MAY 22, 2003

Racing pulling in the stars

Formula 1 sometimes seems to have trouble attracting A-list celebrities but there does not appear to be a problem in the United States. The Indianapolis 500 is expected to be attended this year by a host of stars including Hollywood names Tim Allen, Anthony Edwards, George Hamilton and Steven Spielberg, former heavyweight boxing champion Muhammad Ali and former US presidents Bill Clinton and George Bush. The celebrity count will also be boosted by the presence of astronaut David Wolf. It will be interesting to see how F1 does at Monaco next week.

The celebrity count is expected to be boosted somewhat by the promotion going on between Jaguar, Formula One Publishing and the diamond firm Steinmetz. The last-named will unveil a flawless new diamond called "The Jewel in the Crown" at a celebrity gala dinner at the Hotel de Paris on Thursday May 29 and a number of stars are expected to be present. There are many rumors circulating as to who will be involved and we have heard that the diamond will probably be worn by supermodel Elle Macpherson, who has not been seen in F1 circles since her visit to the Australian GP more than a decade ago.