Satish Cheney

F1.

Just another button on the keyboard.

 

That was what one of my friend’s Facebook status read the day after Singapore created history in the world of motor-sports.

 

My friend is not alone.

 

There are many who felt the world’s first night race was nothing more than a frivolous excuse for the rich and famous to party and well,… pretend they actually understand the technical terms dished out by commentators during the race.

 

Yet for others – the race meant waking up early to avoid the lengthy jams in the town area while some simply were wondering what’s the fuss about a couple cars going round and round and round.

 

The latter usually are those who question the logic of men chasing a ball on a field for 90 minutes.

 

But can you really blame them?

 

Unlike swimming or football, you can’t exactly go to your local community centre and book an F1 car for an hour and go racing down Thomson Road.

 

And there’s no Singapore team or driver to root for either. If Fandi or Sundrum became a F1 driver – you can bet the whole country would have been going through their wardrobe to fish out the Dream Team jersey from the 90s and coffeeshops around the island would be full of punters. Some would probably have come up with the most unique form of betting too. Half ball to Hamilton anyone?

 

So, ultimately there’s no emotional connection to the sport and for many, tickets were priced out of their range.

 

Plus - people have enough trouble looking for non-toxic milk for their babies these days.

However, some who were telling me the media was making too much of a big deal about the race did a quick u-turn after they managed to check out the race LIVE and after digesting the massive scale and spectacle of it all.

 

Like many who have told me before - the only way to appreciate the race is to watch it LIVE. But it always helps to have a TV or radio beside you to listen to the commentary. It’s also great to watch the crashes in slow-mo.

 

During the F1 weekend, I pretty much crashed the hotel room which my colleagues covering the race, Asha Popatlal, Patwant Singh and Valarie Tan, were using as a base . They were also doing LIVE crosses from the rooftop of Fairmont Hotel.

 

But let’s face it - the Formula One races cannot be complete without a couple of mad parties.

 

Here’s a mini review of the some of the parties.

 

Thursday evening:

RBS F1 Party at the Old Supreme Court Building:

The place was packed with bankers and big time clients. Some looked a tad bit glum but yeah well, let’s face it - the markets had just started bleeding.

 

But it was pretty good to see Sir Jackie Stewart and Sir Frank Williams giving their take on the world’s first night race.

 

The food and drink were quite exquisite but my goodness there wasn’t any air-conditioning and I’m sure the floor would have been flooded with sweat if everyone had stayed on for hours. A mate of mine said, “No good for criminals to be brought here. You keep sweating so much; surely they’d think you were guilty!”

 

Thursday evening:

RedBull Formula One Part at Café del Mar at Sentosa Island.

Mark Webber made an appearance and that drove a few folks into a mini-frenzy. Some danced the night away on the beach while others chilled out and had various drinks mixed with, what else, Red Bull. Highlight of the night – fireworks and pyrotechnics at about midnight.

 

Friday evening:

Amber Lounge

Some reports say it cost about a thousand bucks to get inside this place. If I had known this, I would have stayed there longer! The atmosphere was pretty wild. You could sense everyone wanted to let their hair down and go crazy.

 

The lounge was created by Sonia Irving, the sister of driver Eddie Irvine. The aim? To get drivers and celebrities to go there and party during and after the race. The lounge travels to each F1 race all over the world but this was the first time it had been erected as a stand alone venue.

 

Just outside the lounge, I met an ex-Singaporean who is now living in London and runs her own animation company. She had flown all the way here just for the F1 race. Needless to say she was very impressed by the entire spectacle. So I asked her the mandatory question. “Will you be coming back to Singapore to work here instead then?” The answer wasn’t a clear no, but she did say it’s unlikely.

 

Friday evening:

Chivas Live – River Valley Swimming pool Party

 

A massive party inside an empty defunct swimming pool with British act Chicane providing the music. Some reports say over 7000 people had attended the party. And well, this was one of the rare non-F1 related parties going on during the weekend.

 

After all the parties ended, after Alonso stood on the podium and wondered who designed that weird trophy and after the lights finally went out – I began to realize why some folks travel from around the world to attend F1 races. Besides the parties and the actual thrill of the race (again, you can only understand this if you’re there) it’s also about meeting people from all over the world.

 

From the MRT stations to the grandstands, I met many visitors who had great stories to tell about previous F1 races in other cities.

 

From cheering Aussies to cheerful Thais to fanatic Indian Ferrari supporters – each of them and many more, brightened the colour and added to the electric roar at the Marina Bay Circuit.

 

I guess some of my friends will say I’m only saying good things about the race because I was lucky enough to witness it up close and attend many of the related events.

 

And I won’t disagree.

 

Indeed. I am very glad that I was fortunate enough to have experienced the F1 fever and right now – I know for sure, I won’t be making any plans come next September and staying put, right here in Singapore.

 

Just one more thing next year though – I have to convert my Mom and Dad into fans by buying them tickets.

 

They still agree with my friend that F1 is nothing but a button on the keyboard.

 

Dear cyberworld - hello.

My name is Satish (you probably figured that out by now) and this is my first blog entry for CNA Blogs.

I’m a reporter at the Singapore desk and hope to use this online space to express opinions and add photos to inform or maybe just to entertain.

So, it’s been a few weeks and people have stopped asking me to get married and have babies. Phew, finally.

Well, maybe everyone except my mom. But you know mothers…

Anyway, I have to say I’m more interested in getting some Formula One action when it all happens here in Singapore this month.

I wasn’t really a fan of fast cars before.

It all started when I was in Australia and I was assigned to cover the Gold Coast Indy 500 as part of QUT NEWS at my university. The first thing that really got me was the loud thundering sounds of the engines.  But that’s not the only thing which drew me.

There’s something about the loud sounds mixed with smoke in the air and a massive number of people converging.

But then again, It could just be the alcohol and well, maybe the grid girls as well. You know what I mean, like in a club where people are usually buzzed slightly..

But add fast cars and loud sounds - something happens.

And these are the things you hardly get to see if you don’t actually attend these races.

The atmosphere is just too electrifying to miss.  And that was just the Indy 500.

A few weeks ago my friend invited me over to Malayasia’s Sepang International Circuit for the Merdeka Millennium Endurance race. It’s a 12 hour race with teams from Malaysia, Japan, Singapore, Hong Kong, etc taking part.

My friend’s team from Singapore - HKS GARAGE R came in third in the Class A division.

For me the town of Sepang is rather sleepy and well, just not ‘happening’ enough - but the weekend was still great. The excitement levels were high and a big element of appreciating the sport, is understanding how it all works, and the various roles everyone - from engineers to pit crews to investors - plays.  I’m no expert in racing but when I learnt more and spoke to more folks involved in the sport - it all made more sense.

Recent reports on how, a significant number of Singaporeans weren’t even aware of the Formula One race happening in Singapore, simply surprised me.

But then again I suppose you can’t expect the people of a country where motorsports is not exactly the most accessible sport, to huff and puff and fight for annual leave with their work mates in advance, to watch the F1 races at home.

We can host the next Cricket World Cup but the average Singaporean will probably still be watching the EPL.

I mean, we’re not exactly all running out there and talking up ping pong now are we, just because Singapore won Olympic silver in the sport?

Speaking of ping pong - I am suddenly reminded of the victory parade the Singapore Olympic paddlers were given upon their return.

I really hope the authorities can arrange an even bigger one for Singapore’s Paralympic sportsmen and women - not just for those who’re returning with history-making medals - but the entire contingent.

After all, I think the Paralympic athletes are the ones who truly embody the often-spouted Olympic Spirit these days.