Singapore still pondering night race

Singapore won a five-year deal to host a Formula One race starting next year and is still planning to stage the first ever night Grand Prix, speeding past skyscrapers, colonial-era buildings and the waterfront

The race may be held in September or early October 2008, and the city-state has the option to extend the deal for another five years after 2012, the government said on Friday.

"Singapore could potentially stage the first-ever night race. It would be unique, different, and allow the Singapore event to reach out to television audiences in Asia, Europe and even the U.S." S. Iswaran, Minister of State for Trade and Industry, told a press briefing.

He said the race would only be held at night if safety requirements were fully met.

Several F1 drivers have spoken against the idea of a night race, citing safety concerns.

But the sport's supremo Bernie Ecclestone, speaking by teleconference, said he was confident that a night race would be held and that safety conditions would be met.

"It's going to be lit as if it's daylight," he said.

Ecclestone is keen on a night race to boost television audiences in the sport's European heartland.

Formula One cars do not have headlights, so the track would have to be floodlit to make it safe enough for drivers used to hitting top speeds in excess of 300 km/h (190 mph).

Australian driver Mark Webber has expressed concern that rainy weather during a night race would mean poor visibility.

In March, Webber tested a 4.8-km (3-mile) Singapore street circuit, proposed by Grand Prix circuit designer Hermann Tilke.

The rights to the race have been won by a company controlled by Singapore property and hotels tycoon Ong Beng Seng.

Iswaran said the annual cost of staging an F1 race could be up to S$150 million ($99 million), and that the government would co-fund about 60 percent of the cost of the event.

The race is expected to generate tourism receipts of about S$100 million ($66 million) per year.

As hotels will be able to raise room rates by up to three times during the event, Singapore will impose a tax of up to 30 percent on hotel rooms for a period of about seven days around the race.

The Singapore government wants to boost tourist arrivals to 17 million people by 2015 from nearly 10 million in 2006. Keen to shake off its reputation as being staid, the Southeast Asian city-state is also building two multi-billion-dollar casinos.