Australian GP auction to aid tsunami aid efforts.

The Australian Grand Prix Corporation and BMW Australia have joined forces to offer one lucky person the chance to compete in the BMW Celebrity Challenge - with money raised from the event going to the relief appeal for the Asian tsunami.

The one off opportunity is being auctioned off on Ebay and the winning bidder will join 27 celebrities in the field for the event at the season opening Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne's Albert Park on 3-6 March.

The Celebrity Challenge drive kicks off with four days of intensive driver training with the celebrities ahead of the Grand Prix. The theme for this year's event is 'Best of the Best,' drawing mainly on stars who have excelled in the event in the past - including reigning winner, Olympic rowing icon James Tomkins.

Other past winners appearing again this year include actor/dancer Paul Mercurio and AFL great Dermott Brereton, while the field includes a host of other sports and entertainment stars who will compete in the newly-released BMW 1 Series car.

Additional bonuses for the buyer will be 10 corporate hospitality tickets for all four days of the Grand Prix and two tickets to the glittering Grand Prix Ball, the annual highlight of Melbourne's social calendar.

Network Ten, the host broadcaster of Formula One in Australia, will support the auction -starting today [23 January] and running until Friday - with promotions in its news bulletins and its Sports Tonight program throughout the week.

Proceeds from the auction will to go to Oxfam, one of the agencies co-ordinating tsunami relief aid.