The Formula 1 Grand Prix race took place around Albert Park in Melbourne, which is just a couple of miles from our place. We got some general admission tickets, Zack scoped out a good viewing spot to set up our chairs and blankets, and several of our friends joined us to enjoy the beautiful Sunday afternoon.
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| Porsche Carrera Cup |
I thought it would be a fun thing to experience just once, and we figured we'd might as well check it out while living here, but we actually both really enjoyed it and would think about going again next year. There were all sorts of things going on other than the car races: carnival rides, display cars, motorcycle daredevils, sailboats and jet ski tricksters in the water, and flyovers by stunt planes, a Qantas jumbo jet, and military aircraft. The pictures below show just a little bit of what we saw.
There were other car races throughout the day, but the main event was the Formula 1 race at 5pm. The Formula 1 series is held in various cities around the world, but the one in Australia is the first of the year. Drivers who place earn points toward winning the eventual World Championship. At the Australian Grand Prix, the race is 58 laps long, which takes about 1 1/2 hours. It's a total of 191 miles, and the cars sometimes go as fast as 220 miles per hour. And wow, they are SO loud! We definitely had to wear earplugs. This year's winner was Jenson Button. He drives for McLaren, and he's won this race twice before.
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| We walked down to Turn 10 to get a good view of the cars maneuvering around a sharp curve. |
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| Close up of a Red Bull car. |
