A short post to say that I’m back from the Friday practice session.
Really tired.
Donated blood in the morning, then headed to the circuit.
Went in when the gates opened, walked around, took photos, watched Formula BMW practice, watched Vicky Cristina Barcelona (sorry, Aston Martin and Porsche races practice sessions aren’t my cup of tea), then back to the track for the first practice session.
In between the two practice sessions was what tired me out. Some very serious bad planning and inflexibility by the organisers.
The walkway between the Bay Grandstand (where NDP is held) and Gate 7 (Marina Square entrance near Starbucks and McDonald’s is way too narrow.
That small passage cannot cater to the 25,000 people in the Bay Grandstand. It’s the only way to get to the Esplanade/Padang portion of the track where the majority of the food/drinks/merchandising is located.
There is an emergency exit which leads to the rear of Marina Square, where the cinema is located. This gate was kept firmly closed. (On Saturday, it was opened, but small notices indicated that it was a no re-entry exit. Would it have seen so hard to place a few of the people with those re-entry chops to make that a exit-only gate? People could have been given the chop and re-entered from Gate 7. Spectators happy. Marina Square shops happy.)
It took me slightly over an hour to get from Bay Grandstand to the hawker village at the Padang.
While in the jam, I was stuck next to some Finnish dude who kept on moaning about how terrible this situation is and how this doesn’t happen at other venues. (He also complained about the lack easy access to alcoholic beverages.)
As embarrassed as I was at this lack of foresight, I have to agree.
Not acceptable.
Practice itself was good fun. A few drivers seemed to have problems with the final turn before the start/finish straight. Mark Webber ploughed into the barricades before the tunnel. If this is what happens when it’s dry, I wonder what will happen if it rains…
Anyway, I’ve gone on long enough. It was meant to be a short rant.
So, I owe posts on the following:
Meeting the BMW Team
Previewing the circuit from the Singapore Flyer
Friday Practice review
Oh yes, my modem went kaput this morning, so I’m on Wireless@SG temporarily. That means my huge photos will take a long while to get uploaded. Haven’t even finished with the Pandan Mangrove Cleanup set.
Time to hit the shower.
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I AGREE.
When the races were over, the exit bridge which links marina square to citi link was blocked. What would normally take 5mins became 20-30mins.
The only way out was walking 30mins under the car parks and out of pan pac hotel along road to Suntec.
Few hundred people were squeezing through a single escalator into the hotel, and then following the only street out to suntec and to the mrt.
On race day this will be worse.
Security guards did not even know how to advise the crowd at marina exit and public and tourists were shouting at the guards blocking the bridge
exit.
Something needs to be done on race day as some less abled members will have a hard time exiting.