Singapore GPrix and Nadal

SINGAPORE – We arrived in this city-state of three million late Friday evening, barely a day before its Presidential elections Saturday. After a short nine-day campaign period, Singaporeans elected their seventh president, Dr. Tony Tan, a former deputy prime minister who had held the finance and education cabinet. Tan won by 7,269 votes or 35.2% of 2.1 million votes, over his closest rival, former Member of Parliament (MP), Dr Tan Cheng Bok.

Used to the festive atmosphere of elections in the Philippines, we had thought that the brightly lighted Republic Boulevard on Saturday night was the venue of either some kind of miting de avance (held at the tail end of an election campaign) or victory party. But it then occurred to us that voting was over and, hours after the polling precincts closed at 8 p.m., there was no winner in sight.

It turns out, Republic Boulevard was being readied for the 2011 Formula One SingTel Grand Prix to be held from September 23 to 25. This is the race’s fourth edition.

Fabius Chen of the Sunday Straits Times reports that Republic was, for more than two hours, lit up as bright as day, it being awash in the glare of 3,000 lux of light or 30 times the brightness of a normal street lamp. The stretch of road was the latest to have its lighting projectors tested ahead of the Grand Prix.

With four weeks to go before this year’s race, Singapore GP has revealed that preparations are right on track not only in terms of lighting but also safety barriers and spectator stands.

According to Lawrence Foo, the race promoter’s technical director, “We are on target for the overall construction progress.”

Foo, 37, says 90 percent of the 1,500 projectors that will light the Marina Bay Street Circuit have been completed, as have over half of the 4,295 safety barriers and 10,00 meters of debris fencing.

Chen says that only the Connaught Grandstand which is on Esplanade Drive, and barriers closing off pedestrian crossings, will be left unfinished until Sept. 21, when roads in the area are closed.

With resurfacing of sections of the 5.073 km track also done, Foo is confident that the circuit will be “100 percent completed” ahead of the final track inspection, to be conducted by F1 race director Charlie Whiting a day before the Sept. 23 practice session.

Chen says that off the track ticket sales of the event, which has attracted GP racing aficionados all over the world, have shown few signs of letting up. According to a Singapore GP statement released on Aug. 19, over 85 per cent of the targeted sales have already been met.

Singapore GP executive director Michael Roche believes that the race and the off-track entertainment line up that includes, among others, Shakira and Boy George, offers an amazing value for everyone with the price of one ticket and that the 2011 Grand Prix will be another spectacular sporting and entertainment experience.

Earlier in the day, we passed by several bookstores and got a copy of “Rafa, My Story”, autobiography of Spanish tennis superstar, Rafael Nadal, co-written with John Carlin.

“Rafa” is a fascinating story of Nadal’s meteoric success that has not overcome his well-known humility and closeness to family and his hometown, Manacor, Spain.

As of Aug. 15, 2011, Nadal is ranked number two by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP), behind Novak Djokovic.

Born on June 3, 1986, Nadal has won 10 Grand Slam titles including six French Open championships (2005, at the age of 19; 2006; 2007; 2008; 2010 and 2011), which could be one of the reasons why the 25-year old Spaniard has been accorded the titles “King of Clay” and the “greatest clay court player of all time.”

Nadal’s four other Grand Slam titles include Wimbledon in 2008, the Australian Open in 2009 and the 2010 US Open (the 2011 edition of which started two days ago). The latter championship completed a Career Grand Slam.

Nadal’s other career highlights include the Under-12s championship of the Balearic Islands at the age of eight in 1994, the Under-12s national championship of Spain in 1997, the Under-14s national championship of Spain in 2000.

In 2000, at the age of 15, Nadal turned pro and won his first victory in the ATP circuit. At 17, Nadal beat Roger Federer for the first time they played and was the youngest man to reach the third round of Wimbledon since Boris Becker in 1984. A year and a half later, Rafa became the youngest player to register a singles victory in Davis Cup for a winning nation. Spain defeated the US, 3-2.

Next week, more on Rafael Nadal.