Changi Motorsports Hub ready by 2012
It will host both local and international racing events
By NISHA RAMCHANDANI
(SINGAPORE) The $330 million Changi Motorsports Hub (CMH) will be up and running by March 2012, in time for the year's racing season, said developer SG Changi at the ground-breaking ceremony yesterday.
The consortium, which pipped both Singapore Agro Agriculture and the Haw Par Corporation-backed Sports Services to operate the CMH for a 30-year period, consists of former Japan GT driver Genji Hashimoto, former Jurong Kart World owner Thia Yoke Kian, Singaporean lawyer Eddie Koh and Fuminori Murahashi, who has experience with events such as Formula Nippon and Super GT.
Located along Aviation Park Road, the 41 hectare sea-facing site will include a Federation Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) Grade-2 certified four kilometre (km) racetrack, a 1.2 km karting track, a drift track, a bonded warehouse and seating capacity for some 20,000 spectators plus a 10,000-seat temporary grandstand.
With the aim of promoting motorsports in the region, SG Changi is also setting up a racing academy at CMH to groom talent.
'I hope to see more Singaporean youth get involved in motorsports, undergoing proper coaching and training at high-level facilities. It would be an amazing achievement to see a home-grown Singaporean GT driver one day,' said SG Changi's executive chairman Mr Murahashi, speaking at the ground-breaking ceremony yesterday.
The racing academy - which will include programmes from junior kart racing to technical training - is to kick off April 2012, taking in students from countries and regions such as Europe, Korea, China and Japan, in addition to Singapore.
The first intake is likely to be in the region of 50-60 students.
And while SG Changi will only reveal its line-up of racing events in June next year, CMH will host both local and international racing events.
'We are still in the process of discussions,' said Mr Murahashi, though he added that the group will initiate talks to bring in MotoGP, the F1 of motorcycling. The proposed calendar of events includes the Super GT Series, Formula Nippon and the Japanese Formula 3 Series, as well as the Singapore National Championship and the Karting Championship.
At the same time, the consortium is also keen to cater to a wider audience beyond just race fans.
'The product offering has to be consumer-centric, it has to bring fun, excitement and lifestyle elements,' said Singapore Sports Council (SSC) chief executive officer Oon Jin Teik.
The round-the-clock facility will also feature a motor-themed entertainment complex, a motorsports museum, food & beverage and retail outlets as well as a hotel.
It is also likely to be the only 24/7 motorsports facility in the world, Mr Murahashi reckons.
Copyright © 2010 Singapore Press Holdings Ltd. All rights reserved.
It thrills: A driver putting on a drifting demonstration after the ground-breaking ceremony yesterday.
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