MARCH 6, 1995

All about Albert Park

The 1996 Australian Grand Prix will take place in March next year in Albert Park, Melbourne. The switching of the race from Adelaide has not only upset the people of Adelaide but also environmentalists in Melbourne, who have been causing trouble ever since work began in the park at the end of January.

Last week there was another demonstration against the work, during which 300 people broke down fences and invaded the site. The local police are also investigating reports that some of the site machinery has been sabotaged.

The environmentalists are complaining that the park will be ruined by the circuit, while the GP promoters are telling the world that the park needs to be revitalized and that when the work is finished there will be twice the number of trees in the park than there are currently.

Albert Park has hosted races before. It was the venue of the Australian Grands Prix in 1953 and 1956, the latter being won by Stirling Moss in a Maserati 250F. The events were immediately successful as they took motor racing to the public in downtown Melbourne. In 1958 Moss returned to win a race called the Melbourne Grand Prix but political pressure closed the track after just five years.