Australia appears on the FIA calendar at the sole discretion of the FIA each year. Without the contract we currently have in place, it would be untenable for the tax payers to continue investing heavily in an event which would constantly be at risk."

"The existing agreement between WATC and CAMS is not linked to the issues raised by sporting officials last year, which were not enduring and I stress, have been resolved. It is important to remember that the 2002 event was, to quote from the official FIA Observer's Report, the best in the championship."