“Every year, we aim to distinct ourselves by delivering a carnival-like experience with a stellar line-up of performances and artistes. Over the past two years, we have received excellent feedback on the additional entertainment value that comes with a race ticket,” says Ms Sarah Martin, Director of Operations, Singapore GP.

Freestyle Trials Bikes

For the first time in Singapore, a freestyle trials motorbikes stunt show will take centrestage on the floating platform, exclusively for Bay Grandstand patrons. This high-action choreographed bike show will keep the crowd on the edge of their seats with a showcase of spectacular tricks performed on a 50-metre wide and 12-metre high stage setup by professional stunt riders on trial motorbikes.

Featuring professional freestyle stunt bikers including Australian Jack Field, Frenchmen Julien Dupont and Chris Braund, crowds can expect daredevil stunts such as 180 and 360-degree spins and high-level stalls, against the stunning backdrop of Singapore’s Marina Bay skyline.

Bay Grandstand patrons can catch the freestyle trials bikes show on all three days with their three-day pass, priced at S$298.

Warriors Of Brazil

Packed with muscle, backflips, and the sexy sounds of Samba, the visually spectacular Warriors Of Brazil is bound to leave you breathless. World masters in Capoeira will entice and entertain with an extraordinary show that combines the Brazilian martial art with the live music and dance of Rhythm Carnival, Brazil’s hottest samba band.

Members of Rhythm Carnival have performed with Santana, The Fugees, Ricky Martin, Sergio Mendes and The Black Eyed Peas.

A hybrid of martial arts, rhythm, and dance popular worldwide, Capoeira originated in the Brazilian slums as a means of self-defence. Spectators can expect high-energy acrobatics flips, leaps, high kicks and spins performed at breathtaking speed from the Warriors of Brazil daily at the Marina Bay Street Circuit.

Patrons can also participate in an interactive workshop conducted by the Warriors of Brazil. Free Brazilian drumming and Capoeira workshops will be conducted exclusively for race patrons on 25th and 26th September at the Esplanade Park Stage.

As part of a community outreach programme, the Warriors of Brazil will also be conducting similar workshops for Percussion and Capoeira Club students with the ITE College East at their premises on 24th and 25th September 2010.

Come June, Singapore GP will announce a complete line-up of international acts and exciting roving entertainment for the 2010 FORMULA 1 SINGTEL SINGAPORE GRAND PRIX, together with details on single-day walkabout tickets.

-source: singaporegp.sg

1 Lewis Hamilton (Gbr/McLaren) 1hr 56min 6.337sec

2 Timo Glock (Ger/Toyota) +9.634sec

3 Fernando Alonso (Esp/Renault) +16.624

4 Sebastian Vettel (Ger/Red Bull) +20.261

5 Jenson Button (Gbr/Brawn) +30.015

6 Rubens Barrichello (Bra/Brawn) +31.858

7 Heikki Kovalainen (Fin/McLaren) +36.157

8 Robert Kubica (Pol/BMW Sauber) +55.054

9 Kazuki Nakajima (Jpn/Williams) +56.054

10 Kimi Raikkonen (Fin/Ferrari) +58.892

11 Nico Rosberg (Ger/Williams) +59.777

12 Jarno Trulli (Ita/Toyota) +1min 13.009sec

13 Giancarlo Fisichella (Ita/Ferrari) +1:19.890

14 Vitantonio Liuzzi (Ita/Force India) +1:33.502

Retired

Jaime Alguersuari (Esp/Toro Rosso) 14 laps

Sebastien Buemi (Sui/Toro Rosso) 14

Mark Webber (Aus/Red Bull) 16

Adrian Sutil (Ger/Force India) 38

Nick Heidfeld (Ger/BMW Sauber) 42

Romain Grosjean (Fra/Renault) 58

Fastest Lap: Alonso, 1:48.240, Lap 53.

Drivers’ standings

1 Button 84 points. 2 Barrichello 69.

3 Vettel 59. 4 Webber 51.5. 5 Raikkonen 40. 6 Hamilton 37. 7 Rosberg 30.5. 8 Alonso 26. 9 Glock 24. 10 Trulli 22.5. 11 Massa 22. 12 Kovalainen 22. 13 Heidfeld 12. 14 Kubica 9. 15 Fisichella 8*. 16 Sutil 5. 17 Buemi 3. 18 Bourdais 2. 19 Nakajima 0. 20 Nelson Piquet Jr (Bra) Renault 0. 21 Luca Badoer (Ita) Ferrari 0. 22 Liuzzi 0. 23 Grosjean 0. 24 Alguersuari 0.

* Fisichella scored eight points for Force India before joining Ferrari.

