JANUARY 4, 2005

Melbourne getting ready for 10th birthday celebrations

This year the Australian Grand Prix celebrates 10 years in Albert Park in Melbourne and with Australian Mark Webber getting into a top car for the first time, the interest should be higher than ever, even if the country remains fixated by the V8 Super Car series. In order to broaden the appeal of F1 in Australia there are plans for pre-race events on the streets of Sydney and Melbourne and it has been announced that the activities on Thursday will be open to the public free of charge. The Victoria state premier Steve Bracks has decided that People's Day will allow the local population to see what Grand Prix racing is all about, without having to pay to get in. The hope is that a percentage of them will decide they want to see more and come back and buy tickets for the weekend.

"Ten years of having the Grand Prix in Melbourne is a milestone to be celebrated, and what better way to mark this event than to make it accessible to more people," Bracks said.