Run Singapore 2009

Run Singapore 2009

Run Singapore 2009 is organised by Singapore Cares (SG Cares), a new initiative from the National Volunteer & Philanthropy Centre, providing flexible volunteer opportunities for community service. President S R Nathan will be the Guest-of-Honour at Run Singapore 2009.

What is this new running event called Run Singapore 2009? In Run Singapore 2009, participants get to run / walk or do both along the entire 2009 Formula 1 Singtel Singapore Grand Prix circuit. This is the same Marina Bay street circuit that Fernando Alonso raced to victory last year in the world's first ever F1 night race. The Run Singapore 2009 race distance is slightly more than 5 km long.

Runners at Run Singapore 2009 will get a unique experience to see the majestic sights around Singapore's Marina Bay. Included in these sights are some of the famous old places in Singapore which I highlighted in an earlier post.

Runners who part with $25 each will also be doing their part for charity by contributing to the President's Challenge. The President’s Challenge is an annual series of community-based activities initiated by President S R Nathan in 2000. The aims of President’s Challenge are firstly, to increase awareness about how the community can get involved in helping the less fortunate and secondly, to raise funds for the social service sector.


Run Singapore 2009 details:
Date: 6 September 2009
Flag off time: 5.15pm
Venue: Padang
Race Route: Marina Bay Street Circuit
Run Attire: Your brightest colours
Registration fee: $25 per runner
Free for children below 12 years old and Seniors above 55 years old
website: Run Singapore http://www.runsingapore.com/


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Seen This Scene That

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Fernando Alonso Wins First F1 Night Race

Fernando Alonso Wins First F1 Night Race

Two-time Formula One (F1) champion Fernando Alonso raced to victory in the world's first F1 Night Race in Singapore's Marina Bay Street Circuit on 28 September 2008.

Picture from The Straits Times: Fernando Alonso is the winner of First F1 Night Race

Despite a disastrous earlier qualifying round that placed him at Number 15 on the first F1 Night Race starting line-up, Fernando Alonso in his Renault race car used the right tactics, injected with a dose of good fortune, to win the inaugural Singapore Grand Prix.

The two-hour battle for F1 Night Race victory saw three F1 race car crashes, plenty of tight twists and turns on Singapore roads, with a disastrous self-inflicted drama in the Ferrari pit lane when early leader Felipe Massa sped off with a fuel hose attached to his F1 car.

With Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton on his tail, Fernando Alonso put his winner's instinct to good use and never gave the second-place and third-place finishers any chance to overtake him in the final laps.

It was a great Formula 1 Night Race with plenty of unforgettable drama that will surely whet viewers' appetite for more F1 action.

Read more in Seen This Scene That:
1. First F1 Night Race In Singapore
2. Photographs of F1 Night Race
3. Best F1 Night Race Seats

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Winner Of Singapore GP 2008 Is ...

Winner Of Singapore GP 2008 Is …

The winner of Singapore GP 2008 is the racer who is the first to cross the finishing line of the world’s inaugural Formula 1 Singapore Grand Prix (GP) night race on 28 September 2008 AND does not receive any penalty for GP infringements during the Singapore GP race.

In the last race before the Singapore GP at the Belgium Grand Prix, Lewis Hamilton crossed the end point first in classy winner mode, ahead of other GP racers. However the race steward penalized him with a 25-second time penalty.

This GP turn-around pulled his winner’s placing down to third, thereby losing his winner tag. Official appeals by the ex-winner are on-going to re-instate his win (which did not succeed). I am sure multiple GP race-winner Hamilton will be able to put aside these distractions as he undergoes final preparations and aims to become the 2008 Singapore GP night race winner.

I have no preference on who would make a great winner at the first Singapore GP night race. Whoever wants to win the Singapore GP must attempt to be the winner during the qualifying test rounds. He must also be a winner at navigating the street circuit of Singapore GP throughout the street circuit to stand a good chance to be the winner. Other races on F1 street circuits like Monaco have shown that it is difficult to be the winner if they are not in pole position right from the start.

Due to the nature of street circuits elsewhere, over-taking was not possible because of the narrow width of the street tracks. Perhaps Singapore GP’s street circuit may be a different proposition, as some GP experts believe that a winner may emerge from among racers that start behind pole position if overtaking can be done safely in the Singapore street circuit.

I shall watch the show on local “live” TV to assess who see who will emerge as winner of Singapore GP. Past results have demonstrated that only a few teams have the engine pedigree that can win races without an excellent driver. In reality, outstanding F1 driving skills are required to ensure that an F1 team can pick up a winner’s title.

