Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong gave the Formula One organisers a pat on the back yesterday for their special effort in letting the man in the street watch the race live, as well as helping to make Singapore a 'happening place'.

F1 is good for the branding of Singapore, he said.

'We want to have a reputation that this is a good place to work, to live, to play. F1 helps us to acquire that reputation,' he told reporters after touring the circuit facilities.

Singapore is also getting its money's worth from it, said Mr Goh, who expects the night race to easily attract more than 100 million TV viewers worldwide again this year.

'So from STB's point of view, it's money worth spending,' he said, referring to the Singapore Tourism Board.

It costs about $150 million to stage the F1 race and the Government foots 60 per cent of the bill.

The race this weekend is being held here for the second year, and yesterday evening, Mr Goh played host to about 200 people at the Temasek Suite in the Pit Building.

Among them were union officials, officers from the Home Team who helped in organising the race, as well as medical personnel who were at the forefront of Singapore's battle against the H1N1 flu.

Pointing out that F1 was far from being an elite race, Mr Goh said that those who cannot afford the $8,500 Paddock Club seats have access as well via the general walkabout tickets, which went for as low as $28.

'So that way, the organisers have made a special provision for the man in the street,' he noted.

The walkabout tickets let a person stand at designated areas to watch the race and this year, for the first time, about 7,500 were sold at the discounted early-bird price of $28.

Union leaders had also told him that workers were watching the race on TV at home last year and were talking about it.

'I would say we have been able to reach out to the grassroots, to the community workers, to those who did special service to Singapore like the H1N1 fighters, the Home Team,' Mr Goh said.

He added: 'More importantly, by having this race in Singapore telecast live...it has brought Singaporeans what I would call pit-side views of the event.'

'If it were telecast elsewhere, they will not be able to identify the circuit, the corners, the buildings and so on.'

Mr Goh, who was attending the F1 race for the first time, was taken on a tour of the racing teams' garages as well as the Pit Building and the media and the control centres.

He was accompanied by F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone, entrepreneur Ong Beng Seng, who played a leading role in bringing the race here, and Senior Minister of State for Trade and Industry S. Iswaran.

Mr Goh was very impressed by the attention to detail in the organisation.

'It's fantastic. I'd expect the race this year to be even more thrilling than last year's,' he said, noting the circuit refinements to provide for more overtaking opportunities.

He also said the Government would be happy to continue its support of F1 as long as it succeeds in branding Singapore and attracting more tourists to Singapore.

Last year's race attracted an estimated 40,000 visitors and brought in $168 million in tourism receipts.

Most of Mr Goh's guests yesterday were watching the race live for the first time. Among them was Superintendent Lee Ping Yue, deputy commander of Central Police Division.

Said the 39-year-old: 'I feel privileged to enjoy it here. Last year, I was on the ground, involved in security and crowd control.

'It's the speed that is amazing, though the sound (of the cars) can get jarring.'

In contrast, Dr Jeffery Cutter, 47, could get a thrill listening to the roar of the super cars.

Said the senior consultant in the Health Ministry's Communicable Diseases Division: 'We were given ear plugs but I didn't put them on. The sound adds to the thrill of the race.'

-end of ST article