Those F1 fans who mourn the days when it was possible to wander the paddock, getting up close and personal with the stars and their machinery, should spare a thought for NASCAR fans.

Nowadays, access to the F1 paddock is strictly by invitation only, and fans are pushed further and further back, catching the merest glimpse - if they're lucky - of their heroes 'in the flesh'.

We moan about the way F1 fans are treated as third class citizens, merely tolerated by those that control the sport.

However, whilst F1 might be keen to keep the fans at arms length, we have yet to hear of Bernie and Max seeking medical help should they come into contact with the great unwashed.

On the other side of the Atlantic, there is a major furore, after Democratic staffers advised aides to get vaccinated for hepatitis and other diseases before visiting NASCAR events in Concord and Talladega.

When the House Committee on Homeland Security decided to study public health preparedness at mass gatherings it advised aides to get immunized for hepatitis A, hepatitis B, diphtheria, tetanus and influenza before going to the UAW-Ford 500 in Talladega and the Bank of America 500.

On hearing of the warning, Linda Daves, chairwoman of the North Carolina Republican Party, hit back: "Democrats should know that there is no preventive measure yet designed to ward off the blue-collar values and patriotism that NASCAR fans represent," she said. "If they aren't careful, they just might catch some of it."

While Republican Rep. Tim Walberg, whose district includes the Michigan International Speedway, said: "Democrats must not understand the term 'rubbin' is racing'. To suggest that vaccines are needed to attend NASCAR races is insulting to millions of hardworking Americans who love their country and the smell of burnt rubber."