For more than 20 years, David Ng has been coming to the Formula 1 Rolex Australian Grand Prix to volunteer as an official and has always enjoyed the spectacle.
 
Migrating to Australia from China in the early 2000s, it didn’t take long for Ng and his wife to find a way to contribute to their favourite sport and volunteer at the premier racing event in Australia.
 
Based out in Canberra, Ng and his wife would often make their way down south for the Grand Prix, starting out as a track marshal before moving up to a flag marshal – the position he currently holds.
 
Before he came to Australia though, Ng had been an official in his homeland since the 1980s and volunteered at many events in China, as well as Pattaya and the prestigious Macau Grand Prix.
 
It was at the famous event where he would meet some of the stars of the future as Formula 3 drivers, as well as experience one of his most memorable moments as an official.
 
“I have known of Formula 1 since the early 1970s and started to be an official when I could,” Ng said.
 
“But the reason I became a big fan was when I was a pit marshal at Macau, I would come across so many drivers in Formula 3 who would go on to become Formula 1 drivers – Jenson Button, Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso to name a few.
 
“But the special moment for me and one I will always remember was in the 1990 Macau Grand Prix when Michael Schumacher crashed with Mika Häkkinen and the two had a big fight.
 
“I remember they were arguing after their crash in the pits, but I stopped them and I took them to race control. It was an unforgettable moment that became one of my highlights because of how famous they later became.
 
Remarkably, Ng may have dealt with some of the biggest stars to ever grace a Formula 1 car, but it wasn’t until he migrated to Australia that he would finally be an official at a Formula 1 event.
 
Having now done it every year for two decades, as well as the famous Repco Bathurst 1000, Ng was aware that retirement is on the horizon, but will continue volunteering at the two events for as long as he can.
 
“I have been a fan of motorsport ever since I got my driver’s licence and even raced a couple of years before I became an official, so I have been doing this for a long time,” Ng said.
 
“I have loved being an official for more than 40 years because there is lots of support no matter what country you come from. Although I believe I am getting a bit old now so it’s time to start considering retirement.
 
“I am pretty good though and I can afford to keep going and coming back to Melbourne.
 
“I just think Australia has the best officials in the world. You can see by what we do here and the fact that many teams are sent to other countries like Malaysia and Korea to help run their events – which is fantastic.”
 
Click here for more information on how to be an official.