Production car series driver Ettiene van der Linde has been disciplined by Motorsport South Africa after testing positive for a veterinary product.
Production car series driver Ettiene van der Linde has been disciplined by Motorsport South Africa (MSA) after testing positive for a banned substance – veterinary product Stanazolol – last year.
A hearing was convened by MSA last week to sanction the driver, who is the son of modified saloon racing legend Hennie van der Linde and brother of former BMW touring car ace Shaun van der Linde.
The meeting was attended by Dr John Boden, president of the MSA medical panel, acting president of the MSA saloon car commission Steve Solomon, MSA circuit racing manager Adrian Scholtz and Vaughn Williams, the chairman production car association.
Dr Boden said Van der Linde had been found guilty of a doping offence and, as such, MSA was obliged to sanction him and report the offence to the South African Police Services (as the substance used by Van der Linde was considered illegal).
In his response, Van der Linde said the substance, Stanazolol, had been administered to him via a course of injections he had “received from a medically-unqualified third party” in an attempt to treat back pain (having previously had a back operation).
Van der Linde was found guilty of a doping offence in terms of MSA’s regulations. MSA found that his explanation that the banned substance was used to combat back pain was noted, but could not be considered as a mitigating factor.
Van der Linde’s results from the Kyalami race meeting on November 23, at which he tested positive, were excluded. Van der Linde was further fined R30 000 and his competition licence was suspended until February 20.
The driver will be required to undergo further dope testing at the discretion of the MSA Medical Panel. However, he will have the right to appeal to the MSA National Court of Appeal.
