Earth Hour

 

The 23^rd of March – apart from my brother’s Birthday –  is also when Earth Hour is held.  In Malaysia, where I am at the moment, it is a big thing and from 8:30-9:30pm iconic buildings to normal houses will switch off their lights for 1 hour.   

The event was launched by World Wide Fund for Nature and was launched in Australia in 2007. Since then the Sydney Opera House, Petronas Towers and Houses of Parliament have all plunged themselves into darkness.

In Asia, fairy lights and displays are much more prevalent than in Europe and I do love seeing it but environmentally, of course it is not ideal.  The picture below is of the hotel stay in over here!

Working in an industry which is trying to make both F1 and road cars more environmentally friendly I do try and do my bit as and when I can when I am away and am a strong believer that if we all do a little bit and show willing then it can become part of our daily life.

For more information about what is happening in your country and how you can get involved later today have a look here http://www.earthhour.org/

Lee x

Hot in Malaysia

 

 

After a couple of very relaxed days with friends in Melbourne, I have come to the heat and humidity of Kuala Lumpur

Monday morning was spent in a world of coffee as I tried to wake up after a long and tiring Sunday. I was writing my first column for Motorsport Magazine and you can check out my race weekend thoughts here  http://www.motorsportmagazine.com/f1/opinion/bbc-f1s-lee-mckenzie-in-australia/

I love Malaysia and have spent a lot of time in this part of the world but I never fail to be surprised when I step out of the airport for the first time and the wall of heat hits.  Then we get into the hire car and are met with the NO DURIAN sign.  I tried the pungeant fruit a couple of years ago and can completely understand why you wouldn't want one in a car. They stink and I wasn't a great fan of the taste either but you have to try these things!

We stay at a hotel that has its own water park, along with a lot of the teams.  It is the 9^th time I have stayed there and opening the curtains to see log flumes and a water bungee is always amusing, and slightly frustrating too as we never get time to use it!

The first thing I do when I get here is go for reflexology in a dodgy looking place on the street. It is the best reflexology that I have ever had and open until 11pm so I can even sneak in after work.  In my job I spend a lot of time on my feet running around after drivers and it is particularly bad here as Sepang has one of the biggest paddocks of the season. 

My other favourite here is reading The New Straits Times over breakfast. I love newspapers and enjoy finding out what is topical in all the countries that we go to but the NST is one of the best. How is it written, the stories covered, everything about it makes me smile and that is not a bad way to start the day, is it.

Lee x

 

 

Rain brings back the memories

Sorry for the lack of blog but since I last wrote the rain has been of biblical proportions! It means that today Qualifying and the Race will be on the same day for the first time since I presented my first show in Japan 2010.

Yesterday was a long old day mostly standing outside in a big storm for hours on end. It was deemed too dangerous for the cars to go out in but safe enough for pitlane reporters! Above is a cold looking me!

Below is the link to my diary from my website that I wrote after my Japan debut weekend - it brings it all back! 

http://www.leemckenzie.tv/full_story.asp?pageref=65

Lee x

F1 Is Back

We had a lovely dinner with Mark Webber in St Kilda the other night. He is one of the nicest guys in the sport and the fact that he took the time to treat some of us to a night out at his home grand prix – his busiest week of the year – says it all.

Yesterday morning I went to a beach bar to interview Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg.  Sadly the weather was pretty overcast and cold when we were filming but in typical style by the time we left, the sun was blazing!

It was my first day in the paddock of the year and it was pretty full on. I interviewed over ten of the 22 drivers which is no mean feat. The day gets broken down into ten minute sections and every ten minutes is a different interviewee, although sometimes they do clash!  It means you have to be super-organised and done your research as you are charging from one interview to the next with little breathing space in between.

We left the circuit at around 8pm last night and heading out for a quick dinner on Acland Street.

