|
MUMBAI:
The Formula One (F1) Singapore Grand Prix street circuit has
received in-principle approval by the Fédération
Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA), via the Singapore
Motor Sports Council.
The
inaugural F1 Singapore Grand Prix will take place on 28 September
2008 on a street circuit of public roads around the Marina
Bay area. The design proposal includes a bespoke state-of-the-art
lighting system that will replicate daylight conditions. Subject
to final safety clearances, the race will be the first held
at night in F1 history.
Corporate
hospitality suites and packages are on sale from late November
2007, with sale of three-day passes to the public due to start
in December 2007. Single-day passes will be released for sale
just before the Chinese New Year, subject to available inventory.
With Grandstand seating and hospitality areas lining the track,
everyone will be ensured of a great view of the action and
an unforgettable F1 experience.
The
in-principle approval will now allow construction works to
begin. In the coming months, the FIA will conduct a series
of inspections on the ongoing progress. The full circuit licence
will be granted during the final inspection, which will be
in the week of the race itself.
The
5.067km long street circuit, consisting of 14 left hand turns
and 10 right hand turns offers a number of overtaking opportunities,
challenging corners and gruelling sections that will test
the true capabilities of the F1 drivers. Slated to debut on
28 September 2008, the F1 Singapore Grand Prix is the first
Formula One street race in Asia and is one of three races
in the 2008 F1 calendar to run anticlockwise.
Singapore
GP deputy chairman Colin Syn says, “After months of poring
over the drawing board, we are now one step closer to our
dream. However, there is no time to celebrate – it is
now full speed ahead for us to get this race on the road.”
The
only outstanding decision is whether the race will be held
at night. Regardless, the circuit has already been billed
by many as one of the most dramatic and atmospheric races
on the calendar.
Singapore
marked the one-year to the first Formula 1 Singapore Grand
Prix milestone with a celebratory event at the Esplanade,
where Minister of State for Trade and Industry S Iswaran launched
the countdown clock on Singapore GP’s website, www.singaporegp.sg.
The Official Formula 1 Singapore website will include regular
updates and insider tips on the preparations for the race.
The site will also be the main avenue for buying tickets when
sales go live towards the end of 2007.
Set
against the backdrop of downtown Singapore, spectators will
get a close-up view of the garden city as the circuit winds
past historic landmarks such as City Hall and modern buildings
along the Marina Bay, such as the Esplanade.
Singapore
Tourism Board deputy chairman and CEO Lim Neo Chian who chairs
the F1 Working Committee noted the project’s steady progress.
“We are glad that the FIA has given the in-principle
approval for the Singapore city circuit. The countdown to
our inaugural race has begun. One year from now, F1 enthusiasts
can look forward to experiencing the excitement of a unique
street circuit in the heart of Singapore, which will take
world-class drivers and their race machines past Singapore’s
skyline, iconic city landmarks and tree-lined boulevards at
thrilling speeds.”
In
the course of the 61-lap street race, all eyes will be on
the fast straights and series of technically challenging turns
that will push drivers to their limits. The 500m Pit Straight
where the race will start and finish will provide exhilarating
racing and see cars approaching 300km per hour at top speed
with excellent overtaking opportunities into the left hander
at Turn 1.
The
cars are likely to reach a maximum speed in excess of 300km
per hour along Raffles Boulevard, where there is another prime
overtaking opportunity, before braking hard through Turns
7 and 8 before heading towards the historic and cultural landmarks
along St Andrew’s Road and Fullerton Road.
At
Turn 14 the cars will zip across the 97-year old Anderson
Bridge and braking to an expected minimum corner speed of
80km per hour.
To
meet the demands of a street race, the Land Transport Authority
will manage the modifications that will be made to some existing
infrastructure such as road kerbs and traffic islands. The
new 1.2km road that forms the start / finish straight will
also be constructed alongside the pit building. Work on the
pit building has already begun, and is scheduled to be completed
by end May 2008.
|
