Annual Report 2011 Australian Grand Prix Corporation

Second and third podium places were filled by McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton and Renault’s Vitaly Petrovrespectively.In addition to all the Formula 1 action, the 2011 Formula 1 Qantas Australian Grand Prix delightedrace-goers and motorsport enthusiasts with the biggest support category line-up to be seen at Albert Parkfor many years. This included the new exhilarating V8 Supercars Albert Park 400 endurance races whichrequired tyre changes and fuel stops utilising the new V8 pit building and garages.The V8 Supercars Albert Park 400 was the star attraction after Formula 1, and Jason Richards was perhapsits star performer. Fighting a particularly virulent form of cancer, the courageous Kiwi driver qualified fifthin the Team BOC Commodore and added a podium finish in the second of three races in the new-formatseries before heading to the United States for further treatment.Two wins for defending national champion Jamie Whincup did the trick for Team Vodafone, while theother race victory went to the ever-combative Garth Tander in the #2 Toll Holden Racing entry.Albert Park welcomed the reborn Porsche Carrera Cup’s first round, but the rest of the field knew they werein trouble when Craig Baird was in the line-up. The Kiwi commentator is also the world’s most successfulGT3 racer, and while he had to give up the first race to compatriot Jonny Reid, he duly won the next two,to stamp his class on the competition again.Add in a brace of victories for Mark Dwyer’s Lola T332 in the evocative Tasman Cup Revival F5000 races,matched by former Magpie favourite Sav Rocca in the Lexus CT200h Celebrity Challenge, and it wasanother wonderful weekend of racing.Australian Formula 1 World Champions Sir Jack Brabham and Alan Jones’ attendance at the eventproved to be very popular with fans and media alike. Both Alan and Sir Jack took part in a number ofmedia activities and interviews during the event, the most popular being a photo opportunity with MarkWebber and other former Australian Formula 1 drivers which attracted more than 50 photographers inthe Formula 1 Paddock on Saturday 26 March.Off track, across the four days, crowds estimated at almost 300,000 also enjoyed the atmosphere ofthe event, taking in an exciting array of amusements, activities and displays as well as music and liveentertainment.2011 saw a significant increase in corporate attendance and a corresponding increase of over 10% on2010 corporate revenues. This is testament to the exceptional new and upgraded corporate facilitiesincluding the Chicane Pavilion, Pit Exit Suites and V8 Alley. The event offers a truly unique opportunity forlocal, interstate, and international companies to entertain corporate clients and guests in an environmentunlike any other in Australia.Grandstand sales also saw a boost in 2011 as a result of flexible ticket offerings and competitive pricingand this lead to the extension of the Webber Grandstand on Pit Straight and the reintroduction of thePiquet Grandstand at Turn 3 for the first time since 2008. The increase in grandstand interest also translatedinto an increase in grandstand revenues from 2010.Once again, Network TEN was the official free-to-air broadcaster for the 2011 Formula 1 QantasAustralian Grand Prix, broadcasting 18 hours of live television on both TEN and ONE from the Albert Parkcircuit across the Friday, Saturday and Sunday of the event.In total, the 2011 Formula 1 Qantas Australian Grand Prix reached 4.23 million people across three dayson TEN and ONE. At peak there were 1.48 million viewers across the major capitals tuned in to the Formula1 race, with a total of 1.12 million different people who viewed the race for an extended period.Internationally, thanks to the twilight race time, free-to-air audiences in emerging markets such as Russia,India and China were able to view the race mid-morning or early afternoon on Sunday, providingunparalleled branding exposure for the huge Melbourne signs to international markets with a new interestAustralian Grand Prix Corporation Annual Report 2011 3