Business Times - 18 Apr 2006
Big names vie to bring back motor racing
A1 says its edge in S'pore is in the use of existing streets
By CONRAD RAJ
(SINGAPORE) The race is on between Bernie Ecclestone's Formula One
and Dubai's A1 Grand Prix to bring motor racing back to
Singapore.
After Mr Ecclestone said last month that he had been 'speaking to
people about the possibility of a race (in Singapore)', local
events company Sports Republique has said it wants to bring in A1
and is in talks with the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) and other
government organisations to seek sponsors.
It feels there is a better chance of getting A1 up and running than
F1 - because A1 can use the existing streets.
Although Mr Ecclestone has said he thinks a street circuit would
'work well' in Singapore, F1 usually runs on tracks - which can
cost more than $200 million to build.
Krishna Ramachandra, a director of law firm Arfat Selvam Alliance,
which has an interest in Sports Republique, told BT: 'The clear
attraction of A1 is that a street race is a distinct
possibility.'
A1 management knows just what a Singapore race would involve, Mr
Ramachandra said. 'In fact, the areas suggested by them are as
follows: Marina South; Tuas area near Raffles Marina; Sentosa;
downtown along the Esplanade, around the Padang, etc; and other
areas like Changi, Pasir Ris.'
He also said F1 promoter's fees alone are in the region of US$30
million, while the total cost of hosting an A1 race is only about
US$18 million.
Another positive is that A1 host nations must field a team, Mr
Ramachandra said. And that means a Singapore driver, which would
help spark the development of a motor racing scene here.
'Cultivating a pool of talented Singaporean race drivers would
allow Singapore to participate in other global motor racing
competitions,' he said.
'It is also in line with the Sporting Singapore initiative.'
A1, conceived by Sheik Maktoum al Maktoum, a member of the Dubai
royal family, pits 25 national teams against one another in various
formats, including street races and rolling starts.
Unlike in F1, A1 drivers compete for their country - not a private
team or constructor. And the cars are identical, using a Lola
chassis and 550 bhp V8 Zytec engine with a top speed of 304
kmph.
Richard Dorfman, managing director of broadcast and television at
A1 Racing, said: 'We are thrilled with the prospect of having a
race in Singapore. Singapore truly has the platform to be the
Monaco of the East.'
Singapore's infrastructure support and its geographical location
are well suited for a race as part of the A1 Asian leg, Mr Dorfman
said. 'The broadcast angle and publicity will be immense for a
country like Singapore.' A1 is organised so that there are no
calendar clashes with F1. The two seasons run consecutively, so
there is no more than a couple of weeks' overlap, with F1 from
March to October and A1 from September to April.