Singapore plans a F1 Street Circuit

The Singapore F1 Grand Prix date has been set – 28 September 2008. With just over a year to go, Singapore has begun putting great effort into preparing for its Formula 1 Grand Prix debut. As soon as the plans are finalized, Singapore will begin road works for its F1 street circuit.

Indeed, these are exciting times in Singapore. It may not be an easy project, but much time and expertise is being devoted to the creation of Singapore’s F1 street circuit. The paddock complex (with control tower, media room, garages, etc.) is presently being finalized and the Land Transport Authority has plans to begin construction in September. Several months of planning have already been spent on the project with Singapore’s government agencies working along with Singapore GP.

The street circuit for the Singapore GP 2008 will be created in the Marina Bay zone. Measuring in at 5.05 km, the race track has been carefully designed to include fast turns, opportunities for overtaking and technically challenging spots. This will be racing action you won’t want to miss. Over 70 percent of the Singapore GP circuit will run on already existing roads. It will be necessary to add section of road measuring 1.2 kilometers, to create the eastern side of the track. There are also plans to widen Raffles Boulevard. An underpass for pedestrians and vehicles will also possibly be created, leading to the pit building. Various modifications to road curbs and to traffic islands is also on the cards.

Efforts are also being made to ensure that the necessary infrastructure is ready for this large-scale event. Stakeholders and Government agencies will be working together to meet the project deadline.

Bernie Ecclestone, the CEO of Formula One, has also stated that the Singapore Grand Prix may be a night race so that Europeans won’t miss out on the live racing action. Because of this, the track design has to include exceptional lighting that can replicate daytime lighting. A number of strict safety protocols will also be put in place.

Race organizers have indicated that between 80,000 and 90,000 tickets will be on sale for the Singapore Grand Prix in 2008. Estimates are that the grandstand and hospitality zone will be able to handle over 80,000 spectators. Of course, hosting the F1 Grand Prix will benefit Singapore economically, as visitors flood in. Perhaps you will be amongst those lucky spectators at the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix.

Alabama Motorsports Park Opening in 2009

In 2009 the opening for the Alabama Motorsports Park, a Dale Earnhardt, Jr. Speedway, will take place in South Alabama. This Speedway will attract hundreds of entertainment seekers and fans who want to see and support racers and their teams at racing events.

The Alabama Motorsports Park is mainly owned by Dale Earnhardt, Jr., his sister Kelley Earnhardt Elledge and their brother Kerry Earnhardt, but there are a number of other investors involved. What will distinguish the Alabama Motorsports Speedway from the other racing venues is that it will have a total of four racing areas. The sections will include a dirt and sprint track, oval track, road course and a drag strip.

The Oval track at the Alabama Speedway will have 75,000 permanent seats available for fans, but enough space for 125,000 people. The Oval will consist of a D-shaped, light asphalt oval, which will be 7/10 miles long. This course will be able to accommodate open wheel racing, stock car racing and other similar events.

The Alabama Motorsports Speedway’s Sprint Track will be 3/8 miles of dirt, which will be able to accommodate any sprint car events. The Dragway will attract all types of drag racing events and will take place on a 1/4 mile track. The Road Course is made up of two sections that consist of different road surfaces. They are connected together and used as testing facilities.

The Alabama Motorsports Park will host a number of motor sports events ensuring that all types of racing fans can enjoy their favourite sport. These events will consist of open wheel, stock car, sprint and drag races. Parking has been looked into thoroughly and will be planned in such a way that all racing fans will have easy access to their vehicles no matter which racing venue they are attending.

There will also be a highly rated RV Park resort available to race fans to stay at throughout the year when attending any of the racing events at the Alabama Speedway. The RV Park will include a lake filled with fish for guests who are keen fishermen. There will also be a variety of restaurant outlets, music facilities (like the Branson-style music theatre), entertainment facilities and retail locations to keep everyone busy.

Racing fans are looking forward to the Alabama Motorsports Park’s opening in 2009.

Robert Doornbos – Successful in F1 and CART

Robert Michael Doornbos was born on the 23 September 1981 in Rotterdam, Netherlands. Doornbos drives for the Red Bull Racing Formula One team as a Dutch racing driver. When Robert Doornbos was growing up he had a great love for tennis. He took the sport seriously and even took part in a semi-professional national level for his home country, the Netherlands.

Then in 1998 Robert Doornbos was invited to be a guest of Williams F1 at the 1998 Belgian Grand Prix. It was soon after this event that he decided to focus on racing instead of tennis. A year later in 1999 Doornbos joined the JR racing team and took part in the Opel Lotus UK Winter series. Then in 2000 he took part in the Formula Ford Zetec Benelux series and the Belgian championships.

In 2001 Doornbos competed in the British Formula 3 Championship with FGR Racing. It was here that he was noticed especially when he finished second at a Formula 3 race that was in support of the British Grand Prix. Robert Doornbos then moved to the German Formula 3 championships where he drove for Ghinzani Team. In 2004 Doornbos became the official test driver for the Jordan F1 team. His impressive record as a test driver over the 2004 year led to him being reappointed with the Jordan team for 2005.

The year 2005 was also the year Robert Doornbos became the new race driver for Minardi. He took part in eight Grand Prix races with Minardi and reached thirteenth position at the Turkish and Belgian Grand Prix. At the end of 2005 Red Bull bought out Minardi. Doornbos became the team’s test and reserve driver, which gave him an opportunity to show off his talents as a driver. When Christian Klein left the team an opening gave Robert Doornbos the opportunity to be promoted to second position.

This position was short lived when Mark Webber joined the Red Bull team and was immediately promoted to number two driver. This meant that Doornbos had to step down to the role of third driver again. The number one driver for the Red Bull team belongs to David Coulthard. At the moment Robert Doornbos is driving for Minardi Team USA while he takes part in the 2007 Champ Car World Series.