Who will win the inaugural Singapore GP 2008, pop the champagne on the winner’s podium and be crowned Night Race King of Singapore GP’s street circuit? Go on; guess who will be the winner of Singapore GP 2008…

I shall update you on the winner of Singapore GP 2008 when the result is known.

You can also check out the official Formula One website here for the name of the Singapore GP 2008 winner after the race is completed.

Read more:

1. Photograph of Singapore GP 2008, St Andrew's Rd

2. Best Singapore GP 2008 Seats

3. First Singapore GP 2008 Night Race

4. Singapore Motor Show 2008

LATEST: 29 September 2008
Fernando Alonso has won the world's first F1 night race. Click to read.

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Photographs of Formula 1 Night Race Singapore: St Andrew's Road

Photographs of Formula 1 Night Race Street Circuit: St. Andrew's Road

Photograph 1: Picture taken of Formula 1 night pre-race street circuit at St Andrew's Road

These are some of the photographs of the Formula 1 Night Race street circuit taken along St. Andrew's Road nine nights before the world's first-ever night race is held in Singapore on 28 September 2008. The photographs show some of the on-going pre-race work to prepare the street circuit fit for Formula 1 night racing in Singapore.

Photograph 2: Work in progress at Formula 1 night race street circuit along St Andrew's Road

This picture shows workers transporting materials to fix the spectator stands beside the Formula 1 street circuit. Throughout the time leading to the final days of the Formula 1 Singtel Singapore Grand Prix street circuit, night scenes like these will be noted. After completion of the F1 CBD circuit night race, the streets of Singapore along this area will be cleared of these temporary structures.

Photograph 3: Street circuit scene, days before Formula 1 night race

Photograph shows a view of St Andrew's Road in Singapore's Civic District, with the Central Business District (CBD) buildings in the background, through a slit in the metal fencing bordering the road. Note that the Singapore Grand Prix (GP) seats at the padang area have not been installed yet.

Photograph 4: View of what's at the side of F1 race street circuit at night

The photograph above shows part of the narrow passage by the Formula 1 night race street circuit. A two-man wide space between the metal fence along St Andrew's Road on the right and another fence near to the perimeter of St Andrew's Cathedral on the left is obvious.

Photograph 5: Blockers to be used for Formula 1 night race street circuit

Above photograph shows the heavy-duty steel-and-concrete blocks used to line the street circuit for ingapore's very first night race. Imagine how much damage the F1 racing vehicles may cause to these street-side walls or the damage these street-side walls may inflict on F1 vehicles and their mega-star drivers.

There will be many other preparatory Formula 1 night race street circuit works to be completed like road surfacing, street lighting, etc through out the day and night which I will not be able to photograph and capture on digital camera.

To facilitate these F1 night racing related activities, many roads around the street circuit at Marina Bay will be closed to the public, from 20 September onwards. F1 spectators will have to plan their approach carefully to get to their street side seats before the day turns into night.

Details of St Andrew's Road and other road closures during F1 season in Singapore can be found at the Traffic Police website. Check site here on road closure for street circuit (with date and time) from Singapore Traffic Police.

Other posts in Seen This Scene That on Formula 1:
1. First Formula 1 Night Street Circuit Race in Singapore
2. 2008 Formula 1 Singtel Singapore Grand Prix official site
3. Winner of Formula 1 Night Race
4. Singapore Motor Show 2008

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Best F1 Seats: Singapore Grand Prix (GP)

Picture: Are these the best F1 seats in the Singapore Grand Prix?

Best F1 Seats: Singapore Grand Prix (GP)

Are these the best F1 seats to watch the Singapore Grand Prix (GP) in the world’s first, and hopefully the best ever, Formula 1 (F1) night race? My best guess is that those who manage to reserve F1 seats at the Padang in Singapore will enjoy one of the best F1 racing action in the Singapore Grand Prix (GP). If and when a Singapore Grand Prix driver overtakes another, F1 GP spectators will surely be on the edge of their seats. At the same time, they would receive a visual treat of one of the best-looking buildings in the F1 Singapore Grand Prix (GP) street circuit – City Hall.

The majestic City Hall with its steps leading up to the imposing columns, lighted for the best mood effects, will best be seen from these Grand Prix (GP) seats. The City Hall steps may be used as seats for one of the best F1 vantage points in the Singapore Grand Prix (GP) grand scheme of things.

Picture: Padang F1 seats get best views of City Hall

No true-blue F1 racing enthusiast can resist some of the best close-up actions of the Grand Prix (GP) racing track as the world’s best Formula 1 racing drivers, glued to the seats of their best GP racing cars, do their utmost F1 best to burn rubber as they speed around the night streets of Singapore in a dizzy circuit around our Central Business District (CBD).

