Kelan magkakaroon ng Formula 1/Motorbike Race track sa Pilipinas?

Dom

Any ideas/comments? Kung meron na, pls let us know naman kase tagal nako di nakakabisita narin sa bansa natin...

Would you agree to have a formula 1/motorbike race track sa pilipinas for the sake of tourism and popularity of our country?

shun_sakurai

I think having Formula 1 here is shooting a bit too high and it's too early to even think of that.

It doesn't help that people think of motorsport as a rich people's hobby only, and it's easier to obtain sponsorship money for your dime-a-dozen golf tournaments instead of for a proper motorsport event.

One has to bring motorsport to the grassroots level and make it accessible to your typical Juan dela Cruz. That way, more people will be able to participate in races, the country will have a growing roster of driving talents and we can slowly work our way to having that darn F1 Grand Prix of our own.

You asked about racetracks...we already have Subic International Raceway and Batangas Racing Circuit. Both are good circuits in their own right, but still lacking in facilities and most importantly POPULAR SUPPORT to make them proper venues for a big-time international event other than Asian Formula 3.

People have to WANT to work as race marshals and people have to WANT to drive on a racetrack for these circuits to prosper.

As for talent, AF3 driver Enzo Pastor is now in the process of applying for a third-driver seat at Minardi F1. All he needs is to raise the money. The position doesn't come cheap.

Pao|o

I think having a racetrack fit for F1 will have a positive effect in our tourism. Question is if anyone has the billions of pesos to spend on it. Putting up a F1 circuit is a costly affair not for the faint of heart. I could imagine the multitudes of people trying to block such a project saying it is an immoral use of money or leech off it like the parasites that they are.

Basketball is the national sport and yet our stadiums are only good enough for local consumption. What more motorsports where only a few are interested.

BOOGIECAT

I think capable ang Philippines na mag host ng F1 races here.Why not yung mga rich ay mag invest sa sport na yan at gumawa ang Philippines ng sariling race track.It can happen.

Nerfy

If an F1 track is to be built in the Philippines, it will definitely need the backing of the government. Look at the Shanghai or Budapest (Hungary) track as an example.

And even then, the ticket prices have to be reasonable. Having been to formula 1 races, I know how expensive the tickets are. What more if they were sold in the Philippines? Alot of people in Shanghai complained about this as well. It is definitely not a sport for the masses.

Even local go-karting tracks dont last very long because of high cost and lack of interest...

That being said, I do hope the Philippines will host an F1 race in the future.

slamm

Originally posted by Pao|o
Question is if anyone has the billions of pesos to spend on it. Putting up a F1 circuit is a costly affair not for the faint of heart. I could imagine the multitudes of people trying to block such a project saying it is an immoral use of money or leech off it like the parasites that they are.

Food for thought, the money spent on the Expo Filipino in Clark is just about the same amount spent by the Malaysians on the Sepang Track.

GreatBop

When were they created??? Right now, South Africa's planing to build a track... its gonna cost them roughly 50 million for the track. and another sum for the road constructions.

saka HINDI PWEDE sa clark yung f1- dahil masyadong maliit ang mga kalsada sa pampanga... the influx of cars wont cut it- we're talking 150,000 people here. not to mention the track itself is pretty big... - will easily take you 2h to walk around..

so_obVIOS

WRC pa siguro. We can use EDSA, it think it's rough enough

elyserva

Hold on there! Just a minute! F1 in the Philippines? You've got to be kidding!

Pao|o

Originally posted by slamm
Food for thought, the money spent on the Expo Filipino in Clark is just about the same amount spent by the Malaysians on the Sepang Track.

But you forget the supposed/inferred kickbacks.

so_obVIOS

Medyo OT but since we're talking about F1, look at this. Can a Hyundai F1 Team really happen?
http://www.f1racing.net/en/news.php?newsID=66155

GreatBop

"But you forget the supposed/inferred kickbacks."


good point... that makes the actuall cost just 30 percent?



