The first Singapore Grand Prix took place from 16 to 17 September 1961. It was held in support of the government-sponsored “Visit Singapore –The Orient year” tourism campaign (The Straits Times, 9 May 1960, p. 2; The Singapore Free Press, 23 Nov 1960, p. 14; The Straits Times, 10 Aug 1961, p. 15; De Cotta, 2008, p. 11). Organised by the Singapore Motor Club (SMC) with sponsorship from the Ministry of Culture (MOC), the event was held at a temporary street circuit along the old and new Upper Thomson Roads (The Singapore Free Press, 15 Sep 1961, p. 7; De Cotta, 2008, pp. viii-ix, 11-12; Solomon, 2008, pp. 14-15, 17). After the first Singapore Grand Prix in 1961, subsequent editions from 1962 to 1965 were renamed the Malaysian Grand Prix. It was once again called the Singapore Grand Prix from 1966 following Singapore’s independence from Malaysia (The Straits Times, 20 Jan 1966, p. 17; Solomon, 2008, p. 99). The annual racing event was discontinued in 1974 after 13 editions due to safety concerns (The Straits Times, 12 Oct 1973, p. 23). Singapore’s motor racing tradition was revived when it hosted the inaugural Formula One Singtel Singapore Grand Prix, the world’s first night race, on 28 September 2008 (Today, 28 Sep 2008, p. 1).
Attracting tourists during the Orient year
In May 1960, Minister for Culture S. Rajaratnam proclaimed 1961 as “Visit Singapore – The Orient year” in keeping with a planned regional tourism publicity campaign called “Visit the Orient Year” (The Straits Times, 9 May 1960, p. 2). President Carlos P. Garcia of the Philippines was the key initiator of the marketing drive to promote tourism in Southeast Asian. Besides Singapore, other countries that pledged support for the campaign included Indonesia, Malaya, Vietnam, Formosa (now known as Taiwan) and South Korea (The Straits Times, 6 Jul 1960, p. 1; The Straits Times, 9 Jul 1960, p. 16; De Cotta, 2008, p. 11). International tourism promotion bodies such as the International Union of Official Travel Organisations and the Pacific Area Travel Association also supported the campaign (The Straits Times, 16 Mar 1960, p. 9; The Straits Times, 9 May 1960, p. 2).
The MOC was responsible for coordinating Singapore’s Orient year programme. In October 1960, the Ministry gathered representatives from various government departments, cultural, sports and business groups into a general committee to plan activities to coincide with the tourism campaign (The Straits Times, 26 Oct 1960, p. 4). The draft programme which was unveiled in November 1960 included an international air show, a television and radio exhibition, a motor show, a photographic exhibition and a cultural festival (The Singapore Free Press, 10 Nov 1960, p. 6). In addition, the Orient year sports sub-committee proposed various sporting events, including a grand prix to attract tourists (The Singapore Free Press, 23 Nov 1960, p. 14).
Organising the Grand Prix
The Singapore Motor Club (SMC), which had successfully organised the Johor Grand Prix in February 1960 (The Singapore Free Press, 18 Feb 1960, p. 7), was given the responsibility for organising the Singapore Grand Prix. In early 1961 a working committee, consisting of representatives from different government agencies and chaired by SMC president Freddie Pope, was formed to plan the MOC-sponsored racing event (De Cotta, 2008, p. 12). The Grand Prix was initially scheduled to be held in August, but was moved to the weekend of 16th to 17th September to give SMC sufficient time to recover from its involvement with the Johor Grand Prix in June 1960 (De Cotta, 2008, p. 18).
Planning the circuit
The first major challenge that the committee faced was finding a suitable race circuit for the Grand Prix. As building a permanent track was out of the question, a temporary street circuit had to be created using public roads that could be closed without causing major traffic disruptions (De Cotta, 2008, p. 18). Furthermore, the roads chosen had to be suitable for holding mass races involving both cars and motorcycles. The committee initially planned a circuit linking to Thomson, Whitley, Dunearn and Adam Roads, however road closure on these roads would affect too many residents. The committee then considered other circuits, including the route used for the Gap Hill Climb races along South Buona Vista Road. Eventually, the committee settled for a circuit along the old and new Upper Thomson Roads (The Singapore Free Press, 19 Oct 1961, p. 19; The Singapore Free Press, 15 Sep 1961, p. 7).
The circuit
The Thomson Road circuit was 3mi (4.8km) long and started with a mile-long stretch along Upper Thomson Road known as the Thomson Mile. Halfway down the stretch was a right turn, known as The Hump, which caused cars at high speed to lift off the ground. Next was the sandbagged Bus Stop Chicane that forced drivers to slow down as they passed the VIP stands and approached the Circus Hairpin bend at Sembawang Circus. This treacherous stretch of track later became known as Murder Mile due to the many racing accidents that occurred there.
