F1 Rocks to lure spectators to night race

Matheos Viktor Messakh , The Jakarta Post , Jakarta | Fri, 08/14/2009 12:06 PM | Sports

Night race: Singapore SingTel Grid Girls are introduced to the media in Singapore on Thursday. Singapore will host its second Formula One night race on Sept. 27. AP/Wong Maye-E

After a successful maiden Formula One night race, the organizers of the Singapore Grand Prix are looking to draw more visitors by arranging more lively supporting events.

World-class celebrities will be invited to a concert at a three-day entertaining F1 Rocks before the Sept. 27 race at Marina Bay.

“We continue to bring in new development with more creative events to make the Singapore Grand Prix a unique F1 destination in Asia,” Chooi Yee Choong, regional director of the Singapore Tourism Board (STB), said Thursday in Jakarta.

The STB is working with All The Worlds (ATW), a joint-venture company of Universal Music Group International, for the event.

The concert will feature headliners Beyonce, Black Eyed Peas, ZZ Top, Simple Minds, N*E*R*D and Chinese pop legend Jacky Cheung.

“This year, for this one and only night race in Asia, visitors sizzle with much more exciting events,” Choong said.

“The timing could not be even more perfect, as it will coincide with the upcoming Lebaran holiday.”
He added the organizers would be expecting more Indonesians to watch the race live, after more than 5,000 Indonesians came to last year’s race.

“This year’s event is more interesting with the presence of the world-class celebrities, so of course we will do better than last year, and the number of spectators will surpass last year’s,” he said.

To lure spectators to Marina Bay, STB Indonesia is working with Baker Furniture, a renowned international maker of interior furnishings, to offer Indonesian spectators various tour packages, including a S$17,000 package that includes VIP seats, hotel, access to the drivers’ party and limited shopping arrangements.

ATW executive producer John Simidian said that after signing a deal with F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone in March, ATW would also hold an F1 Rocks in Melbourne in 2010.

“It’s the coming together of the world’s most exciting sport and the world’s biggest music stars,” Simidian said.

“What better place to host this launch than Singapore, a city we see as a true entertainment hub.”

ATW will hold the F1 Rocks all around the world for the next five years, starting with Singapore. Last year’s race was broadcast live to 110 million viewers.

The show is also expected to feature guest appearances from top F1 drivers.