This morning I came into the track at 10am which is not normal for a race weekend but everything starts later at the Australian Grand Prix so we get the benefit of a long-lie for this race.  I will watch the 3 hours of practice sessions whilst writing my scripts for tonight’s Inside F1 show that I present on the BBC News Channel. It goes out at 6:45pm in the UK every Friday and Saturday on a race weekend. I’m also doing some interviews after the practice sessions too.  Basically I can relax a bit until the end of FP2 and then I get manically busy!

So for now I will go back into script writing mode and watch some cars!

Lee x

Food and Drink in Melbourne

 

Melbourne has an amazing enthusiasm for food, coffee, restaurants and bars which is great because I do too!

Last night I caught up with a friend who lives here and thanks to his local knowledge I enjoyed one of the best meals I’ve had.  We went to the Builders Arms in Fitzroy http://www.buildersarmshotel.com.au/  in the north of the city and the food was just out of this world.  I love the atmosphere in these places and the friendliness of the staff who seem to have a genuine interest in making conversation.

Today I went to collect my F1 accreditation before getting a tram up to Bridge Street for a bit of bargain hunting (unsuccessful) and a wander into the centre of town.  What I enjoy so much about the streets outside of the centre is that they all have their own identity and thanks to jet lag and walking around in the heat, I stopped for a caffeine fix and even that little uneventful break was lovely. The cafe/bars aren’t chic but they have so much character and I could have sat at the window for ages watching the world go by.

I have returned to St Kilda where I will attempt to go for a run before heading out tonight for an evening of ‘tucker’ and no doubt a beverage or two with F1 driver Mark Webber who is welcoming a few of us in the Aussie way.  He won’t be having any booze as he is a responsible athlete but as I am a guest, it would be rude not to!

I'll let you know how it goes!

Lee x

 

 

Wonderful Melbourne

So after 24 hours on 2 planes I arrived in Melbourne.  The flights were uneventful but I did get the chance to watch the much acclaimed Argo and can’t recommend it highly enough.  I also managed to watch 5 episodes of my new guilty pleasure, Nashville. Not quite so high brow but just as entertaining!

I have visited here at the same time of year for the last five years and I’m used to the changeable weather – today though the temperature in Melbourne has hot 35 C. Now I know the UK is under snow so I am certainly not going to moan but just walking around outside here you feel your skin tightening and starting to burn, even with lotion on.

I always stay in St Kilda, near the beach for this race which I am so grateful for. To be able to walk along to the seafront and have breakfast in the sunshine is an amazingly positive way to start the day.  I started the morning at the Beachcomber bar/restaurant with two large coffees and some of the gorgeous fruit bread they have here – think of the fruitiest hot cross bun – almost Christmas cake and then put it slice form!  I know there is similar at home but it doesn’t come close to this! As I sat there myself watching the world go by, I spotted a few F1 people as they start to trickle into the City.

After a bit of shopping and purchasing of some neon vests (look better than they sound) and a straw hat which will probably won’t get on screen but will stop my head from getting burned, I hit the gym.  Running 5k whilst watching rugby on TV was really not what I had planned but as it is too hot to run outside then this was the next best thing.

Tonight I am off out with an old friend and native Melbournian  (I am pretty sure that is not what they are called!) and to discover some new parts of the City.

Lee x

Off to the Races...

 

So it is time for the first pack of the season.  A double header of Australia and Malaysia – only 2 weeks away but 8 TV programmes, other filming, sweltering heat and tropical rain makes it a tricky one when it comes to being sparing with the suitcase weight!

As Britain focuses on snow and returns to winter, I am wondering how I will cope with the 30c temperatures that have sizzled Melbourne for most of the summer.  The past few years I have visited, it has been chilly and changeable.  The famous “4 seasons in one day”.

Malaysia is always humid, no matter what time of the year I have been there.  The one thing I need more than anything – frizz ease!  An Afro on me is not a great look but it is the same for every girl in the F1 paddock so at least I am not alone.  Big thunderstorms and tropical downpours are the norm every afternoon at this time of year but knowing it doesn’t make it any easier working in it!

