High quality print on cotton canvas of the world renowned and Albert Park circuit, comes beautifully framed in a sleek modern black frame.
Melbourne's Albert Park is famous for hosting the Formula One Grand Prix each spring, but it has a motor racing history stretching back much further. In the 1950s, it was a venue where Stirling Moss battled for victory with a young Jack Brabham and other notables from the Australian racing scene.
The circuit was formed along public roads in parkland surrounding a lake – a much better backdrop than Melbourne's previous major venue, Fisherman's Creek, which nestled alongside the docks and a rubbish tip! The largely flat circuit featured a series of fast bends and proved popular with drivers. The 1953 Australian Grand Prix was won by Doug Whiteford in a Talbot-Lago, while follow-up events in 1956 were won by Stirling Moss. Further races took place in 1957 and 1958, after which local opposition led to political pressure bringing racing to an end.
And so for more than 30 years the park fell silent. However, by 1992 the political winds had turned. New state premier Jeff Kennett was keen to find ways of making Melbourne a more dynamic and interesting city, planning to boost tourism and the local economy through a series of major international events. At the top of the list was securing the Australian Grand Prix from rival city Adelaide and the Formula One circus duly arrived in 1996.
Many of the original roads used in the 1950s were incorporated into the new circuit, albeit resurfaced and now run in the opposite direction. Some new sections were added, including a permanent pit area and garages, start/finish straight and the first and last corners being created on greenfield land.
The whole park benefited from a multi-million dollar investment in sporting facilities, which are available to the public for the rest of the year once the Grand Prix circus departs. Nevertheless, the event wasn't universally popular and protests were held against the removal of trees during the construction works, though a planting project has actually left the park with double the amount of trees it had originally.
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Picture, width: 30 cm
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Picture, height: 40 cm
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Frame width: 33 cm
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Frame height: 43 cm