The next section was a perilous climb up Old Upper Thomson Road along a series of corners. The first of these consisted of four bends called the Snakes. This was followed by Devil’s Bend, a right-handed V-bend that was the most dangerous segment of the circuit. Drivers would emerge from the bend to face the Long Loop, which was an extended right-turn designed to test the power of their engines. The climb ended with a left-turn at Peak’s Bend, which was where the television and radio crews were usually stationed. Drivers would then speed downhill passed the race pits before making a sharp right-turn into Range Hairpin and Signal Pits. The lap ended at the start-finish line along Upper Thomson Road (The Singapore Free Press, 15 Sep 1961, p. 7; De Cotta, 2008, pp. viii-ix; Solomon, 2008, pp. 14-15).
The SMC invited participation from star motorists and motorcyclists in Asia and Europe to ensure the “biggest-ever” Grand Prix would be a top-class international event. A worldwide publicity campaign was launched to attract tourists to Singapore. This publicity also attracted world-class participants to clinch a top prize of M$1,000 for both motorcar and motorcycle events (The Straits Times, 10 Aug 1961, p. 15).
The Grand Prix was to be the first in the world to have races for cars and motorcycles and the SMC used its extensive network of contacts in both fields to get top drivers and riders to participate (De Cotta, 2008, p. 12). Over 200 entries were eventually received, with participants coming from Australia, Britain, Japan, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaya and Singapore (De Cotta, 2008, p. 21; The Singapore Free Press, 31 Aug 1961, p. 1).
The Singapore Grand Prix flags off
After months of planning, the first Singapore Grand Prix finally began on 16 September 1961 with the first race at 9:00 am. The two-day event, which was held over the weekend, saw a total of nine races. Seven races were held on the first day: three for motorbikes and two for cars of different engine capacities; one for vintage and post-vintage cars; and one for saloons and tourers. The main motorcycle and car races were held on the second day (The Singapore Free Press, 15 Sep 1961, p. 10; The Singapore Free Press, 15 Sep 1961, p. 11).
“Prof” Chris Profitt-White, a Royal Air Force technician, won the motorcycle event riding a Honda while Ian Barnwell, a rubber planter from Pahang, took the car event in his Aston Martin (The Straits Times, 18 Sep 1961, p. 15; The Straits Times, 18 Sep 1961, p. 16; Solomon, 2008, pp. 21, 33).
Notable drivers who competed in the various car races included: local ace “Fatso” Yong Nam Kee in a Volvo (Solomon, 2008, pp. 18, 79); future racing star Rodney Seow, also in a Volvo (Solomon, 2008, pp. 18, 146); Lim Peng Han, son of Dr Lim Boon Keng, in a Saab (Solomon, 2008, pp. 18, 21); local veteran Chan Lye Choon, winner of the 1958 Macau Grand Prix, in a Lola (The Straits Times, 19 Aug 1984, p. 25; Solomon, 2008, p. 32); the Johor planter Peter Cowling, Chan’s fierce rival, in a Cooper (The Singapore Free Press, 14 Sep 1961, p. 22; Solomon, 2008, p. 32) and Saw Kim Thiat, the racing ace from Kuala Lumpur, in a Lotus (The Straits Times, 15 Apr 1963, p. 1; Solomon, 2008, p. 32).
The motorcycle events saw top international riders such as Japanese ace Giichi Suzuki on a Honda; his compatriots Seiichi Suzuki, Kazuo Kubo and Isamu Morishita on Suzuki motorcycles (The Straits Times, 6 Sep 1961, p. 14; The Straits Times, 13 Sep 1961, p. 11); and Dutchman Jan Grashius, the Indonesian champion, on a Norton (The Straits Times, 13 Sep 1961, p. 11; The Straits Times, 6 Sep 1967, p. 22). Notable local riders who took part included Cheng Teck Meng, in his first outing riding for Suzuki, and veterans Soh Guan Bee and K. C. Wong on Norton motorcycles (The Straits Times, 13 Sep 1961, p. 11; The Singapore Free Press, 16 Sep 1961, p. 10; Solomon, 2008, pp. 21).
Tickets to the event were priced at M$9 for grandstand seats and M$1 for general enclosures around the tracks (The Straits Times, 13 Sep 1961, p. 13). An estimated 100,000 spectators turned up on the second day, exceeding the previous day’s crowd five times over. Demand for tickets on the last day was so overwhelming that the police had to halt ticket sales at the main entrances an hour after the first race had begun (The Straits Times, 18 Sep 1961, p. 4; The Singapore Free Press, 18 Sep 1961, p. 1). The success of the inaugural Grand Prix made 1961 a record year for tourism in Singapore (The Singapore Free Press, 9 Oct 1961, p. 6). Over 100,000 tourists visited Singapore that year, up from 90,000 in 1960, with tourism expenditure at an estimated M$79.5 million (Singapore Tourist Association, 1964, p. 1).
