24 August 2008

Night thrills: Events galore to keep race fans happy

Formula One, the world’s most-watched motor-racing event, has been held in a myriad of cities around the globe. And for this first time this year, the race will be run at night on the of Singapore, writes NURRIS ISHAK.

THE Singapore F1 party will not just be at the circuit but throughout the city of entertainment.

Fans and revellers will have the opportunity to rub shoulders with race drivers, team principals and international models at the exclusive Amber Lounge party, from Sept 27 to 28.

Among other festivities, visitors can look forward to a splashing time at the Singapore River Festival, from Sept 19 to 28. Set along Boat Quay, Clarke Quay and Empress Place, the Singapore River Festival will feature live performances by international and local artistes such as Paul Anka, Jive Talking, EIC and Reverie, as well as magic shows by local illusionists J C Sum and Magic Babe Ning.

Jazz aficionados can also look forward to a live performance by Diana Krall on Sept 26.

Visitors will have the chance to watch the visually spectacular dance drama, ’Legenda Singapura’ (The Legend of Singapore), from Sept 19 to 21 and from Sept 26 to 28.

The drama is based on the tales from the royal court of Sang Nila Utama and his journey to Singapore.

Beer lovers should not miss the Singapore Beer Festival (Oct 2 to 5), where beer from the world’s breweries will be making their debut in Asia.

There will also be various exhibitions, such as the Singapore Motorshow 2008 (Sept 26 to Oct 5) at Suntec Singapore, Bulgari Watch Exhibition (Sept 18-28) and the TAG Heuer “Racing Legends of Our Time” Exhibition (Sept 19-29) at the Paragon Atrium along Orchard .

IF you’re going to the world’s first night race in Singapore next month, don’t forget to bring your sunglasses Sunglasses at night? It might seem inappropriate but trust me, the circuit lights for the SingTel F1 Grand Prix will be four times brighter than the usual stadium lights.

In fact, debutant Singapore is aiming to break new ground by hosting the first F1 race in Asia. Inevitably, the eyes of the world will be on the island state on Sept 26-28.

Organising the race in one of the busiest cities in the world is not easy. The planners have to deal with issues like security and , as well as mapping a suitable route for the race.

At least the city is relatively free of wandering strays, which posed a problem for Bruno Senna, nephew of the late F1 legend Ayrton Senna, during the Turkey Grand Prix.

Senna’s race literally went to the dogs when he damaged his car after slamming into an Alsatian which had wandered onto the track.

City critters aside, Singapore GP Pte Ltd has had their hands full in ensuring the street circuit is race-friendly. A building here, a street light there, traffic islands and a few unfriendly kerbs can be a headache for the Singaporean organisers.

The race route is designed to include some of Singapore’s iconic landmarks such as the elegant colonial-styled Old Supreme Court and the grassy knoll of the War Memorial Park. Although the drivers will see them as a blur as they whizz around the circuit, the buildings will lend an aura of history to the event.

Lighting up the circuit for the night race is probably the most important task for the organisers. There will be 1,500 light projectors placed at strategic spots around the circuit, powered by 12 sets of powerful twin generators.

In case it rains, the lights minimise the glare and reflections from a wet surface or spray from the cars.

The lights will generate heat up to 7,100 degrees Fahrenheit but thankfully, the spectators will be spared a grilling as the grandstands are located behind the lights.

The grandstands can seat for 100,000 people.

Here’s a tip: look out for some excellent overtaking spots — at the end of Raffles and as the cars cross and brake for the righthander at the Theatres on the Bay.

For those with money to burn, they can watch the race in comfort while wining and dining at the Paddock Club in the Pit Building.

Tickets for the Paddock Club are being sold at RM17,930 each — a vantage point to watch the teams change tyres and run checks in microseconds.

Paddock Club guests will have privileged access to the circuit and team areas, typically a no-go for general entrance ticket-holders.

