- Ciao Marco
One of the best talents in MotoGP, a champion material.
Singapore GP will never see how your presence on track and off track would have lit up the world around.
Ciao Marco (23-10-2011)
World MotoGP 2012 Calendar Released
Date , Country , Circuit
15 April, Qatar* – Doha/Losail
29 April, Spain (STC) – Jerez de la Frontera
6 May, Portugal (STC) – Estoril
20 May, France – Le Mans
3 June, Catalunya – Catalunya
17 June, Great Britain – Silverstone
30 June, Netherlands** – Assen
8 July, Germany (STC) – TBC
15 July, Italy – Mugello
29 July, United States*** – Laguna Seca
19 August, Indianapolis – Indianapolis
26 August, Czech Rep. – Brno
16 September, San Marino & Riviera di Rimini – Misano
30 September, Aragon – Motorland
14 October, Japan – Motegi
21 October, Malaysia – Sepang
28 October, Australia – Phillip Island
11 November, Valencia – Ricardo Tormo – Valencia
* Evening Race
** Saturday Race
*** Only MotoGP class
STC (Subject to the contract)
TBC (To be confirmed)
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Changi Motorsports Hub problems pile up
Jul 16, 2011
Construction materials at the site. Workers were seen directing the piles to be loaded onto a truck which then transported them away yesterday. — PHOTO: DESMOND LUI FOR THE STRAITS TIMES
THE construction of the beleaguered Changi Motorsports Hub, which is seen as the cornerstone of Singapore’s future in the motorsports industry, has hit another major road block.
Piling contractor CSC Holdings is abandoning the project and is believed to be seeking legal action against SG Changi – the consortium in charge – said a reliable source.
Source : Chan Eu Gene – New Straits Times
Work on the Changi Motorsports Hub has been stopped indefinitely
This comes after SG Changi, which won the bid to build the facility, failed to deliver an instalment for the S$50 million piling work.
MediaCorp has learnt from SG Changi that the S$10 million outstanding amount will be paid on Tuesday, after company chairman and shareholder Fuminori Murahashi secured a personal loan.
“The amount will be enough to cover the entire cost of the piling work, but it is not going to cover the amount needed to complete the project,” SG Changi’s director and
general manager, Moto Sakuma, told MediaCorp.
He added: “We have secured US$200 million from investors in Hong Kong that would have allowed us to do so, but they have frozen the funds.”
The S$370 million project came under scrutiny after recent reports said the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau had begun a probe into the tender for the project.
It was revealed the consortium’s only other shareholder, Thia Yoke Kian, had been assisting the bureau with investigations since November.
The Singapore permanent resident led the group to beat two other consortiums in their bid to build the track, but was dropped from the management team in July.
While Mr Sakuma said they have handed their accounts and records to the Bureau and cooperated fully, they are unsure if the probe in still ongoing or has been included.
A karting circuit, a quarter-mile drag racing strip, a motor museum and 35,000 square metres of commercial space are also being planned for the Motorsports Hub.
The probe has spooked interested parties, especially those from Singapore, and SG Changi now plans to court investors from Japan and Europe.
This could inevitably lead to the country’s first permanent motor race track being under the total control of foreigners when completed at the end of 2011.
- CNA/ms
Posted in singapore
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Singapore Motorcycle Grand Prix 20….
Watch this space. We’ll be vrooming to Changi soon 
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Singapore to Host MotoGP in 2011, or 2012, or Whenever They Build A Track
Late in 2008 we reported that Dorna had signed a deal to bring MotoGP to the Asian country of Singapore. With no track to actually host the event, the Singaporeans have been busy making a venue for the premiere two-wheeled racing class. That bit of business seems to be coming to a close, and MotoGP seems headed to Singapore in 2012 with the new Changi Motorsports Hub.
With SG Changi Private Limited building the $235 million Singaporean track with an end date in 2011, race organizers hope to be able to host a MotoGP stop in time for the 2012 season. The track, which is just outside the Changi Airport, will host not only MotoGP, but also GT events. Additionally the full facility will house a 4km FIM Grade 1 and FIA Grade 2 certified race track, a 20,000-seater sheltered grandstand, karting track, a 1/4 mile drag racing track, motor museum and 35,000 square metres of commercial space.
The original plan called for a 3.7km track, but adjustments had to be made in order to have the design accommodate running MotoGP caliber motorcycles.
Singapore Sports Minister Dr Vivian Balakrishnan hailed the project as a “landmark in development”, after Singapore hosted its Formula 1 night race in 2008. ”The Formula 1 race is the crown jewel of Singapore sports, and we view that as step one … we need to go further than that, and that’s why we conceived the idea of building our own motorsports hub,” he said.
Source: Reuters
MotoGP’s CEO Carmelo Ezpeleta has just signed an agreement to have a round of the the 2011 MotoGP season be hosted in Singapore. Now, all that needs to happen is for there to be a MotoGP caliber track in Singapore that the 2011 two-wheeled warriors can actually race around.
Ezpeleta is quoted as saying, “Yes, I can confirm that we have signed an agreement with a promoter to stage a round of the motorbike world championships in Singapore…but it depends when the permanent track you are going to build will be completed. I understand it will be up in three years’ time, so you can have a race there as early as 2011, if not 2012.”
Singapore recently played host to the likes of Formula One. Unfortunately, the city streets course does not quite have the run-off necessary for motorcycle GP racing. The new Singapore GP track will be a purpose-built track in the Changi area of the island. 50 acres of land have been allocated for the track, with the Government willing to consider releasing more land, should there be a need.
The FIM has stipulated that tracks hosting MotoGP races must be at least 3.5km long. However, Ezpeleta has made it clear that Dorna would “prefer a race track with a length of at least 4km to 4.5km” with safety of course being the primary concern. Dorna is also hoping the venue would be able to seat at least 70,000 spectators.
It is easy to see the large growth going on in Asia right now, and accordingly Dorna wants to see that growth translate in MotoGP’s growth. With races scheduled already to be in Japan and Malayasia (China recently getting the cut), Singapore helps to further solidify premiere motorcycle racing out East.
Source: Yahoo via twowheelsblog