The Grand Prix through merger and independence
In 1962, the Singapore Grand Prix was renamed the Malaysia Grand Prix in anticipation of the upcoming merger with Malaya. The event was moved to April to coincide with the Easter holidays and subsequent editions followed suit (The Straits Times, 4 Mar 1962, p. 22; De Cotta, 2008, pp. 33-34; Solomon, 2008, pp. 35, 49, 65, 81). Following Singapore’s independence in 1965, the 1966 edition was again called the Singapore Grand Prix.
Overall responsibility for organising the 1966 edition shifted from the MOC to the Ministry of Social Affairs under Othman Wok, with SMC continuing to be responsible for race arrangements (The Straits Times, 20 Jan 1966, p. 17; Solomon, 2008, p. 99). Wok explained that the 1966 edition, being the first Grand Prix since Singapore became independent, was to be the “sporting spectacle of the year” (The Straits Times, 8 Apr 1966, p. 1). The efforts of the organisers bore fruit as the Grand Prix’s main car race received official international listing for the first time, although it was still not considered part of the world championship (The Straits Times, 6 Apr 1966, p. 18). On the contrary, the motorcycle event had been listed internationally since the 1963 edition (The Straits Times, 12 Apr 1963, p. 1).
Continued success and expansion plans
The Singapore Grand Prix continued for seven more years, experiencing increasing success with each successive staging. The 1972 edition was shown as a half-hour film in colour on television screens across Asia, Australia, New Zealand, United Kingdom and West Germany (The Straits Times, 26 Mar 1972, p. 20). The following year, the race was telecasted across Asia, Australia and New Zealand with on-the-spot commentaries and reports (The Straits Times, 17 Apr 1973, p. 30). By 1973, the top prize for the car race had doubled to S$10,000 from the S$5,000 offered in 1966 (The Straits Times, 15 Apr 1973, p. 25). The top prize for the motorcycle race had also increased to S$7,000 (De Cotta, 2008, p. 2).
By 1970, the success of the Grand Prix had led to talk of building a permanent racing circuit to stage the event (The Straits Times, 21 Mar 1970, p. 21). This plan was given the go-ahead by the government in 1971 (The Straits Times, 24 Mar 1971, p. 29). In 1972, an ad-hoc committee was formed to oversee the building of a new circuit (The Straits Times, 29 Mar 1972, p. 24). However, the project still remained at the planning stage in 1973 although there was “an established need” for it (The Straits Times, 15 Apr 1973, p. 18). As late as May 1973, there were still calls from the public for a new circuit to be built (The Straits Times, 6 May 1973, p. 14).
Meanwhile, there were plans to establish a Pacific car circuit series, with the Federation International Automobile (FIA) giving the go-ahead to introduce one in 1971 (The Straits Times, 13 Apr 1971, p. 21). This was to finally materialise in 1976 with the Rothmans International Grand Prix Trophy Series, which consisted of six races: the Malaysia Grand Prix, the Penang Grand Prix, the Selangor Grand Prix, the Indonesian Grand Prix, the Philippines Grand Prix, and the Macau Grand Prix (Solomon, 2008, p. 13).
The end of a racing era
Despite the continued success of the Singapore Grand Prix and the growing regional interest in motorsports, it was suddenly announced in late 1973 that the annual event would be discontinued. The Singapore Sports Council (SSC) informed the Singapore Motor Sports Club (SMSC), the race organisers, of their decision to stop running the annual event. The official reason given was safety concerns, with the Grand Prix claiming seven lives over the span of 11 years (The Straits Times, 12 Oct 1973, p. 23). The two most recent deaths occurred in the last two editions. In the 1972 event, local racing ace Lionel Chan, nephew of racing legend Chan Lye Choon, died after crashing into a ravine (The Straits Times, 5 Apr 1972, p. 21). In the 1973 edition, Swiss racer Joe Huber died after smashing his car into a cable pole (The Straits Times, 28 Apr 1973, p. 15).
In response to the official reason given, there was speculation about other possible reasons why the event was ended. These included rising oil prices, a shift in government priorities, rising costs, alternative tourist attractions, and a desire to discourage illegal motor racing in Singapore (De Cotta, 2008, pp. 246-247). Following the SSC’s decision to end the Grand Prix, the SMSC continued to push for its revival but without success (The Straits Times, 29 Nov 1974, p. 35).
The new era of Formula One
On 12 May 2007, it was announced that Singapore had succeeded in getting hosting rights for one leg of the Formula One racing series. The estimated S$150 million cost for staging the event was to be borne by the Singapore Tourism Board and Singapore GP Pte Ltd, a company set up by local businessman Ong Beng Seng. The event, to be held on a street circuit in the Marina Bay area, was to be the first Formula One night race (Today, 12 May 2007, p. 1). On 28 September 2008, the inaugural Formula One Singtel Singapore Grand Prix was flagged off and a new era in Singapore’s motorsports history began (Today, 28 Sep 2008, p. 1).