Between the F1 racers driving in the Singapore Grand Prix street circuit and your eyes from these seats is actually a mesh of steel net. This may be further blocked if F1 spectators stand up in front of your seat during the excitement of the night race. To reduce your visibility even further, these F1 racing cars will flash from one corner of your eye to the other, faster than you can say “2008 Formula 1 Singtel Singapore Grand Prix”.

F1 drivers in the Singapore Grand Prix (GP) will get several opportunities to race past these seats at the padang during practice, qualifying round and the actual night race on 28 September 2008. So if you have F1 tickets for seats to attend all three days of the Singapore Grand Prix race, you can learn to exercise the best muscles for neck turns and eyeball twists.

I believe these colourful F1 seats at the Padang receive the best of both worlds – the Singapore Grand Prix (GP) racing action along St Andrew’s Road and the best Singapore skyline as a grand backdrop. Whether or not these are the best F1 seats to watch the inaugural Singapore Grand Prix and the world’s first night race will be known on the night of the race.

To Singapore Grand Prix (GP) and Formula 1 (F1) racing enthusiasts, the best seats are the ones that can let them view ‘live’ F1 night racing history in the making while enjoying the best views in between racing cars during the first-ever Formula 1 Night Race at the Singapore Grand Prix (GP).

Where do you think are the best F1 seats to watch the inaugural Formula 1 (F1) Singtel Singapore Grand Prix (GP)? From the best F1 seats where you are sitting now, share your thoughts in the comments below.



Read more:
1. Seen This Scene That: Singapore Grand Prix...
2. Winner of Formula 1 Night Race
3. Singapore Motor Show 2008

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First Formula 1 (F1) Night Race In Singapore

First Formula 1 (F1) Night Race In Singapore

There are not many days left to the first Formula 1 (F1) Night Race in Singapore. The inaugural Grand Prix Formula 1 (F1) night race to be held on 28 September will herald many firsts for the racing scene in Singapore.

It will be the first ever Formula 1 (F1) race in Singapore. It will be the first racing event to race down our City area. It will also be the first Formula 1 (F1) race in the world to be held at night. And ultimately the first of many questions without any answers as yet that will race through people’s head is, “Who will be the first winner in this leg of Formula 1 (F1) Grand Prix Night Race in Singapore?”

Despite its pedigree as an international world-class motor-racing event, not many individuals I know are as excited about the Formula 1 (F1) Night Race in Singapore as the media frenzy surrounding it. The Sunday Times of 7 September 2008 certainly pointed out the obvious lack of Formula 1 (F1) race buzz among Singaporeans.

Certainly fewer would be fond of paying top dollars for the cheapest seats just to walk around the spectator stands. If you wish to rub shoulders with Bernie Ecclestone (boss of Formula 1 (F1) race series), Michelle Yeoh (Hollywood actress from Malaysia), Lewis Hamilton, Kimi Raikkonen or any of the other Formula 1 (F1) superstars, be prepared to loose several digits from your bank account. Commoners like me with thin bank savings accounts and mild interest in Formula 1 (F1) may just have to settle for home TV broadcast of the world’s first Formula 1 (F1) Night Race in Singapore.

What’s Formula 1 (F1)?
No, Formula 1 (F1) is not a breakaway singer from the boy band called F4. I have no idea why the originator of this racing event named it F1 other than to mean “Formula One”. Like a complex mathematics equation, I guess they had to discover who could decipher the mystery and come up with a formula in order to become number one in motor racing.

The official name of this night race in Singapore is quite a mouthful. Its name is the 2008 Formula 1 Singtel Singapore Grand Prix. According to its website, in the Formula (F1) Singapore Grand Prix race, contestants in their souped-up cars must complete 61 laps (I think) around Singapore’s central business district in a street circuit. Each lap of about 5.067 km long street circuit will see F1 drivers make 14 left hand turns and 10 right hand turns. How fast an F1 driver can complete one circuit will be known by 28 September 2008 as each F1 driver will try to push his vehicle at speeds in excess of 300 km per hour. An F1 car can hit 100 km/hour in 2 seconds compared to the 10 seconds that cars on our ordinary expressways can achieve.

The prize for the winner who finishes first in this race? Bragging rights, multi-million dollar endorsements, international media exposure, and endless high-maintenance celebrations and parties. Whoever wins the first 2008 Formula 1 (F1) night race in Singapore will celebrate like no other.

Singapore Inc will certainly join in the celebration as well. For turning out to be the ultimate race winner as the host to the world’s inaugural Formula 1 (F1) night race on a street circuit. Plus the bonus of basking in global media attention; and attracting high net worth individuals and companies to contribute to the nation’s treasury.

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Read more:
1. Seen This Scene That: Singapore Grand Prix...
2. Winner of Formula 1 Night Race
3. Singapore Motor Show 2008

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