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The Melbourne Experience 2001
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Somehow, Australians just seem to be good at this sort of thing. We've hosted the best Champ car race of the season, the best 500cc bike GP, and, oh yeah, the best ever Olympic Games. And, every year, since the first Australian F1 GP in 1985, we've hosted what is regarded by the F1 community and the fans alike as the best Grand Prix of the year. This sentiment is echoed by the media also - we got to speak with BBC 5 radio commentator Peter Slater, who told us the media see the AGP as their most enjoyable.
Why? The answer is simple: whether in Adelaide or Melbourne, the Australian GP is not just a race, it's a carnival of speed and colour, where Formula One seems almost incidental. There is so much happening at once, you wish you could be in five places at once. Compare that to the dreaded, and now thankfully shelved Pacific GP at obscure Aida, where there were the F1 cars and, er, that's about it. Not to mention Albert Park's unrivalled scenic setting with a golf course to one side, and a lake in the middle - spectacular! Lucky us, decked out in our new F1 Rejects caps, enjoying it all! |
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On the track, there's a support program second to none. In previous years, super tourers, superkarts, NASCARs, Can-Am sports cars, Formula Holden (ex-F3000 cars), and Ferrari challenge machines have graced the Grand Prix circuit. The only thing we've never had is a round of the International F3000 championship, but if they can afford a race at Interlagos this year, why not Melbourne next year?
This year, as is always the case, the main attractions on the support program were Australia's home-grown 5-litre V8 Supercars. This bitterly traditional Ford v Holden stoush is rightly regarded as one of the most competitive touring car series in the world. OK, so push-rod V8s might not exactly be the height of sophistication, but there's nothing quite like the deep-throated roar of these monsters. |
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The only thing that came remotely close was the sound of the Lamborghini Diablo GTR V12s in the Lamborghini Challenge, but if that isn't exotic enough, try Australia's unique Nations Cup production car category. Here we're talking about the most glamorous production cars in the world, from Ferraris, Porsches, Jaguars and Lamborghinis to Chrysler Vipers, Chevy Corvettes, and even the odd Nissan, Toyota, Honda and Lotus.
Add to that the best of Australia's youngsters in Formula Ford, the category that produced the likes of Benetton test driver Mark Webber; an historic car demonstration featuring Sir Stirling Moss and some 27 1920s Bugattis; a go-kart challenge giving corporate hacks their fifteen minutes of fame; and a celebrity challenge, featuring the likes of swimming legend Kieren Perkins and boxer Kostya Tszyu in BMW Z3s. |
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In fact this year's celebrity challenge was laced with controversy with television presenter Catriona Rowntree, spurred on by none other than 1980 World Champion Alan Jones in the commentary box via an in-car audio link, rammed the car of Olympic hockey gold medallist Rechelle Hawkes off the track. Rowntree was even summoned before the stewards after the race to explain her antics!
This year also saw the innovative 'speed comparison', which pitted last year's Williams FW22 in the hands of current Williams tester Marc Gene against a V8 Supercar driven by F1 reject but Touring Car hero Larry Perkins, and a road-going BMW 318i piloted by racing legend Allan Moffat over one lap, with the road car given a 50s head start over the touring car, and 80s over the F1 car. |
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The aim was to have all three cars arrive at the finish line together, and on two occasions the road car and the V8 Supercar virtually dead-heated as they crossed the line. Over four races, Moffat in the road car was declared the winner with two victories, over Perkins and Gene with one each. This event proved to be one of the most popular on the program, and ought to be repeated next year.
Not all the action was confined to the ground, with performances by the RAAF Roulettes aerobatics team, a fly-by courtesy of an FA-18, and even a low pass at 1000 feet of a Qantas jumbo! Of course there was the usual hackneyed dancing girl pre-race entertainment on the front straight just before the Grand Prix, with Rhonda Birchmore belting out the Australian national anthem with a suspicious amount of lip-sync. |
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Never a dull moment, in between events there were various stunt riders on motorbikes doing burn-outs, wheelies and any assortment of tricks, while behind our grandstand motocross riders strutted their stuff. There was also a bunch of hoons doing tricks on BMX bikes, but we stayed away after hearing the moron announcer, who was blurting out stuff like, "Are you a gimp?" and, "These guys are going to do tricks that'll make you happy!" Um, no thanks.
Away from the track, the main attraction was the Grand Prix Expo, which featured amongst other things a 1997 McLaren, a 1999 Ferrari, a 1999 Jordan, a 2000 BAR and a 1998 Williams, all decked out in this year's colours in order to fool the undiscerning. The Expo also featured an excellent bookshop, and representatives from tourism Malaysia, no doubt hoping to attract a few people to Sepang so that their grandstands will at least look half-full. |
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The Orange Arrows team had a stand all to themselves, putting a 1998/9 car (again in this year's colours) on display, and featuring a guest appearance by Enrique Bernoldi and Jos Verstappen. The appearance of Jos the Boss brought out all the Dutch fans, and there were plenty of 'em. In fact, apart from the masses of Ferrari supporters, one couldn't help feeling that half the population of Amsterdam was out in force to support their hero.
Mind you, the most colourful supporters were the small bunch of Colombians, and they even made it into the finals of the 'best-dressed fan' competition, although they were beaten by a 'Ferrari Archbishop', a nice lady who was doubtlessly also the least-dressed fan, and the winner: a bloke dressed in two cardboard boxes designed as a microphone, calling himself 'Murray Walker: The Voice of Formula One'. |
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Talking of appearances, and talking of Murray, we were privileged to see the commentary king at a special public appearance, where the interviewer caught a dose of the Murrayism syndrome and called the great man 'Bernie'. We came within inches of attaining the Voice's autograph, but we did manage to secure the signatures of Allan Moffat, Marc Gene, James Courtney and Mark Webber when the speed comparison drivers and the young Aussie hopefuls also made public appearances.
In fact, we got a short chance to talk to two of them: Courtney, who impressed everyone with his friendliness and modesty, told Enoch he reckons his main competition in British F3 this year will be Takuma Sato (Enoch: "Sato, really?", Courtney: "Yeah, big time!"), while Webber believes the main rivals to his F3000 championship aspirations will be Justin Wilson and Antonio Pizzonia. You heard it here first. And while the food was exorbitantly priced, and the merchandise likewise, it's just part and parcel of the Melbourne experience. There is nothing quite like the festival atmosphere at any other race of the season, where there's so much happening at once. No wonder it's simply the best. |
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