Melbourne F1 GP 2009

[amped]

I'll be in Oz next week, first to Sydney (selling my house) and then to Melbourne for the GP, arriving there 3/25.

PM if you'd like to meet up during race week.

Cheers

[efusco]

You have a house in Sydney? Missed that bit somewhere.

[amped]

Palm Beach, a Northern Sydney suburb. Acquired years ago when I worked there, it's become a pain to oversee property managers long distance and recent tax law changes there and (soon) here make it impractical.

Not to mention that as beautiful a bay as it is, the water treatment facilities could be better. There's some scary stuff floating around out there, and I don't mean sharks. More like torpedoes.

[AussieOwner]

Originally Posted by amped

Palm Beach, a Northern Sydney suburb. Acquired years ago when I worked there, it's become a pain to oversee property managers long distance and recent tax law changes there and (soon) here make it impractical.

Not to mention that as beautiful a bay as it is, the water treatment facilities could be better. There's some scary stuff floating around out there, and I don't mean sharks. More like torpedoes.

Must have been a few years since you were in town - the water quality has improved significantly - so much so that the number of fish, and their attendant sharks, have increased to the point that we are constantly closing beaches due to the number of sharks near the beaches. There was a shark attack just down to road a little, at Avalon, only last week.

[amped]

Last year, but I haven't gone into the water in a few years.

I wondered why the increase in shark attacks, including the one in Sydney Harbor recently. That's motivation to stay on my sailboard.

[patsparks]

Ah bummer, I'd have loved to meet you but have some commitments like work and stuff.

[jhev1]

Originally Posted by amped

I'll be in Oz next week, first to Sydney (selling my house) and then to Melbourne for the GP, arriving there 3/25.

PM if you'd like to meet up during race week.

Cheers

So jealous!! I am a big F1 fan here in the states, now we have no race. I can't even go to Montreal anymore. I was fortunate enough to go the last year that it was here, had a blast. I can still here the engines screaming down the straight at Indy, the traction control working overtime on the BMW's coming out of the corner, smell of the fuel in the pits...ahh memories. Thank god for SpeedTV, it's all I have left.

What do you think of the rule changes?

[amped]

The race was phenomenal, mainly due to Toyota's podium. Of course I'm sure the rest of the teams will have rear diffusers by this weekend too, something the top 3 finishers had.

I'm on the fence about some rules changes designed to reduce speed and cost at the expense of technological advancement. But I like the changes that increase driver involvement and spectator entertainment.

I had all-access track and pit passes for the duration. During part of the race I watched a hot pit stop performed by the Toyota team, standing about 10' from the car. Absolute madness where everyone must perform their job down to the split second, and they did.

I'm a big F1 fan too, used to follow the circus through Europe when I lived there and have been to most of the older historic tracks. This year I'm planning on visiting Monza and Spa, two of my favorites.