Anyone else here going to the first race of 2009?

No but I'd love to go one day

I'm sure you will one day Annie.

I'm also going to Sepang a week later.

Can anyone offer suggestions on the "Four Corners" ticket packages for a first time visit to Melbourne?

Edit: Looks like the only package still available via Ticketek Australia is "Clark Package": Brabham (Thur), Fangio (Fri), Schumacher (Sat), and Clark (race). Would this be a decent mix or would it be better to settle on just one stand and try to swap with other fans over that weekend?

Thanks!

if you want to SIT in the other grandstands for the sessions, that's ok, but most of those area's, also have general admission access, (bar seating of course). we tend to walk the track and try out all the other corners etc during the free practices, and then only sit in fangio for qual and race. depending on what sort of grandstand seat you want, you can often enter thru any gate, and hang out at all the other general admission areas and see all the other different views. if you also hire a Kanga tv, you can use this all over the track and follow the timing during the practices too. still nice to come back to fangio for the race and know what's going on with the pitstops etc too, and you also have 3 screens in front of you to watch the goings on all over the rest of the track.

I did Brabham and Fangio in 07. (Two Corners Package)

Brabham was great. I don't really enjoy sitting on the main straight away.

Schumacher looked to have a good setup, I don't remember Clark.

I will say the Melb GP is the best organised I have been to yet.

This is the ticket I have purchased (not from ticketek though, as they have now sold out like most places). To be honest, I'm just glad I got a 4 seat pass at all, since I've left it really late due to being messed about by someone else.

I'll go if you shout me a ticket and listen to my commentary

Funnily enough I do have a spare 4-day GA ticket, Campy. It can be yours if you'd like it.

Seeing that I had a half a day off yesterday in Melbourne and our hotel was directly across the street from Albert Park I decided to spend a few minutes before dinner and take a look for myself.

As we all know there is evidence of hard times everywhere in our world and now I discover this extends to the wonderful Australian GP circuit.

I strolled around the last few corners until I came to the pit entrance. It seems they have installed a new and unique way of notifying the drivers that the pits are closed ...clunk

Later, while wandering down the pit lane , I was confronted with the effects of urban blight on the sides of the once grand pit and paddock building. It looks like some disused playground in Brooklyn...
Bernie, Will Not Be Pleased.

A disturbing event then ensued. I then came across pit number 4 where one of the Ferrari's will carry out their stops...Now,even though I do not support them I hope this is not a bad omen for anyone involved.
I felt rather sad.

Anyway..
Back to the hard times routine and to my amazement I find out they rent out the over-pit pricey lunch area as a cresh for young ones while mummy takes part in the many attractions Melbourne has to offer.

But by far the most shocking thing I was made aware of is the fact that, during this years GP, some junior smarmy in an office has devised a plan to charge the teams for each stop a driver makes in the pits via some crazy "cost cutting" Pay and Display scheme . The driver gets out, fumbles for an ever increasing amount of change, has to predict how long the necessary changes will take, shoves the coins into the meter and waits for a ticket to be printed. He then must run back to the car, slap the ticket on in a visible area before any work may take place on his car.

Honestly...all this to improve the show and make some connection with the punters watching at home... Ridiculous I tell you.

Jp

Great post JP. Love the Pay & Display scheme!!

Sad about the little bird though.

Melbourne falls into this state every year.

Lets face it, the pits facility is in the middle of a public park and is used for little else during the year.

By the time the GP rolls around it is cleaned up, given a lick of paint and all is good.

I followed your advice Kathe and got tickets for Fangio. Reading through the archives, I saw Sith had also made the same recommendation. So easy decision and the price was right. (BTW Brabham looks good too bdb).

Kangaroo tv online reservations are showing the Malaysian GP as the first race where they will provide coverage. Email has been sent to corporate asking for a confirmation; no reply yet.

Thanks for the help!

FYI - looks like no Kangaroo TV in Melbourne for round one.

Here is the email response I received today from their corporate offices:

There are plenty of Kangaroos in Australia.

bugga that!
we had the same problem last year. we got it in Japan, but couldn't get it in China the next week, even though the year before we could hire it "under the table" from the Mclaren merchandise tent in Shanghai.
must be that the track or Bernie, wants to much commision, me thinks.

great preview JP. you didn't find the the signpost that had NOT been cut down properly a couple of years ago that MS ran over and conked out on pit straight though..............ohhhh, i think that's been cut down properly now after all those years. i could probably show you where it was though.

so if no Kanga TV. take your "Dick Smith Transistor Radio" for audio coverage at the same time. this is great if you are walking the track at other time.

Sith and I have walked tracks before so there's back up to my theory, which we've always done. we're taking teenage daughters for the first time this year. one who can't wait to walk the track, and one who can wait, but only wants to see The Who.

