The first ever Formula 1 night race is already making waves throughout the world and preparations have been steadily building up with in-principle approval received for the inaugural 2008 Formula 1™ SingTel Singapore Grand Prix circuit as well as the bespoke state-of-the-art lighting system. The Grand Prix will also be the first-ever night race on the Formula 1™ racing calendar and extensive testing has and continues to be carried out to ensure utmost safety. The appointed lighting contractor, Italian based Valerio Maioli S.p.a has been conducting lighting tests at the Paul Ricard High Tech Test Track in Le Catellet, France, to study the system under real racing conditions.
The race consists of an estimated 61 laps with 24 turns consisting of 14 left turns and 10 right turns. Top speeds in excess of 300kph are easily reached at the pit straights and the slowest corners allow the drivers to only reach speeds of 80-100kph. Overtaking opportunities are available at turn 1 at the Pit Straight, turn 7 at the Raffles Boulevard and turn 15 at Esplanade Drive. Total race distance is 308.95 km which is subjected to FIA confirmation. It should also be noted that the start and finish lines are not in the same place so the race distance is shorten than a 61 x 5.067km calculation. The start line is at the beginning of the straight, while the finish line is somewhere close to the middle of the straight.
Seen as the Monaco of the East, the 2008 Formula 1™ SingTel Singapore Grand Prix promises to be the highlight of the social calendar both in Singapore as well as across Asia. The organizers of the race faced some daunting challenges due to the fact that the circuit is not permanent, so re-surfacing the road to ensure utmost safety for drivers, marshals as well as spectators proved crucial. It also proved impossible to put cables in underground ducts so thrusts have to be used to mount the lighting systems. Another major challenge are the trees along the road so to prevent unnecessary uprooting of trees, the height of the lights would have to be lower than the tree canopy lining the circuit.
The lighting system has to deliver optimal visibility for night race conditions so twelve pairs of generators with back up are being contracted and for each pair, the Power Generator (in case the other fails) will be able to produce all of the energy required for the entire system in that area. The system has been developed such that even if 2 adjacent projectors fail, the drivers will not have any change in the light intensity on the track. This was demonstrated during the Paul Ricard tests. The entire system is powered by 3,180,000 watts with 1,485@2000 watts each for the track projectors. The entire system is bound together by 108,423 meters of power cables with overall luminosity at 3000lux levels which translates to a brightness level that is four times brighter than a sports stadium, Set up has been scheduled to commence 2-3 months before the race.
Indicative ticket pricing is as follows:
- Formula 1™ Paddock Club: approximately US$5,000*
- Corporate Hospitality: from US$2,500-US$4,500*
- General Ticketing: from US$200
