FIA release statement after Kenyan rally driver's racial abuse

The Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) has moved to condemn the racist abuse aimed at Kenya rally driver McRae Kimathi ahead of the Junior World Rally Championship in Sweden.

In what was to be his debut in the World Rally Championship’s feeder series, McRae was the subject of online abuse that had racist undertones during the pre-season test in Norway.

The FIA released a statement condemning the abuse promising to report the abuse to the relevant authorities and called for inclusivity in the sport.

“In the build-up to Rally Sweden, FIA Junior WRC competitor McRae Kimathi has been subjected to racist abuse on social media.

We condemn racist abuse and any form of discrimination towards our teams, competitors and fans and we will take all necessary steps to help ensure that any abuse is duly reported to the relevant authority.

We are working to build a more diverse and inclusive sport and abuse must be highlighted and eliminated. There is no place for it in our sport and in society,” read a statement from the FIA.

The event is a landmark for Kimathi as he is the only African driver registered for both Rally Sweden and the full Junior WRC campaign this year.

The 27-year-old is the son of Phineas Kimathi who is the President of the Kenya Motorsport Federation and the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the World Rally Championship (WRC).

Junior WRC championship manager Maciej Woda was dejected to learn of the racist abuse aimed at McRae and added that action would be taken against the perpetrators.

“Racism has no place in our sport or anywhere in the world. I was shocked, saddened and disgusted to see some of the comments we received on social media.

Rallying is a sport that relies so much on embracing different cultures, communities and people from around the world. So far we are monitoring our social media channels closely and taking action on any racist comments or views that are directed to our competitors.

I am full of admiration for what McRae and Mwangi are doing, putting themselves in a completely different and challenging environment. They are pushing themselves way beyond their comfort zone and should be applauded for what they are doing,” said Woda.