Of the 425,055 attendances at the Australian Grand Prix this year I reckon only those made by Ferrari fans resulted in happier days than my 4 days there.

Although the larger crowds did make watching the racing a bit harder at the busy times it also made for a great atmosphere. Friendly, happy, well behaved and generally having a good time in one another’s company.

We had a terrific line up of cars in our display thanks to our wonderful members being prepared to bump their cars in on Wednesday morning and leave them there until bump out late Sunday evening.  I was particularly grateful for the quiet patience of our members having to wait to leave on Sunday for no obvious reason. Some took the option to return on Monday morning to get their cars.

We were privileged to have a glorious XM on loan from Melbourne BMW and it attracted a lot of attention. 

In fact, the interest shown in all of our display was, in the words of one member, “over-whelming”. For considerable periods we had a group of people in front of every car in our display. I would have taken a photo but I was busy the whole time answering questions and engaging with other enthusiasts, BMW or otherwise.  There were plenty of other club displays to look at too.

Whether you enjoyed the main race probably depends on who you support but there was plenty of other track action to keep one occupied (although I did not get to see much). Being close to the action, as we are lucky to be in Albert Park, certainly refreshes the memory as to just how fast the cars are on track – something lost on TV. The sensation even away from the track’s edge is fantastic.

A significant contingent of our members were among the 1,.000 + who volunteered in various roles, scrutineering, flag marshals, paddock marshals and more. Some were required to report for duty at 5:30 am, others out in whatever the weather throws up. Those of us merely watching are very grateful to these volunteers, without whom the event could not happen.