2008 Singapore GP-First Look!!-The First Night Race in F1

The Singapore Grand Prix is a Formula One race set to stage its inaugural event on 28 September 2008. To be staged in the Marina Bay area of Singapore, the circuit has been given in-principle approval by the FIA, Fomula One's governing body. The first Formula One Grand Prix in Singapore will also be Formula One's first night race. Prior to the race becoming part of the Formula One calendar, the Singapore Grand Prix was held as a Formula Libre event in the 1960s and 1970s at the Thomson Road circuit.

History

Origins

First organised in 1961, the race was initially known as the Orient Year Grand Prix. The following year, the race was renamed the Malaysian Grand Prix. After Singapore attained its independence in 1965, the race at the Thomson Road circuit was renamed to the Singapore Grand Prix. The event was discontinued after 1973 and a variety of reasons have been suggested, including an increase in traffic, the inconvenience of having to close roads for the event and fatal accidents during the 1972 and 1973 races. It is also thought that a surge of oil prices stemming from the Suez Crisis might have been to blame.

Formula One

Singapore will host a round of the 2008 FIA
Formula One World Championship. The race will be the first night-time event in Formula One history. The timing of the night event means it can be broadcast at a convenient time for European TV audiences. The track will be illuminated by a series of projectors which adapt their output to match the shape of the course. An agreement for a five-year deal was signed by Singapore GP Pte Ltd, the Singapore Tourism Board and Bernie Ecclestone. In November 2007 it was announced that the telecommunications company Singapore Telecommunications (SingTel) will sponsor the event. The official name of the event will be the FORMULA 1 SingTel Singapore Grand Prix. The race will be co-funded by the Government of Singapore, footing 60% of the total bill. Around 80,000 tickets will be available for the country's first Formula One race. Corporate hospitality suites and packages went on sale at the end November 2007, three-day passes to the public went on sale in December 2007. Single-day passes went on sale in the new year, subject to available inventory.