Constructors’ standings

1 Brawn 153 points. 2 Red Bull 110.5. 3 Ferrari 62. 4 McLaren 59. 5 Toyota 46.5. 6 Williams 30.5. 7 Renault 26. 8 BMW 21. 9 Force India 13. 10 Toro Rosso 5.

1. Lewis Hamilton (Britain) McLaren - Mercedes 1:47.891

2. Sebastian Vettel (Germany) RedBull - Renault 1:48.204

3. Nico Rosberg (Germany) Williams - Toyota 1:48.348

4. Mark Webber (Australia) RedBull - Renault 1:48.722

5. Rubens Barrichello (Brazil) Brawn - Mercedes 1:48.828

6. Fernando Alonso (Spain) Renault 1:49.054

7. Timo Glock (Germany) Toyota 1:49.180

8. Nick Heidfeld (Germany) BMW Sauber 1:49.307

9. Robert Kubica (Poland) BMW Sauber 1:49.514

10. Heikki Kovalainen (Finland) McLaren-Mercedes 1:49.778

11. Kazuki Nakajima (Japan) Williams - Toyota 1:47.013

12. Jenson Button (Britain) Brawn - Mercedes 1:47.141

13. Kimi Raikkonen (Finland) Ferrari 1:47.177

14. Sebastien Buemi (Switzerland) Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1:47.369

15. Jarno Trulli (Italy) Toyota 1:47.413

16. Adrian Sutil (Germany) Force India-Mercedes 1:48.231

17. Jaime Alguersuari (Spain) Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1:48.340

18. Giancarlo Fisichella (Italy) Ferrari 1:48.350

19. Romain Grosjean (France) Renault 1:48.544

20. Vitantonio Liuzzi (Italy) Force India-Mercedes 1:48.792

- Strait Times Graphics

Title contenders Jenson Button and Rubens Barrichello of Brawn GP, dark horse Sebastian Vettel of Red Bull and last year’s tarnished winner Fernando Alonso of Renault dominated the first two practice sessions yesterday. Barrichello, who trails drivers’ championship leader Button (80 points) by 14 points, clocked the fastest time of 1min 50.179sec in the first session on the bumpy and dusty track.The Briton was second, slightly less than two-tenths of a second behind.

Vettel, third in the standings on 54 points, topped the timesheets in the second session with 1:48.650.

Alonso, who won with the help of teammate Nelson Piquet Jr’s deliberate crash during last year’s race, was second behind Vettel. He was fourth after the first session.

Singapore’s track and humidity, however, should suit the set-up of the Brawns. The team have won the season’s other street races in Monaco (Button) and Valencia (Barrichello), and their tyres perform best on warm tracks. Whoever grabs pole position after today’s qualifying will carry a heavy advantage into tomorrow’s race, as the narrow and tight Marina Bay street circuit offers precious few overtaking opportunities.

While Brawn and Co. excelled, Ferrari struggled. Kimi Raikkonen was ninth and Giancarlo Fisichella 17th after the first session. They were 14th and 16th in the second. The F60, which excelled on the high-speed circuits in Belgium and Italy over the previous two races, looks unsuited to the stop-start nature of Singapore’s twisting track - the second-slowest on the F1 calendar.

The night, however, was highlighted by Romain Grosjean’s accident during the first session, in which he hit the same barrier wall as Piquet Jr did in his infamous crash last year. Red Bull’s Mark Webber also crashed on the final turn midway through P2.  Yesterday’s practices were essential in gathering data to find the best set-up for the weekend, especially for teams like McLaren who have introduced major upgrade packages.

After complaints last year that the track resembled the ‘cobbled streets of Paris’, organisers took efforts to smoothen out the bumps this time. But this appears to still be an issue, with sparks emanating from the back of Fisichella’s Ferrari as the bottom dragged along the roads. Clouds of dust were also visible, with construction work going on in the past week since the roads were closed on Wednesday. But this should clear up as more laps are put in and cars lay rubber on the track today.  - The Strait Times

With more than 80,000 ticket holders expected to converge onto the race, queues will be inevitable. And so, organisers have increased the number of security personnel this year to 1,400 and they will be more easily deployed to areas of need.

The entire circuit park will be divided into four zones. Officers from Certis Cisco and Aetos will be looking at 24-7 security for two zones each, to ease any handover confusion.Another 500 officers will be looking at traffic and crowd control outside the park area. After complaints last year, more training has been given to the officers to equip them with the relevant knowledge.

There have also been changes to other aspects of the F1 experience. Because of complaints by thirsty fans last year that the queues were too long at the drinks stands, this year the organisers have invested in what they call fast-flow beer taps which can dispense a cup of beer in half the time it normally takes. For example the normal tap takes 12 seconds to dispense a cup of beer, whereas the new tap takes just 6 seconds.
There are five such grid bars with a couple of special taps scattered throughout the circuit park.