K

I appreciate the additional suggestions Kathe! I walked as much of the track as I could this week and it was fun to see it all coming together. I was able to look around in areas that I'm sure will be totally off limits in the days to come as well. I'll probably try to get my hands on a radio when I'm back in Melbourne, as I know I will be going through withdrawal without k-tv!

I also looked at the set up for the concert. There are two additional sections before you get to the main holding area for GP ticket holders. You can upgrade or just buy a ticket to the front "My Generation." section. I saw the Who a few months ago when they did their N. America tour and they were in great form. Pete & Roger even hugged at the end! Your daughters will really enjoy the show.

I took a bunch of photos of the track but my net access time is really limited these days. If someone PMs me an existing thread link or instructions I'll try to post some of them here when I can as I've never done that here. A bit anorak...

Thanks

Hi Folks - my first post here after many years lurking in the shadows...

Another first for me will be the Melbourne GP! So I thought I'd call upon you seasoned pros to offer me any advice that you think might be useful for the GP weekend... any do's & don'ts & whatever...

Have got Fangio tickets which seem to be recommended here.

How much happens at the track on the Thursday? I'll arriving in Melbourne quite early and will need to waste some time in the morning before I check into the hotel.

Can you take any bags (as in just a backpack) into the track?

Cheers

G'day champ.

Thursday is great if you want to meet drivers, look around at the cars on display etc... other than that there's probably not a great amount of track action tbh.

You can take bags in but no alcohol ... my only advice otherwise is not to bring more than you'll need to carry around. There can be a lot of walking on a GP weekend so bring stuff you genuinely need but don't bring other stuff just for the sake of it.

take FM Radio and earphones to listen to commentary.
if you're taking a flag pole make sure it's not too long. they tend to confiscate large ones.
buy merchandise as soon as you get there as much of it sells out on race day.
alcohol gets dearer every year and so does the food, but the food in the restaurants and take away tents is usually very good quality. i haven't had a bad meal there in 10 years of going. i'm a coeliac and its the only track that i've been too where the food is great and i can eat there. overseas tracks i always have to take my own food.
don't trust the weather. it could be freezing in the morning and wet, then 35'C in the afternoon. go prepared for both.
try entering thru the other gates and try out the other corners. with a grandstand ticket for fangio you can also enter thru any other gate, not just gate 1.
good breakfast at the "tramstop cafe" at gate 1. hope they are there this year.
13 days to go......

Dooly Tilly
do you still have a GA you need to get rid of.
i've got a buyer if you want to.
i'll PM you.
Kathe

So... the Fangio ticket includes a pit straight walk at 10am on the sunday - is this worth doing? If it said "Pit Lane" I'd be all over it but I assume this is just a wander down the main straight.

What's the view of the pits like from the Fangio stand?

Cheers

i'm sure the sunday walk is from the outside of the barriers of the pits.
if you are able you are better off doing the wednesday walk if you booked thru gp advantage, this way you are way up closer in pit lane.

Finally its at a reasonable time, I have never had a chance to do it 'cause I have always been too hung over. Best intentions and all that.

I've already posted this question in "Racing comments", but I'll also post it here.

A friend of mine is going to Melbourne, and he'd like to get autographs from BMW drivers and from Seb Vettel.
Does anyone know when and where BMW and Red Bull organize their autograph sessions?
Thanks

He could try what they call the Autograph Stage

THURSDAY 26 MARCH 2009
1130 – 1155 WILLIAMS F1 - Nico Rosberg and Kazuki Nakajima
1200 – 1225 BMW SAUBER - Nick Heidfeld and Robert Kubica
1230 – 1255 FORCE INDIA F1 – Adrian Sutil and Giancarlo Fischicella
1300 - 1325 RENAULT F1 – Fernando Alonso and Nelsinho Piquet
1330 – 1355 RED BULL – Mark Webber and Sebatian Vettel

1430 – 1455 FERRARI – Felipe Massa and Kimi Raikkonen
1500 – 1525 BRAWN GP – Jenson Button and Rubens Barichello
1600 – 1625 SCUDERIA TORO ROSSO - Sebastien Buemi and Sebastien Bourdais

1700 – 1725 TOYOTA - Jarno Trulli and Timo Glock


http://www.grandprix.com.au/default.aspx?s...sdisplay&id=122

Wow! Thanks!

we're all here to help!

No McLaren?

Not according to this site anyway.

Maybe it's all part of their sandbagging. "The drivers can't spare the time signing autographs as they're too busy handing the mechanics spanners & stuff & generally helping to get the cars on to the grid" said Martin Whitmarsh, allegedly.

Hi all,

Long time no speakie. Yes, I am going to the GP this year. I will be showing my cousin around the GP (his first time).

We are driving down in his new XR6 Turbo to 'run it in'.
(Definition of 'Run it in' = bullshit term for exploring limits of new car without accumulating an excessive amount of speeding fines)

We will try the Clark stand because it's the cheapest. Looking forward to seeing The Who play too.

Hint: Protect your legs from the sun and bring earplugs.

Cheers,
Mark