0last i heard, may bagong f1 team for the 2006 season "Midland F1"... theyre a trading company na apparently is well known sa europe.

so_obVIOS

Naisip ko lang kung may Pinoy F1 team at mga taxi drayber ang magmamaneho.

1.) Makikipag-kontrata muna bago umandar.
2.) Di pa "off" lahat ng ilaw sa start eh aandar na.
3.) Kahit backmarker na eh gigitgitin pa rin ang sino mang dadaan.
4.) Pagkatapos magpa-lagay ng gas at bagong gulong eh dadaganan yung buong pit crew, pati na yung pit crew ng team sa kabilang box.

shun_sakurai

When the track is finished and the F1 GP does come, what now?

That's the same thing the Sepang Circuit is facing. Besides the annual F1 GP visit, the track is underused. It's just sitting there gathering dust, its facilities rotting. Autocar has already written at length about how Sepang's restrooms have been badly neglected because the place is known primarily for F1 and not much else (apart from the odd Lotus/Proton chassis testing session there).

The point is that it's pointless building a racetrack just for F1. It has to be like Silverstone in the UK---the track is fully booked most of the year, for organized trackdays, drift events and what have you.

Besides the track has to generate enough revenue to justify its substantial expense, especially if the funding's going to come from the government. An annual F1 GP race will NOT bring in enough revenue IMHO.

I'll say it again...people will have to WANT to go to a racetrack and WANT to work there as race marshals to boost the popularity of motorsport. IMO local motorsport here is mostly summed up by one word: drag racing. No need for a track for that.

slamm

Well... just operating a track like SiR and BRC is already hard enough as sponsors are hard to come by. :(

so_obVIOS

Yes it's a long shot. If the Brit's are having a hard time raising money just to have a GP in Silverstone next year, how much more us Pinoys?

Pao|o

Now that's really sad shun_sakurai. Our motoring sport is just drag racing? :( Pour in the money and learn how to launch properly = drag star.

GreatBop

Shun has a good point about sepang. saka i may sound like an @$$ here again... but walang mapapala ang f1 pag namasyal sila rito.

sure an f1 track is nice to have. pero it should be the last thing our people should worry about.

1st thing's 1st- get our economy back on track.

shun_sakurai

Now that's really sad shun_sakurai. Our motoring sport is just drag racing? Pour in the money and learn how to launch properly = drag star.

Paolo,
Yep, I agree it's a sad state of affairs as I personally frown on drag racers.

But the truth of the matter is, bringing your car to a racetrack and running it around in search of the fastest lap time is quite expensive. (The expense will run you at least fuel costs, maybe a new set of tires and some boiling brake fluid or burning brake shoes/drums. Also, taking on the curves at speed puts stress on your car's chassis and suspension.)

That's why drag racing is quite popular now...first and foremost it's CHEAP!

All you really modify in drag racing is your engine, clutch assembly, maybe a close-ratio transmission and a pair of tires...and you can be ready to go. Bracketing naman iyang drag racing (just like many other motorsports) so you compete only with those whose setups match your car's. Close-to-stock cars will race against each other, not tricked-out turbo monstrosities.

Besides, you use up a lot less real estate in a drag race compared to a circuit race (a quarter-mile-long road and surplus area for runoff/deceleration will do).

For circuit enthusiasts on a budget I seriously recommend KARTING. You aren't using your own car, so there's a lot less worry, and usually you only pay for track and kart rental.

If you want to get into Formula 1, karting is the very first step, as F1 cars are basically glorified overpowered go-karts. Fortunately we already have at least 3 or 4 karting tracks.

Pao|o

Boys drag while men kart? Those illegal races on public roads are really annoying sometimes. They hold up traffic at an ungodly hour and those in the sideline litter.

shun_sakurai

There are legitimate drag races held in proper drag strips or closed-off roads. There's a regular PDRF series in the Port Area I think (it's usually televised as the "Battle by the Bay" on local free TV).

Subic Int'l Raceway has a drag-strip section too.

But yeah, even this isn't enough to stop "hotdoggers" from looking for a "gauge" on public roads. :(