[sfisher]

Originally Posted by MattG

I bit the bullet and splashed out on a ticket to see the Australian Grand Prix, primarily because The Who are the closing act! This is the first year that the event has been run at 'twilight' in Melbourne, so I have no idea as to the potential lighting for the racing (presume there will be flood lights, but who knows...).

I wouldn't be so sure about the floodlights. How light will it be from 5pm to 7pm in Melbourne? The GP organisers were pretty adamant that they wouldn't do a full night race, so they came up with 'twilight' as a compromise. This news article seems to suggest there will be no lights.

I thought I'd check the terms of entry out to see what gear I could bring and found the following:

"5. Patrons must not, without the prior written consent of AGPC, have in their possession at the Event, or bring into the Event, any of the following items:
...
(q) any photographic, video or audio recording equipment AGPC deems unacceptable for the purposes of condition 16 below, which may include (without limitation) audio recorders, camera tripods, monopods or lenses with a total focal strength of greater than 300mm and digital video equipment."

OK - no tripods. No lens over 300mm. Or does the phrase "...lenses with a total focal strength over 300mm..." mean they may look at at multiple lenses with a combined total (though impossible to achieve)? It would be a pain to turn up and have to sacrifice a lens or two... I plan on using a 55-300mm zoom and the photos are for my enjoyment. If I had a fast 300mm prime, then that would have been my choice, but beggars can't be choosers, especially when few places rent Pentax mount lenses. I also was looking at taking my 18-55mm zoom for some crowd shots.

This does not ban any of the items on that list. Section 16 deals with the rights you have over any images, video and audio you record at the GP (essentially none; they are for personal enjoyment only). What they're saying is that, if you arrive with any of the above items, and they believe you might be a commercial photographer, they reserve the right to refuse you entry. I'm not a lawyer, but that's my understanding of the paragraph.

I've been to Silverstone several times for the GP (latterly with my 70-300mm lens and monopod) and I can tell you that anything goes as far as photography kit is concerned. Obviously Melbourne has the right to make their own rules, so Silverstone might not be an appropriate comparison.

I'd imagine that the 'total focal strength' is a way of covering teleconverters.

Scoping the venue beforehand is unfortunately not possible due to family commitments, but I have checked out a few locations on the circuit map (primarily corners and short straights). Any thoughts or advice on any of this, especially anyone's experience with the interpretation of the condition of entry?

What type of ticket do you have? If it's a grandstand ticket, it's possible that you'll be restricted to a particular grandstand for race day (maybe even a designated seat). Usually on Friday things are a bit more relaxed. If it's general admission, then you won't be allowed in any grandstands and you'll have to find a spot around the circuit somewhere (at Silverstone there are grass banks for this purpose). I'd strongly recommend a folding chair if you're going general admission.

Originally Posted by jprime84

Stay smart in choosing your location! There are too many youtube videos of parts of racecars flying into spectators who stood at the apex of a turn.

Spectating at any kind of motorsport is dangerous, but F1 is probably as safe as it comes. I think the last time a spectator was injured at an F1 race was that dreadful weekend at Imola, 1994. Things have improved a staggering amount since then.