Toyota honours media with GP Club 500.

Next week's Austrian Grand Prix will mark the 500th grand prix anniversary of UK journalist Mike Doodson and, as well as marking the occasion with a special cake and a toast at the team's motorhome next Friday, the achievement also prompted the formation of a select 'club'.

Next week's Austrian Grand Prix will mark the 500th grand prix anniversary of UK journalist Mike Doodson and, as well as marking the occasion with a special cake and a toast at the team's motorhome next Friday, the achievement also prompted the formation of a select 'club'.

As a result of realising just how many scribes and snappers had reached - or were approaching - the 500 GP mark, Toyota has now launched GP Club 500 to honour those who have attended five hundred grands prix or more. So far nine people have signed up, and will be joining Doodson in receiving a toast in the Austrian paddock next week.

This event will serve as a basis for 'Toyota's Top of the Paddocks' - a comprehensive list of all F1 media and the number of races they have attended. This list will be published regularly in the media centre, and journalists are kindly asked to check and update their details on a race-by-race basis.

During the Monaco Grand Prix weekend, Panasonic Toyota Racing will organise a less informal event for all journalists who have attained 300 races or more. According to the current Toyota 'Top of the Paddocks' list, there are 32 journalists who will be eligible for this event, in addition to the nine half-centurions.

Any media interested in celebrating with Mike Doodson are invited to the Panasonic Toyota Racing motorhome for a snacks and drinks before the cake presentation at 1315hrs. Photographers are also warmly welcome to attend to take pictures of the occasion.

Toyota's 'Top of the Paddocks' (as at Austrian Grand Prix 2003)

570 Jabby Crombac France
530+ Heinz Prueller Austria
509 Giorgio Piola Italy
501 Cristiano Chiavegato Italy
500+ Enrico Benzing Italy
500+ Helmut Zwickl Austria
500+ Jeff Hutchinson GB
500 Mike Doodson GB

493 Henrique Cardao Portugal/Brazil
491 Luc Augier France
476 Roger Benoit Switzerland
476 Carlos Murphy Switzerland
459 Frederik AF Petersens Sweden
458 Alan Henry GB
418 Reginaldo Leme Brazil
418 Achim Schlang Germany
415 Christian Tortora Canada
405 Maurice Hamilton GB
403 Nigel Roebuck GB
400+ Rainer Schlegelmilch Germany
400+ Bernard Cahier France

389 Jean Louis Moncet France
388 Patrick Camus France
385 Jacques Deschenaux Switzerland
380 Ferdi Kraeling Germany
376 Dominique Bressot France
360 Hiroshi Kaneko Japan
350 Peter Lattmann Switzerland
350 Bob Constanduros GB
332 John Townsend GB
329 Jose Miguel Barros Portugal
324 Daniel Reinhard Switzerland
320 Hans Hug Switzerland
315 Patrice Burchkalter France
309 Dan Alexandrescu Romania
301 Dan Knutson USA
300 Lionel Froissart France
300+ Bernard Asset France
300+ Crispin Thruston GB
300+ Paul-Henri Cahier France
300+ Michael Schmidt Germany300+ Bryn Williams (Crash.Net) GB

Read More