All's Fine Except A Mild Worry About Weather

Sydney Morning Herald

Thursday November 5, 1992

PETER McKAY

ADELAIDE: The cabbie was mildly concerned about the weather: "If it rains again this Sunday, I reckon they'll take the Grand Prix away from Adelaide."

After washouts in 1989 and again last year, everyone connected with the Australian Grand Prix is asking for a fair deal from the elements this time around.

And the taxi driver's pessimism is not entirely unfounded. Should Adelaide drown a third time in four years on Sunday, the men who control the sport will not be pleased. They may just decide to take their fast game somewhere else.

Grands Prix are for cars, and not boats; for drivers, not helmsmen.

This race, like all in the world championship, is shown live on television around the world. And the great god of television shows displeasure when schedules are tossed out of kilter by the weather.

Mike Drewer, the race's publicity manager, said he didn't think the rain was a major issue.

"Only if the circuit wasn't up to standard, or if the race wasn't conducted in a proper manner, would Adelaide risk losing the Grand Prix," Drewer said.

"The main straight, where all the crashes happened last year, has been re-surfaced and the drainage improved."

The Grand Prix needs everything going to order for the organisers to attract a healthy crowd.

The recession, Nigel Mansell's dominant title-winning efforts in the Williams-Renault and the absence again of a home-grown product on the grid has not made for a manic box-office scramble to watch the last race of the year.

Late yesterday, ticket sales were running slightly behind last year, which attracted 102,000 people on race day, well down on the 115,000 spectators at the last dry race.

Last year, the State Government-run race lost $3.2 million, a figure that didn't cause much alarm in the Premier's office. The race brings more than $30 million in economic benefit to South Australia.

For a while this week it seemed the Grand Prix might get come desirable local content.

Australian David Brabham was negotiating with the Tyrrell team, hoping to replace crash-happy Frenchman Olivier Groulliard, who has finished only four of the 15 races held.

But the discussions came to nought.

"There were too many contracts which had to be broken and it was going to cost too much money to do it," Brabham said from his home in England.

So, the Australian Grand Prix still lacks an Australian driver, at least until next year, by which time Brabham believes he will have secured a deal with a team.

The youngest of Sir Jack Brabham's three racing sons last drove in Formula One during the 1990 season, when he contested nine races with the Brabham team.

There has been an attempt to turn Mansell into an honorary Australian for the weekend.

The tenuous connection is that Mansell's sister lives in Adelaide.

This means, apparently, that Australians should be cheering for the world champion-elect in what may be his final Grand Prix appearance.

Mansell will undoubtedly attract a large turnout of supporters anyway. He has a huge personal following which will be boosted by the healthy numbers of British migrants living in Adelaide.

Along pit row yesterday the word was that Mansell, who has said he is leaving Formula One for Indy car racing next year, is keen to go out in a blaze of glory.

In seven previous tries, Mansell has never won an Australian Grand Prix.

And the forecast for Sunday? Fine and mild.