Singapore Grand Prix

The Singapore Grand Prix is a Formula One auto race to be held in Singapore from 2008. The debut race is scheduled to take place on 28 September 2008, subject to approval of the circuit once it is complete. To be staged at the Singapore Street Circuit in the Marina Bay area, it may become the first race to be held at night for the sport should safety concerns be ironed out. But Formula One CEO Bernie Ecclestone has confirmed a night race by saying, "This will be the first fully lit street race in Formula One." It will also run in an anti-clockwise direction to enhance safety.

Prior to the 2008 race, the Singapore Grand Prix was the name of another motor-racing event held in the 1960s in another street circuit at Thomson Road.

Pre Formula One history
First organised in 1961, the race was initially known as the Singapore Grand Prix. It was later renamed the Malaysia Grand Prix in 1962 and remained one of Singapore's major sporting attractions. The name changed to the "Singapore Grand Prix" from 1966 after Singapore attained its independence in 1965. The event was discontinued after 1973 for a variety of reasons, including an increase in traffic and the consequent inconvenience of having to close roads for the event, and fatal accidents during the 1972 and 1973 races.

Winners of the Singapore Grand Prix

Formula One World Championship round
Singapore will host a round of the 2008 FIA Formula One World Championship. The race, to be held on a new street circuit, will be the first night-time event in Formula One history. An agreement for a five-year deal was signed by Mr Ong Beng Seng, the Singapore Tourism Board and Ecclestone.

Schedule
The new race is scheduled to take place on 28 September 2008]according to the provisional calendar released by the FIA. The timing of the night event means it can be broadcast at a convenient time for European TV audiences.

Circuit
The Singapore Grand Prix will take place on a 5.2-kilometres (3.25-miles) street circuit in the Marina Bay area. The circuit is a slight modification of the original one first designed by Hermann Tilke. The design proposal includes powerful lighting systems that will replicate daylight conditions and the most stringent safety protocols will be applied to ensure driver and spectator safety.

Grandstand seating and hospitality areas lining the track will be able to accommodate more than 80,000 spectators, while a permanent pit area with deluxe paddock facilities will be built adjacent to the existing Singapore Flyer complex.

Management
The Singapore Grand Prix will be managed by Singapore GP Pte Ltd, a newly incorporated race promotion company formed between Komoco Motors and regional events company Lushington Entertainments, via its parent company Reef Enterprises.

Tickets
Around 80,000 to 90,000 tickets will be available for the grand prix. Tickets will cost around S$100 for the days when free practices and qualifying are held, while tickets for the paddock area will go for between S$6000 and S$7000.

Benefits
It is thought that the economic benefits of hosting a round of the FIA Formula One World Championship could be up to and beyond $100 million through the influx of visitors into the country and agreements with local suppliers. The cost of hosting a round of the series would be around $35 million.

The construction of a purpose built track is seen as wasteful in terms of maximising land resources, for the track is likely to remain unused for most of the year. This prompted one of the bidding groups to propose a street circuit, a relative novelty in the series. Due to time difference, a proposal to organise the first night race for the event is also likely to attract additional publicity.

Concerns
There were concerns from some quarters, particularly from the Malaysian Sports Minister Azalina Othman Said, that the proximity of the Sepang International Circuit in Malaysia, which is about 300 kilometres from Singapore, would create unhealthy competition. This concern contradicted with that of the Sepang Circuit's Chairman, Mokhzani Mahathir, who welcomed the idea. The Malaysian Deputy Youth and Sports Minister Liow Tiong Lai has also come forth to say the Malaysian Government is "unconcerned" about possible competition from Singapore.

The close geographic distance appears not to bother Bernie Ecclestone either, who recently announced that Abu Dhabi would host a race from 2009, while only days earlier agreeing to extend the right of Bahrain, which is 453km away, until 2013. Bernie is not known to offer regional exclusive contracts to any promoter, he is only concerned about the value of the commercial contract and the facilities on offer.