Three Singaporean racing drivers to cheer on this F1 weekend

SINGAPORE — While there has never been a Singaporean driver in Formula One, that does not mean a local has never won at the Marina Bay Circuit.

Veteran racer Ringo Chong won the Singapore round of the Aston Martin Cup in 2009. It was, he says, the proudest moment in his long racing career.

“To be the first Singaporean to have won on the Marina Bay Circuit, and to have heard the Majulah Singapura played when I was on the podium, was elation for me,” he said.

“My childhood dream came true.”

While the Singapore Grand Prix weekend has the Formula One race as its main event, there are support races for spectators to watch, too. This time, they will have three local drivers to cheer on.

Ringo will be taking part in the Ferrari Challenge, in a six-year-old Ferrari 458. “Please come cheer for me, I will be in the bright yellow Ferrari!”

TEUTONIC AMBITIONS

Two other Singaporeans, Yuey Tan and Andrew Tang, will be on the grid for another support event, the Porsche Carrera Cup Asia (PCCA).

Andrew, for one, is hoping to more than just race. “It’s going to be my first time on a street circuit but I’m already excited to race on the circuit and in front of my fellow Singaporeans,” he said. “I am coming into the weekend in good form so I hope to keep pushing and hopefully I can come away with a win.”

As for Yuey, he is expecting to have fun. “We’ll just go out there and have a good time and try and put it closer to the front end of the grid,” he said. “I just hope the fans really soak up the atmosphere as it is an absolute privilege to have a Formula One race in Singapore. It’s a mega racing event.”

Perhaps Yuey can afford to be more relaxed, having won here before. In 2014, he won the PCCA race in Singapore in his category, before building from that win to clinch the overall championship the next year.

In spite of the three racing drivers’ success, though, motor sport seems to have a limited following in Singapore.

SCHOOL FOR SUCCESS

Does the sport need its own Joseph Schooling before it becomes a source of national recognition and pride?

“What Joseph Schooling achieved was remarkable and it was a very proud moment for the country, but if Singapore is to produce racing drivers in-house, a circuit would be the first thing we need to develop,” said Yuey. “I hope we do develop a motorsport hub at some point.”

That stands to reason. Without swimming pools and dedicated coaches, Schooling would never have been a success, so without a racing venue, the chances of producing a world-class driver seem slim. But there are other hurdles, said Ringo — such as cost.

“We all wish to have someone like Schooling, but in car racing, it will be much more expensive,” he said. “Not everyone will get a chance to reach a proper race car championship before they quit because it’s way too expensive for many. I started from zero and I know how difficult it is.”

THE NEXT LAP

Yet, both drivers feel that Andrew stands a chance to make it to the very top of international motor sport.

“We should support good young Singaporean talent when we spot it, and Andrew is someone I think is really full of potential and capability,” said Ringo. “So far, he is the fastest driver from Singapore I have seen in all my years of racing.”

“There is a new Schooling of racing in Andrew, followed by a bunch of kids younger than him who have started their single-seater careers,” added Yuey.

Andrew’s breakthrough came in 2014, when he won a championship in New Zealand in a racing series with cars powered by Toyota engines. “Winning the Toyota Racing Series was a big milestone for my career. It was my first car title and I raced against competitors from all around the world, so it was really an amazing feat for myself. I’m definitely very proud of that,” he said.

Young racing drivers are always talent-spotted, and Andrew’s performances have been so impressive that he is now a driver for Porsche China. “Porsche is an extremely professional outfit and it is a very dedicated organisation,” he said. “We have a great relationship because we are both hungry for success at the pinnacle of motor sport. I would love to become a full factory driver for Porsche, racing and winning the 24 Hours of Le Mans with them.”

That is an ambition shared with Yuey. He says that even though he has always taken every racing season as it comes, he would love to compete in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, as well as the Porsche Supercup series.

In the meantime, the trio will have a busy weekend ahead of them. The national anthem has rung out at the Marina Bay Circuit before, and all three racers will be going flat-out to try to ensure that it does so again.