Will we See a Singapore F1 Team ?

Hey That's me with future Singapore F1 team driver Hafiz Koh ( on my right)

S'pore could field F1 team
SingaPride Racing to field local team for night race

IN A stunning boost for Singapore, we have learnt that a local team could well line up on the grid for the Formula 1 season next year.
Timing the announcement for today, a Singapore consortium led by shipping businessman Helmi Koh announced they had secured a five-year sponsorship deal worth US$400 million ($550 million) per season.
SingaPride Racing has also gotten dispensation from the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) to field a non-championship team for the inaugural night race here on Sept 28 — a gesture of goodwill for the country's efforts to stage the first Grand Prix under lights.
This will be the first time in 32 years the FIA is allowing such an entry.

In 1976, Kojima Engineering-registered Masahiro Hasemi was allowed to compete in the inaugural Japanese Grand Prix at the Fuji Motor Speedway.
Said Mr Koh: "We are getting offers to invest in F1 teams and felt it would be better to run our own team instead. With our connections in racing, we know a lot of people with professional credentials in Europe and Asia who can form a well-oiled team."
FIA regulations allow for up to 12 teams on the grid and after ProDrive's aborted attempt to start the 2008 season, one slot has been made available for a team to apply to compete next year.
Mr Koh, 53, said a decision will be made when the World Motor Sports Council meets in September to confirm the teams and race calendar for 2009.
Mr Koh already runs a successful outfit, Tara-DTM, which competed in the Formula V6 Asian championship and came in second in their inaugural season last year.
With Toyota fuelled annually by US$500 million and Ferrari the second richest team on the grid at US$420 million, SingaPride Racing will become the third most expensive outfit in the paddock if they get the green light.

They have appointed Pesce d'Aprile as team principal and the Italian has been charged with putting together an estimated staff of 500. Mr Koh's son Hafiz, 24, who pilots a car in Formula V6 Asia for Tara-DTM, is expected to step up to lock horns with the big boys.
His team-mate at SingaPride Racing will be rising Singapore star Mohd Nasri Naufal, the 2006 Asian kart champion. But both will be understudies in the team's rookie year.
"In the long term, our target is to get Singaporeans to drive for us, but for us to make any impact, we need to recruit experienced drivers first," said Mr Koh.

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AS YOU MIGHT HAVE NOTICED THIS WAS PUBLISHED ON 1ST APRIL, AND AFTER CONSULTATION IT PROVED THAT THIS STORY WAS ACTUALLY A WELL FORMULATED APRIL'S FOOL JOKE.
WELL DONE YOU GOT ME THERE, AND PROBABLY MANY OTHERS TOO.

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