V8 SuperCars Eager to Ride on the Singapore F1 Wave

V8 Supercars chairman Tony Cochrane has expressed his interest in organising a V8 Supercar race on the same weekend as the Formula 1 Singapore Grand Prix on 28th September 2008.

Discussions with Singapore GP Pte Ltd, the official race organisers of the Singapore Grand Prix, have already gone underway according to the news sources. Cochrane said that the V8 Supercars event will not be a supporting race of the F1 race, but rather, they will be held on the day before the F1 race (i.e, 27th September).

The V8s series are currently held only New Zealand and Bahrain, with a non-championship round in the Albert Park circuit (also used by the Formula 1 event) and a Townsville Street Race in 2009.

If the current discussions are unsuccessful, the V8s organisers are still keen to have a race in Singapore to widen the audience reach.

F1 Enthusiast Bidded $30K for Hotel Room

An F1 enthusiast has paid a reported sum of $30,000 SGD for a hotel room in Pan Pacific Hotel during a charity auction.

The charity event, which was attended by Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong and his wife among the 500 guests, was the Assisi Hospice's Light-a-Heart charity dinner.

The unnamed bidder would be staying in the trackside hotel, which offers a prime view of the circuit just as the cars zip across the stretch at the speed of more than 300kmh, from 26th September to 28th September.

The trackside hotels in Singapore will be levied with a heavy tax of 30 percent during the event, and according to industry observer Noel Hawkes, the room cost will triple the normal rate during F1 races in other cities.

More Partnerships for Singapore Grand Prix Organisers

The Singapore Grand Prix organisers have announced 3 more deals for the inaugural Singtel Singapore Grand Prix next year.

First up, there is the deal with the Singapore Flyer, which will be prominently featured in the Singapore Grand Prix as the cars will have to pass by the observation wheel near turns 22, 23 and 24. The deal would allow the race organisers to utilise the grounds and facilities of the Singapore Flyer, thus adding more grandstands for spectators. The spectators will also have access to the areas within the Singapore Flyer Garden, with the organisers placing the entertainment and F&B outlets strategically inside.

Kingsmen Creatives and Pico Art International have both been awarded contracts to build temporary grandstands and corporate suites around the circuit. According to an article on the Straits Times, Kingsmen will be in charge of the areas at the pit grandstand, pit entry and exit, together with the Stamford grandstand and suites opposite One Raffles Link.

Pico will be in charge of the areas at turns 1, 2 and 3 as well as the grandstands at the Padang.

Singapore Grand Prix To Be Sponsored By SingTel

The inaugural Singapore Grand Prix, which will take place on 28th September next year, will be called the SingTel Singapore Grand Prix after a deal has been reached for the telco company to be the main sponsor of the event.

For this prominent display of their sponsorship, the deal is estimated to be around US $10 million by the Straits Times, although no confirmation of the exact figure was given by the company. As the title sponsor, SingTel will be actively involved in the events leading up to the night race next year.

Singapore: Permanent Racetrack to be Built

The motorsports fever in Singapore is in fullswing as the government opened up a site in Changi for proposals to build it into a permanent racetrack.

This race track however, will be a Grade 2 racetrack* and will not be able to host the Formula 1 Grand Prix. Motorsports fans in Singapore can look forward to races like the A1GP, MotoGP, Japan GP, as well as many other races. Testing of cars and driving training courses can also be conducted on the race track.

The race track should be between 2.8km to 3.5km or more, making it one of the most compact and efficient race track in Asia. The government is looking at a seating capacity of 15,000 or more, with the possibility of adding temporary structures to accomodate more seatings.

With the seafront location, the track is set to be one of the most scenic in the region. The estimated cost is set to be around $84 million, with no government funding, and is expected to be completed by 2011.

The government has also indicated their clear interest in pursuing a motorsports industry in Singapore, with plans to not only involve Singaporeans as spectators, but a chance to develop motorsports talent in the Republic. "A chance for a driving school perhaps... some kind of academy that'll give the driver a chance to get on the pathway. It will allow the masses to enjoy this, not only as a spectator but also to drive," said Oon Jin Teik, CEO of Singapore Sports Council.

*Grade 2 FIA-approved motor sports racetrack capable of hosting any motor race for both motorcycles and cars, other than Formula One. Also includes a Grade 1 FIA-CIK-approved karting track.

Singapore Grand Prix 2008: Night Race is On!

Singapore will be hosting the inaugural night race of Formula 1 after the plans for the floodlit plans submitted were approved by the FIA.

The Singapore Grand Prix, which will be held on the 28th September 2008, will be a street-circuit that will feature prominent icons of Singapore, including the Swissotel, the Esplanade as well as the old Parliament House.

The US Grand Prix in Indianapolis will not be featured in the 2008 calendar, while the German race will be in the Hockenheim. Valencia, another new feature and a street circuit concept as well, will be the second of the two races in Spain (the first being in the Circuit de Catalunya) and will be called the Europe Grand Prix.

Singapore F1 GP Names Lighting Contractor

SINGAPORE : Organisers for the inaugural Formula One race in Singapore have picked a company based in Italy as the lighting contractor.

The decision came after two lighting tests were conducted in July and September at the Paul Ricard High Tech Test Track in Le Castellet, France.

Organisers have also got the go-ahead after submitting a proposed system to the Federation Internationale de I'Automobile (FIA) in Paris.

Singapore plans to hold the world's first night race next year and has teamed up with Italy-based Valerio Maioli S.p.a, which specialises in the engineering of lighting and telecommunication system.

Lighting plays an important part in the race and the company said it will use lights to guide the drivers.

The entire track will be fitted with close to 1,500 projectors, placed 4 metres apart.

This makes it almost four times brighter than an average sports stadium.

But the brightness will not be too glaring for the drivers.

This is because the projectors will be erected 10 metres above the course.

The power surge will not result in any power outage or blackout, thanks to the 12 twin-powered generators.

The lights will be brought to Singapore in early January to be tested in a controlled environment.

Contractors will then take approximately two to three months to set up the system, so the lighting system will likely be up in the second quarter of 2008.

Meantime, all eyes will be on the announcement whether Singapore gets the go-ahead to hold the world's first night race.

"It's never happened before so it's very exciting for the world, and everybody's waiting for this night race. For instance, there are 400 reporters going for each grand prix. For Singapore, probably 600 are coming, almost double the number, because of the interest," said Colin Syn, President of Singapore Grand Prix.

The decision on holding the night race will be known early next year.

- AFP /ls

Source: Channel News Asia

Mario Theissen All for Night Race

Mario Theissen, team principal of BMW, has shown his support for a night race in Singapore provided that the drivers' safety is taken care of. Joining a number of drivers who have already expressed their interest in a possible night race, Dr Mario (as he is affectionately called) compared the attractiveness of a night race to that of a football match held in a stadium lit with floodlights.

According to him, he felt that "it's no rocket-science to create a fail-proof lighting system". Testings have already been conducted in the US Indianapolis track in June was deemed a success with the help of American company Musco Lighting, which provides lighting to a couple of US races like the Nascar, Champ Cars and Indy series.

Mclaren driver Fernando Alonso was the only one so far to have explicitly expressed his unwillingness to race in a night-setting.