I leave Sunday morning, dropping my Mum at the airport on the way. She has been here a few days so I do get to see her on Mother’s Day, albeit briefly.  Then it is Melbourne via Hong Kong eventually getting there late Monday night.  I have films to watch, books to read and time to think which is quite unusual. There is something very therapeutic about switching your phone off for that length of time.

I am really looking forward to getting there and having a day or two to catch up with friends, drink some great coffee, wine and get back in touch with the city.    

Lee x

Instead of a Melbourne pic, here is my theme tune of the day - Off to the Races, Lana del Rey

 

 

Fancy a new car?

I have been pretty useless in the last few days when it comes to writing my blog - so I apologise.  I left Barcelona on Sunday night to head to Geneva for the Motor Show where I was launching the McLaren P1.

I have since had the most manic days! Motor Shows are more interesting than they sound.  The car industry has been badly hit by the global recession but there is a world of ‘supercars’ that is still booming. The McLaren P1 starts at £866,000! 

After a successful launch on Tuesday I then hopped on a plane to get back for the BBC F1 Team Launch that happened yesterday and it was the usual strange day of journalists coming to interview journalists - something that I never really get used to.

We announced some great new coverage plans for BBC1 and BBC2 and our viewing figures last year – despite moving to half highlights and half live shows – were very good. 

So on Sunday I fly to Australia and the next few days will be getting organised for heading off and preparing all my books and information for the season ahead.  It basically means my house looks like a bomb site whilst I try to pack a couple of bags.  In the almost words of PP Arnold - The first pack is the hardest, baby I know!

Lee x

Last day in Barcelona

So it is my last day in Barcelona and the final day of pre-season testing before the start of the F1 season.  Tonight I head to Geneva to work for a few days and this time next week I will be en route to Australia.P

F1 testing is not as glamorous as going to an F1 race but it takes the same amount of effort for the teams all the same.  Over 40 trucks line up along the paddock and some of the teams even bring their proper ‘race-spec’ motor homes to look after the guests and staff (you can see the Pirelli one below which the size of a house that anyone would be happy to live in!)

This morning I caught up with a great friend of mine Susie Wolff @susie_wolff who is the 3^rd driver for Williams and the only female driver in the F1 paddock.  We have known each other for many years and it is great that she comes to the Grand Prix.  With over 120 days on the road, it is nice to have friends and not just colleagues alongside you.

Susie is the consummate professional, speaks various languages, works very hard, spends time at the race track and back at the factory in the simulator and when she is not driving she is training.  Amongst all of that she has a mountain of press work to do, especially as the only female driver here.  She will happily go from doing a technical story for a motor sport magazine to doing an interview with Vogue, which she was doing when I left her.

Motorsport is still a man’s world but things are changing. You just need the knowledge, dedication and attitude to make it happen. Women like Susie are the perfect role models for young girls today.

http://susiewolff.com

Lee x

 

 

 

F1 Testing - Barcelona

 

Cold and wet sums up Barcelona.  I came out here yesterday to report on the final Formula One test before the season starts.  We arrived yesterday morning to torrential rain and strong winds, strong enough to bring down trees near Las Ramblas last night.

F1 testing means very long days, a lot of watching cars, trying to decipher what is going on, which team looks good and drinking tea  - that is if you are a journalist.  If you are a team or driver it means crucial work to develop and hone the car so when they get to Australia in 2 weeks time for the first race, they are challenging where they want to be.

It is also a great time to speak to the drivers both personally and professionally.  The professional interviews can be seen on www.bbc.co.uk/f1 The personal chats are normally just finding out how the guys and their families are and just catching up after a few months away.

Everyone is more relaxed at the tests.  Lewis Hamilton has brought his dog Roscoe to the circuit - you can see him above in the picture that Lewis tweeted from his motorhome. The press officers have time to sit down to assist in tea drinking and ponder questions like “Is a Curly Wurly better than a Freddo!” and other highbrow subjects and it is a great way to gently ease back into the world of F1 before the 19 race round-the-world charge starts next week.

Lee x