Wednesday February 28th, 2001

Formula One World Champion Michael Schumacher hit a different kind of training track on Wednesday, playing soccer for a local club in Melbourne as part of his preparations for Sunday's Australian Grand Prix.

South Melbourne media manager Andrew Pirchan told Reuters Schumacher, 32, had contacted the club and asked to have a training run with the team, as long as it could be kept reasonably quiet and not generate huge media interest. p

Schumacher spent Wednesday morning doing sprints and playing in a seven-a-side game at the team training session. He scored a goal and barely raised a sweat in his 75-minute work-out.

"He said: 'I want to come out, I like your club, I like the boys, but no media'," Pirchan said.

"He understands the game. He fitted in as one of the players. A lot of the boys said he didn't even break a sweat."

Schumacher said in a statement released through South Melbourne:

"I always like to train for 75 minutes, which is roughly how long a race goes for, so it was ironic, but good, that South Melbourne train for the same period."

South Melbourne played in the world club championship in Brazil last year as Australian national league champions.

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(03-11-2005): Australian GP Paddock Gossip (03-09-2005): Greece Finds Site for Formula One Track (03-09-2005): Red Bull Set to Get Honda Engines in 2006 (03-08-2005): Schumacher in Line for Sporting Oscars (03-07-2005): Daily Grapevine Sunday Analysis - Australia

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