PodAsia Travel Podcast

086 - About the 2008 FORMULA 1™ SingTel Singapore Grand Prix by Matthew Holden.

Singapore hosts the worlds first Formula 1 Night Race. PodAsia interviews the Deputy Chairman and racing tycoon Colin Syn, we review the special night lights to illuminate this world first and we take you on a drive around the 5km track.

ANOTHER FIRST FOR SINGAPORE: It’s official and it’s racing! The inaugural 2008 FORMULA 1 Singapore SingTel Grand Singapore Grand Prix will take place on 28 September 2008 on a street circuit of public roads around the Marina Bay area. The race is the 15th leg on the 2008 FORMULA 1 race calendar and includes a bespoke state-of-the-art lighting system that delivers optimal visibility for night race conditions.

The race will be the first held at night in FORMULA 1 history and is the first street race in Asia and is the most anticipated race on the 2008 Grand Prix calendar.

It has taken many years for Singapore to be able to secure the rights to host a Grand Prix. But with Singapore being one of the most picturesque and affluent countries in Asia it is fitting that the wait will have been worth it. Listen to the Podcast to hear how long it has taken to secure this race.

The race is a 5km (3.1 mile) anti-clockwise circuit that runs through the Marina Bay area in the heart of Singapore. The circuit is just minutes from 5-star hotels, the Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) underground system, the bustling Central Business District and historic landmarks such as City Hall, Fullerton Hotel (which was the original Post Office of Singapore) and the Padang which all form part of Singapore’s historic past.

One of the most auspicious aspects of this race is that it will be run at night.

WORLD TIMING: Racing starts at Singapore (SGT) Sunday, September 28, 2008 8PM, which will be:

London (GMT), Sunday, September 28, 2008 at 12:00

Paris (CEST), Sunday, September 28, 2008 at 2:00pm (summer time zone)

New York (EST), Sunday, September 28, 2008 at 8:00AM

LIGHTING FOR NIGHT RACE: The idea for a Singapore night race originated in 2006 when Bernie Ecclestone, President and CEO of Formula One Management and Formula One Administration, asked the SingaporeGP association “whether F.1 races would be possible at night?” After months of study and evaluation, Singapore developed and proved that it was indeed possible.

The solution is a number of 10 meter high steel pylons with a continual aluminum truss that will run the entire 5km distance of the circuit. Mounted on the truss are all power, communications and fiber optic cables.

There are also 1,600 special lighting projectors manufactured by Valerio Maioli S.p.a. of Ravenna, Italy using metal halide lamps spaced every 4 meters. These projectors are removable for quick replacement and will have a focusable reflector so that each section of track can be precisely lit.

Interestingly, SingaporeGP have opted for a lamp that is lower in colour temperature (4,200 Kelvin degrees) than used in stadiums (which use a brighter, whiter light of 5,500 Kelvin degrees). The logic behind such a move is sensible as the lower temperature will allow people and television to observe a more natural setting – especially since the route is lined with beautifully maintained trees. However the disadvantage is that Singapore is a tropical climate and – especially during inclement weather – the lower temperature lights may not work as well.

Notwithstanding, one of the excellent aspects of this lighting option is that the entire track will be evenly lit! Gone are the days of missing the action as a camera quickly pans from bright daylight to a shadowy part of the track.

But best of all is that the photography and video will be superb! Watch out for this race being broadcast in high definition – we tip this race to have some of the best images from the entire 2008 race schedule!

THE RACE CIRCUIT: The track has been designed to give the drivers technical challenges while incorporating some of Singapore’s most distinctive architectural and heritage features. Alongside Turkey and Brazil, Singapore will be one of only three anti-clockwise tracks on the calendar.

There’s 1.2km of new road and a permanent state-of-the art Pit Building being constructed facing east on the Marina River and all within a very tight timescale. The Singapore GP and government agencies are achieving in 18 months, what many Grand Prix organisers achieve in two years. However, in true Singapore spirit and entrepreneurialism PodAsia has no doubt that the schedule will be met.

A number of initial track concepts were created in association with the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) and the final track layout that was selected is ideal to showcase Singapore, provide global audiences with a wonderful scenic view and give 80,000 visitors the thrill of their lives.

MUSIC PROMOTION: PodAsia supports and promotes impendent artists. Music in this episode is from the podsafemusicnetwork.com and features Black Lab and his track "See the Sun" from his album Passion Leaves a Trace. Visit www.blacklabworld.com

Tracks from this self-produced album can be heard on FX’s promo for season 6 of “the shield,” in CBS’s “numb3rs,” “ABC’s “6 degrees,” and films the benchwarmers & lovewrecked. Welcome to PodAsia Paul - we hope to hear more from him.

 

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