NOVEMBER 1, 2001

Clinton to visit Australian GP?

FORMER US President Bill Clinton will be in Melbourne on business in the week of the Australian Grand Prix and has been invited to attend the event by race organizer Ron Walker.

"We understand he likes car racing, but we'll see what happens," Walker told Australian reporters. "He is a man of great charisma and he is very popular in Australia, so like any world leader attending a sporting event, it creates an enormous amount of attention."

Walker said that the race will continue to make small losses in terms of running costs but added that the value of the event to the state of Victoria has been worth several hundred million US dollars in other income, such as investment in the state and the growth of tourism.