Elsewhere along Orchard Road, a live painting session there caught the attention of shoppers as Brazilian neo-op artist Romero Britto displayed his skills outside new retail giant ION Orchard. His canvasses were actually tiles over which Formula One drivers David Coulthard and Lewis Hamilton had driven over….leaving their tyre marks. Britto worked with some students to create original works with these special “ROC ART” canvases. After some finishing touches, the pieces will be auctioned off in Beijing. -CNA

Last year’s race was a sell-out but in tough economic times ticket sales this year have been slower. To boost the off-track experience and pull in punters, organisers have spent big on a star-laden party.

Superstar Beyonce headlines the three-day F1 Rocks Singapore festival at Fort Canning Park, also featuring No Doubt, Black Eyed Peas, Travis, Simple Minds, ZZ Top, and Chaka Khan. Hollywood starlet and paparazzi magnet Lindsay Lohan will host the event, local reports said.
She stepped in after Pussycat Dolls’ Nicole Scherzinger pulled out after reportedly splitting with her driver boyfriend Lewis Hamilton.

Inside the Marina Bay street circuit, the Backstreet Boys and a host of top deejays, led by John Digweed, will keep the music pumping long after the Formula One cars have driven back to the pits. The drivers have their own exclusive party at the Official Formula 1 Lounge, hosted by European socialite and TV presenter Tamara Ecclestone, F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone’s daughter.

Tickets are being sold at a hefty 500 Singapore dollars (354 US) per person, or 12,000 dollars for a VIP table.

“It’s about time Singapore had a taste of real Grand Prix glamour and The Official Formula 1 Lounge will enhance the overall appeal of our night race,” said Michel Lu, director of the Stereolab dance club that is hosting the event.

Singapore is heavily reliant on tourism and events like the Grand Prix are part of its strategy to boost revenues. Last year, overseas tourists in town for the race chalked up a total of 168 million Singapore dollars (119 million US) in receipts, according to the Straits Times.  -CNA

2009 FORMULA 1 SINGTEL SINGAPORE GRAND PRIX

Where: Marina Bay circuit park

When: Sept 25 (American R&B singer Mavis Staples, Latin-fusion band Ozomatli and more); Sept 26 (Filipino rockers Rivermaya, Brit DJ Carl Cox, Scottish rock band Travis, and more); Sept 27 (American R&B singer Chaka Khan, pop group Backstreet Boys, Brit DJ John Digweed, and more)

Entry: Tickets from $38 at http://tickets.singaporegp.sg

THE PODIUM LOUNGE BY B-YOND

Where: Greco-Roman pool, The Ritz-Carlton Millenia Singapore

When: Sept 25 to 27 (gourmet dinner, free flow of G.H. Mumm champagne, fashion show by swimwear boutique La Cascara and luxury watch brand Audemars Piguet; DJs will spin)

Entry: $108 a person; $208 (includes a bottle of G.H. Mumm); $328 (includes dinner and drinks).

JAY-J LOVE ALIVE ALBUM TOUR

Where: Stereolab, Pan Pacific Singapore Hotel

When: Sept 25 (American house music DJ Jay-J spins at Stereolab hall and German spin meister Pablo Valentino performs in Stereolounge bar)

Entry: $30 per person (with two drinks)

AROUND TOWN

F1 ROCKS SINGAPORE WITH LG

Where: Fort Canning Park

When: Sept 24 (Jacky Cheung, A*mei, Sodagreen, Da Mouth); Sept 25 (No Doubt, ZZ Top, Simple Minds, N.E.R.D); Sept 26 (Beyonce, Black Eyed Peas)

Entry: Tickets from $150 from Sistic. Go to www.sistic.com.sg

ASIA ON THE EDGE 2009

Where: The Arts House, 1 Old Parliament Lane

When: Sept 25 to 27 (Apparel design house Aimer will present a collection of lingerie modelled by 25 Shanghainese models in a festival called JING that fuses fashion, theatre and food)

Entry: $350 a person Sept 25 to 26; $500 each on Sept 27.

RED-IN-MY-HEAD POP-UP F1 GALLERY

Where: St James carpark, St James Power Station at HarbourFront

When: Sept 23 to 26 (F1 wonderland featuring Ferrari F1 cars, racing simulators, street art, and more); Sept 26 (party in Red Dome)

Entry: Free on Sept 23 to 26; free entry to the Red Dome on Sept 26 for those in red, first-come-first-served

JOHNNIE WALKER BLACK LOUNGE

Where: Central Square, Clarke Quay

When: Sept 20 to 27 (live entertainment, whisky appreciation sessions, screening of the races, and more); Sept 26 to 27 (DJs from Powerhouse dance club and singers from The Bellini Grande and The Boiler Room clubs)

Entry: Free

PUMA CHALLENGES SPEED!

