MANILA, Philippines - Singapore added yet another new feather to its cap by hosting the Formula One (F1) Grand Prix within a city track last Sept. 26-28.

So what’s so big about that? Well, aside from F1 being one of the biggest sports in Europe, this was the first night race to be done on a city track.

Before Singapore, the only F1 city track built for the Grand Prix was in Monte Carlo.

The F1 Grand Prix in Singapore’s Marina Bay Circuit was the only city track so far to be raced at night. Can you imagine formula cars going at speeds of 300kph in the dead of night? How can you see the road?

Participating machines didn’t turn on their headlights, relying instead on mega-flood lights perched 10 meters above the road, consuming three million watts of power. This put any Olympic stadium to shame.

The circuit cost about S$150 million and took some 10 months to build. As the racetrack glowed at night from the lights, the cars roared, bringing the city to life.

The Singapore Tourism Board created a three-week GP season of activities, which included a River Festival, Chinatown’s Mid-Autumn Festival, Little India’s Deepavali Festival of Lights, Biennale Art Installations, all culminating in the Formula 1 race. Wherever in the city you go, you felt the Singapore GP fever!

Racetrack

We were afforded first sight of the racetrack while on the Singapore flyer, an enormous Ferris wheel within the track grounds. From there, one could see most of the track. It stands 165 meters high, with 28 air-conditioned capsules that can fit a bar and a group of 28 people.

On our way there, we heard Aston Martins gunning through the track. I was thrilled to hear the sound of high-powered swift cars’ machines, although in actuality, it seemed like just another noisy day for me. The sound was loud but muffled.

Once on the flyer, you could not hear anything from outside. It was like you were in a spaceship—enclosed and moving slowly in the air. We had some view of the pit building and paddock grandstand.

As the flyer rose higher, we could see more and more of the racetrack, with cars on the first and second corners, another coming around the last corner and then back to the start/finish line.

View

Looking to the other side of that flyer, the view was totally different. We saw the Esplanade, the bay, waterways and the marina. Then we saw the cars gunning through the bridge, under the bay grandstand, fronting the floating tennis courts and toward the last corner of the track. The view was exhilarating.

I stopped looking through my camera’s viewfinder and just marveled at the wonder that Singapore was. Soon, our 30-minute ride on the flyer was over and we were back down on the ground.

When we made our way back to the track to watch the qualifying race, we had to walk so far to get to our entrance gate. Traffic had been organized so that only cars with passes were allowed beyond specific points.

However, random taxis were issued passes so if you were lucky to get one of these taxis, you could be dropped right at your designated gate.

Excitement

When we came out of the mall nearest the track, I heard loud-car sounds. By this time, apparently, the excitement of it all had caught up with me. I screamed to my companions, “This is it! Those are Formula 1 cars! Listen!”

I stood close to the barriers and just closed my eyes. It was the practice session before qualifying. The sound was deafening yet it made my hair stand. I stood there, absolutely still for almost 30 minutes, watching all those road machines zipping by while I wore a big smile on my face.

As soon as they were done practicing, a lull came. I immediately texted my husband in Manila, saying, “I now remember why I love Formula 1 so much!”

My hair stood, my heartbeat quickened and I started to sweat just listening to the roar of the car engines. When I took my seat on the grandstand, I saw how bright the lights were. It was like daytime. This was going to be a weekend I would talk about for years.

Opening day

Qualifying day put Fernando Massa of Ferrari on Pole Position (first), Lewis Hamilton of McLaren second and Kimi Raikkonen of Ferrari on third. Being a Ferrari fan, I was thrilled to see two red cards on the qualifying race podium. But Lewis Hamilton was my new favorite driver. Many describe him as the “Tiger Woods” of Formula 1. I simply just say he’s good-looking!

The Sunday race was different. The grandstands were full of fanatics, photographers and first-time F1 viewers. There were Europeans, Americans, Asians and other nationalities all crammed into the grandstand, all sharing something in common. They all came to Singapore to watch the first night race to be done on a city circuit.

The energy was infectious. It was so humid, but all eyes were on the five lights for the start of the Grand Prix. Those who could not see the start line in actuality viewed it from huge screens in front of them. No expense was spared and the venue was so designed that people could enjoy the race wherever they were standing.

You saw the five red lights, heard the engines revved, and then the countdown began: 4-3-2-1 GO! The race was on with many dramatic moments along the way.

Breathtaking laps

The first lap was the most exciting; you could hear the cars coming closer to where you were and then that sound of one car after another, going at 300kph then braking to 90kph and then race car drivers gunning the gas again. It was deafening but no matter—I was part of F1 history!

Since overtaking in a city track is quite a challenge, usually once a race car driver got into pole position, he’s almost sure to win. Just don’t mess up, although that’s not what happened that weekend.

We saw Piquart of the ING team first hit the barriers; as soon as the safety car went out, Felipe Massa (Ferrari) made a big booboo in the pit lane as he dragged the gasoline hose with his car, and then Raikkonen understeered and hit the barriers just four laps before the race ended. The track proved to be very challenging to those very experienced drivers.

After two hours of heart-stopping action, from 15th place on the grid (cause of a spinout during qualifying), Fernando Alonzo (ING Renault) made history when he won the Singapore Grand Prix. My favorite driver, Lewis Hamilton, finished third, which still kept him first in the points for the 2008 Driver’s Championship title.

That weekend, the whole city was high with people partying as they wore T-shirts sporting the emblems of their favorite teams. Singapore had pulled a mean feat, and indeed, celebration was in order!