Enge stripped of FIA title.

Tomas Enge has lost the 2002 FIA F3000 Championship title he fought for in a three-way battle at Monza, after the World Motor Sport Council stripped him of the ten points he won in Hungary the month before.

The Czech racer - and FIA F3000 stalwart - went in to the final round knowing that he could face exclusion after testing positive for a banned 'performance-enhancing' substance, later revealed to be cannabis.

Although Enge denied using the drug, he was summoned to appear before the next WMSC meeting in Paris, which took place today, for sentence to be passed. The Council decided to remove the ten points he scored for a runaway victory at the Hungaroring, handing the title to season-long rival Sebastien Bourdais. Enge drops to third in the final standings, behind Coloni's Giorgio Pantano, and was also served a suspended year-long suspension from competition.

A statement from the Arden International team - which ran Enge in 2002 - reads as follows:

"At a hearing before the World Motorsport Council, Tomas Enge was excluded from the results of round ten of the FIA F3000 Championship at the Hungaroring following a positive anti-doping test.

"In addition, Tomas's racing licence was suspended for twelve months, but this suspension was suspended and made conditional upon Tomas being subject to further anti-doping tests."

The WMSC decision has no effect on Arden's position as provisional 2002 team champion, but confirms Enrico Toccacelo as the winner in Hungary. The success is the Italian's first in FIA F3000 and allows him to join Coloni team-mate Pantano as a 2002 race winner. Pantano and Bourdais complete the podium, while Patrick Friesacher joins the point scorers.