All systems go as circuit park puts in the finishing touches for race
By Asha Popatlal, Channel NewsAsia | Posted: 23 September 2009 1906 hrs

	Photos  of
	Special Report • Singapore Grand Prix

SINGAPORE: It's all systems go for the Singapore Grand Prix this weekend with finishing touches being put to get the circuit park ready for the night race.

With more than 80,000 ticket holders expected to converge onto the race, queues will be inevitable.

And so, organisers have increased the number of security personnel this year to 1,400 and they will be more easily deployed to areas of need.

The entire circuit park will be divided into four zones.

Officers from Certis Cisco and Aetos will be looking at 24-7 security for two zones each, to ease any handover confusion.

Another 500 officers will be looking at traffic and crowd control outside the park area.

After complaints last year, more training has been given to the officers to equip them with the relevant knowledge.

Deryl Ang, deputy assistant commissioner, Certis Cisco, said: "Officers deployed for this year's event have undergone customised training to equip them with F1 background information, the physical layout of circuit park and customer service."

There have also been changes to other aspects of the F1 experience.

Because of complaints by thirsty fans last year that the queues were too long at the drinks stands, this year the organisers have invested in what they call fast-flow beer taps which can dispense a cup of beer in half the time it normally takes.

For example the normal tap takes 12 seconds to dispense a cup of beer, whereas the new tap takes just 6 seconds.

There are five such grid bars with a couple of special taps scattered throughout the circuit park.

Elsewhere along Orchard Road, a live painting session there caught the attention of shoppers as Brazilian neo-op artist Romero Britto displayed his skills outside new retail giant ION Orchard.

His canvasses were actually tiles over which Formula One drivers David Coulthard and Lewis Hamilton had driven over....leaving their tyre marks.

Britto worked with some students to create original works with these special "ROC ART" canvases.

After some finishing touches, the pieces will be auctioned off in Beijing.

- CNA/vm/de