In celebration of the coming F1 circuit coming to Singapore next year, guest blogger Peter writes on the time motor racing was still a hot sport on the roads of Singapore:
And with the F1 coming to Singapore in 2008, my memory went back to the days when motor racing was very popular. There was of course the Singapore Grand Prix races at the Old Upper Thomson Road course (between 1961 and 1973); which I would add was the first time street racing took place in Singapore. 2-wheeler “factory works” teams from Yamaha, Kawasaki, Honda and Suzuki attracted the Ah Bengs and Mat Noors. Those who got deep pockets went for the cars. I can remember international participants like Vern Shuppan, Albert Poon, Motohashi, Tanaka and Chris Korn.
This motor-racing past of Singapore would have been long forgotten, but thankfully Peter was able to get some photographs of the event. Read the full post here.
Tags: Motor Racing Singapore, Singapore Grand Prix, Singapore Airlines Rally
3 Responses
Here are some of the more recent references to the old Singapore Grand Prix (1961-1973) and to racing in Southeast Asia in general. Mun San of the Straits Times also did a big spread recently and included interviews with Anne Wong and Looi Im Heok.
PEAK Magazine – Vol 22, No. 3
MotorSport Magazine (UK) – March 2006
Vintage Racecar Journal (USA) – Dec 2005
MSVCR magazine – Apr-June 2006
RACER Australia – April 2007
BiblioAsia (NLB publication) – Vol 1, Issue 2, Feb 2006
Encyclopedia of Singapore – NLB publication
http://www.currypotproductions.com
http://www.snakes-devils.com
Hope useful to those who want to know more of racing at Upper Thomson Road.
Posted on August 16th, 2007 at 1:16 am
I am now the proud owner of “Snakes and Devils” which has helped in reliving memories when, as a schoolboy, I watched the Upper Thomson events in awe.
I am desperately trying to contact Mr Eli Solomon to discuss something related to the book. If anyone has his contact or if Mr Solomon reads this, please drop me a line… my e-mail is: errolgoodenough@gmail.com
Best wishes.
Posted on December 2nd, 2010 at 11:31 am
Singapore’s first ever Grand Prix (16 September 1961) wasn’t just about the cars.There were also motorbikes clipping the corners of Upper Thomson Road. There’s a book on Singapore’s car racing history, “The Singapore Grand Prix” written by Ian de Cotta.
Posted on December 8th, 2010 at 9:03 am
Add A Comment