The pit building also has hospitality suites for VVIPs, providing a fantastic view of the pits and the first corner of the track.

An F1 driver will tell you that racing through a street circuit can be quite a challenge when negotiating the nooks and bends.

If you think it’s hard driving around the city during the day, try doing it at night at speeds above 300km per hour. Now drive round and round 61 times and while you’re doing that, make sure you avoid turning one of the buildings along the way into an impromptu parking lot for your car.

Even if you know the like the back of your hands, the race is going to be anti- clockwise, ie. against the usual traffic flow.

And contrary to a local joke, it’s not anti-clockwise simply to avoid paying toll. The reason for this is that if they were to follow the normal traffic flow, one of the turns would be so sharp that it could cause the cars to take a dip in the sea.

The 5.067km Singapore circuit will have 23 turns — 10 left-hand turns and 13 right-hand runs, giving the drivers plenty of challenge (aside from having to avoid a building or two).

Blink, and you’d probably miss the action but you probably won’t miss the sound. Remember, an F1 race is LOUD. You can hear it even if you’re kilometres away from the track, so wear your earplugs or you’ll end up being deaf for the next few weeks.

By the way, in case you’re curious about how it feels to be in a Formula One car during the race, you could try the SingTel Ultimate Race simulator.

The F1 car simulator replicates the night race in great detail, and drivers get the thrill of whizzing past landmarks such as the Esplanade and City Hall.

It lets the ’drivers’ experience every thrilling hairpin turn, skid, brake and crash as the seats are mounted on motion-enabled platforms while zooming down the actual Singapore street circuit at breakneck speeds. Feel free to supply the soundtrack.

Or you could try going on the G-Max Reverse Bungee, which launches you 60 metres skywards at 200km per hour (That’s what being in an F1 car feels like during a race, the bungee operator will gleefully tell you).

So be sure to watch the drivers as they drive into the sunrise.

FAST FACTS

Sept 26: 1st, 2nd Practice Sessions

Sept 27: Final Practice Session; Qualifying

Sept 28: 2008 SingTel Singapore F1 Grand Prix

Track length: 5.067km

Race direction: Anti-clockwise

Number of laps: 61 10-15m

Track surface: Polymer Modified Binder offers racing cars 20 per cent more grip

Number of turns: 23 — 13 left turns, 10 right turns

Maximum speed: In excess of 300kph 100kph (T3, T10, T11, T15, T19, T20) Overtaking opportunities — Turn 1: Pit Straight; Turn 7: Raffles Boulevard; Turn 15: Esplanade Drive

Race distance: 308.95km Note: Start and finish lines aren’t in the same place, so the race distance is shorter than a 61x5.067km calculation.

The start line is somewhere close to the middle of the straight, while the finish line is at the beginning of the straight.

PIT BUILDING

350m long; 22,000 sq m gross floor area Glass façade for panoramic view of pit and starting straight 36 garages for 12 teams on ground floor Race Control Centre, Winners’ podium and Media Centre

HOSPITALITY LOUNGES

Paddock Club (2nd, 3rd floors) can accommodate 4,000

LIGHTING SYSTEM

Power: 3,180,000 watts

Track projectors: 1,500 @ 2,000 watts each

Overall luminosity: 3,000 lux levels (four times brighter than a sports stadium)

TICKET PRICES

Walkabout passes*: RM401 (3-day passes/person)

Grandstand passes: RM593-RM3,318

Corporate hospitality passes: RM8,367-RM15,538

* Single-day passes will be available for walkabout tickets — RM90 for Sept 26; RM139 for Sept 27; RM258 for Sept 28 Single-day concessions are available for youths (7-15) and seniors (60 and above)

BOOK YOUR TICKETS

Website: www.singaporegp.sg

Ticket hotline: +65 6738 6738 For more information, log on to www.singaporegp.sg

* The writer thanks the Singapore Tourism Board for a fabulous trip.