Fold up the Oxygen Tent

Another race that should go away..

Sepang: Night race could rejuvenate GP
Friday, 25 February 2011 11:59

The boss of the Malaysian Grand Prix reckons the circuit should aim to host a night race before its current Formula 1 contract expires in 2015 in a bid to rejuvenate the event amid falling local interest and increasingly run-down facilities.

The first Malaysian GP in 1999 heralded the start of F1’s expansion into new markets into the Far, and Middle, East and at the time the Sepang circuit was considered state-of-the-art.

But little more than a month ahead of the country’s 13th grand prix, Sepang chief Razlan Razali has admitted the event has “lost its lustre” and in urgent need of a boost.

Just 97,000 people attended the three-day grand prix event in 2010 and Razlan thinks the competition being posed by the already hugely successful night race in nearby Singapore, and the ease with which the Malaysian event can be watched on television amid tropical April conditions, have had detrimental affects.

“It has lost its lustre," Razlan told AFP when asked about the state of Malaysia’s race.

"Having Singapore next to us for F1 does not help and our biggest competitor is the television as many people prefer to watch the race from the comfort of their homes."
Since a record high of 140,000 spectators through the gates in 2006, attendances for the event have continued to fall despite organisers slashing ticket prices.

Razlan admits attempts to entice a bigger crowd have been compromised by a lack of maintenance on the circuit’s infrastructure, with the main grandstand’s iconic roof needing to be replaced and leaking canopy repaired.

"When it rains, it leaks. People are not happy,” he explained.

“The circuit was built in a record time but unfortunately there were shortcuts and poor maintenance," he said.

Although stressing the continued importance of the race to Malaysia’s national tourism interests, Razlan reckons a one-off night race could provide the boost the race requires.

"We should do one night race before we extend the 2015 contract,” he suggested.

“Maybe this will attract a bigger crowd as the weather at night will be cool.”

Malaysia race has run as a ‘twilight’ event over the past two seasons so that it can be broadcast at a more convenient time for European TV viewers, and when the country signed an extended deal with Formula One Management in 2007 it was agreed that Sepang would hold a night race ‘at any time upon notification’ from FOM.

 

So instead of taking the money to fix the infra-structure,

He wants to spend millions on lights instead?

Honestly i´m not even impressed with the lighting in Singapore either. Abu Dhabi got it right.

 

Abu Dhabi had nothing in the way of a race, instead it just had a multitude of gimmicks.

 

That has nothing to di with the fact that the lights are superior there now does it?

 

Seems like all the new tracks are losing their luster quickly.
Add Turkey & China to that list....

 

Singapore could not implement the same style of simple "flood" lighting as Abu Dhabi due to the fact there is immovable objects like multi-story buildings in the way which would cause shadows.

Have you been to the Singapore and Abu Dhabi races? The direct pureness and atmosphere of Singapore's method of lighting makes cars look stunning and the racing spectacular from naked eye at trackside, much more so then what i found at Abu Dhabi, which looked much more like a conventional flood lit sports field.

 

it's because those tracks have no soul. they were contrived as businesses not sports arenas.

 

Bingo!

 

Agreed. And in a way video-game like.

 

I've been to the Singapore GP. It's fun. The night activities are great. The city really puts out for guests.

If it has one problem it's that because it's a city race, you can't see much of the track from your seats.

I think if someone were to go to only one GP in the area, Singapore would win. I can see the problem.

 

Am I the only one that thinks the Malaysia is one of the better races on the calendar? The double straights actually lend to passing.

 

+1 long straights and a touch of rain sometimes...good race. Lose Valencia instead

 

It flows really well imo.

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FWtBnwsw2KU[/ame]

 

I agree, the track design is superb, and it not only works well with F1, but other forms of motorsport as well, like Moto-GP.

The lack of ticket sales at Sepang is less to do with a lack of local interest, but is more to do with the relative high price's of the tickets for the average young Malay's who are the ones interested. There is a few very cheap 3 day ticket options, which always sell well, but the rest of the grandstands tickets are comparable with prices in Europe, and that is simply not going to work long term in a country with much lower average incomes.