Where: OverEasy, One Fullerton

When: Sept 12 (pose as a winning driver on a podium accompanied by race queens and win prizes in games)

Entry: Go to www.pumamotorsport.com.sg for free tickets and drinks

POLE POSITION PARTY AND MAMBO JAMBO

Where: Velvet Underground and Zouk

When: Sept 23 (Meet the BMW Sauber F1 team at Velvet Underground at the pre-race party); Mambo Jambo party at Zouk

Entry: $25 (includes two drinks) at Velvet Underground; $23 for men (includes two drinks) at Zouk, women get in free

LUNAR CONCERT SERIES

Where: Lunar, Clarke Quay

When: Sept 26 (Taiwanese rock duo Power Station perform)

Entry: $38 per person

It will be held at Fort Canning Park from September 24 to 26, and fans will be able to buy tickets which cost from S$150 to S$210.

The event is a joint venture between All The Worlds, an arm of Universal Music, and Formula One Management. The event aims to attract non-racing fans like youngsters and women.The performance will be packaged into a two-hour television programme, which will be broadcast globally after the Singapore race.

But the stars are not just here to sing.Managing partner, All The Worlds, John Simidian, said: “What we want them to do is come into town, embrace Singapore, star in TV features, hang out in Singapore. And we also want digital rights, sponsorship rights and so on, that’s why it has taken more time… We are getting more from the artists than a gig.”

The Singapore Tourism Board (STB) is among the local partners. It hopes the big acts will help boost ticket sales, hotel occupancy rates and showcase the city to millions around the world. Chief executive, STB, Aw Kah Peng, said: “Obviously the centre is still the race, but these are lifestyle events that are built around it - therefore we hope by doing this, we continue to strengthen the entire season.”

Besides Singapore, the organisers will be expanding F1 Rocks to other races this season and hope to have up to seven stops on the F1 calendar in 2010. - CNA

The race will start at 1700 local time (1300 GMT, 9pm Singapore time) on the Yas Marina circuit, the Abu Dhabi circuit’s boss Richard Cregan said.

He said: ‘Yas Marina Circuit has been built from the outset to host day and night-time activities.

‘Staging Formula One’s first day-night race offers us a unique opportunity to demonstrate the circuit’s in-built flexibility and state-of-the-art facilities.

‘It has always been our intention to showcase to the world this spectacular venue and this decision allows just that opportunity.

‘It is the best of both worlds, spectators and television viewers will see the stunning architecture of the world’s newest Formula One circuit during the afternoon sunlight and then experience what it is like under floodlights.

‘We hope that everyone will be impressed by what they experience and see.’ The sun will set at 17:43 on race day which signals a race that will begin in sunlight and end in the dark, under floodlights - a thrilling prospect for the circuit’s maiden appearance on the calendar and for a possible championship-decider.

The organisers have said that the floodlights used to illuminate the circuit will be switched on from the start of the event to ensure there is a seamless transition from daylight to darkness. — AFP

The Grid Girls, picked from more than 300 who auditioned, will add to the eye candy during the SingTel Singapore Grand Prix next month.FANS at this year’s SingTel Singapore Grand Prix will not suffer from a shortage of eye candy - from the looks of the SingTel Grid Girls.

But it is not all glitz and glamour for the girls. There are hours and days of hard slog for these beauties, who are handpicked by the title sponsors as the Grand Prix’s ambassadors. ‘Catwalk lessons, make-up lessons, etiquette sessions with celebrity Denise Keller,’ recalls Low Shu Min.

Good-looking, sporty and eloquent, the bronzed 23-year-old National University of Singapore psychology undergraduate embodies the qualities that define a Grid Girl.She is one of the 21 women picked from more than 300 who auditioned. The group have also been hosting the show ‘SingTel Grid Girls on Tour’ on Channel 5 since June.

A pageant will be held on Sept 21 to determine a winner, who will receive a $20,000 cash prize and the job of leading the Grid Girls out on the Marina Bay circuit on race day.The final 21 are split into trios to travel to some of the Formula One races around the world.

For Low, it was destination Europe as she attended the German GP at Nuerburgring for filming last month.Packing her summer clothes and assured by weather reports, she was instead greeted by a 9-deg C chill and windswept conditions.

‘It was 12 to 15 hours filming every day for a week,’ she recalled.’It’s tough as we had to share warm jackets, remember our lines and try to get it right in three to four takes.’But the fatigue evaporates once they don the white and red uniform of a Grid Girl.

‘I think the definitive Singapore Grid Girl is one who is friendly and represents part of the country’s multi-racial society,’ says Jessabella Tan, 20, an NUS business administration undergraduate.To prove that she knows her cars, Tan named the Lamborghini Murcielago as her dream car. Not just any Murcielago, but the limited edition 670-4 SuperVeloce, with a production run of just 350.    -The Strait Times