A decade of the Singapore Grand Prix, and these volunteers and officials are still going strong

SINGAPORE — As the 11th edition of the Formula 1 2018 Singapore Airlines Singapore Grand Prix flags off at the Marina Bay street circuit this weekend, TODAY goes behind the glamour and glitz to speak to the officials and volunteers who have worked the ground in the last decade to keep the race running like clockwork.

Photo: Koh Mui Fong/TODAY

RAYMOND CHIA, 50, CHIEF OF RECOVERY

WHAT HE DOES: Manage a team of 65 who conduct recovery of cars on the Marina Bay street circuit. Comprising recovery marshals, crane operators, tilt truck drivers, the team removes cars that are stricken on the track in a safe, efficient manner.

Mr Chia is also responsible for developing the officials’ training curriculum, and ensuring good co-ordination between team members.

HOW IT STARTED: As a young boy, Mr Chia accompanied his father to races at the Thomson Road street circuit, formerly home to the Singapore Grand Prix in the 1960s and 70s. That was where his love for motor racing began.

“Whether it’s two wheels or four wheels… I watch everything —World Rally Championships, British Touring Car Championships,” he told TODAY.

While his friends worked holiday jobs at McDonald’s, he spent his time at car workshops in Eunos, helping a friend who drove a tow truck as they attended to vehicle breakdowns and repossessed cars together.

Two years before the inaugural 2008 Singapore Grand Prix was held here, he had heard of the possibility of Formula 1 coming to town, and made an effort to look out for race volunteer opportunities.

His experience with tow trucks came in handy as he was made a track and recovery marshal in his first year as a volunteer with the Singapore Grand Prix.

ON THE JOB: “Every recovery is challenging, the severity and complexity of each recovery varies. Every street circuit is challenging… there are fewer run-offs (here), and the nature of the turns dictate the way the cars come to a halt.”

Mr Chia said his first race as a recovery marshal was “pretty surreal” as it was his first time working as a race official in Singapore – he had previously volunteered at club races in Japan in the 1990s.

FUNNY MOMENT: In his second year, the track marshal was stationed at turn 15, where debris was sent scattering into his zone after the cars driven by Force India’s Adrian Sutil and BMW Sauber’s Nick Heidfeld collided at Turn 14. With the safety car out on the track, he was sent out to pick up debris, twice.

“I jumped out from the fence and ran, and it was like I had scored a World Cup goal, because the spectators were cheering!

“As I was running back, I saw another piece of debris, so I went out a second time. That was my second goal, because the crowd went wild – it was such an adrenaline rush.”

HARROWING MOMENTS: He witnessed what he described as the “worst incident” last year, when a dramatic collision between pole sitter Sebastian Vettel, Ferrari teammate Kimi Raikkonen and Red Bull’s Max Verstappen on the opening lap at Turn 1 sent debris flying in all directions.

“The rain last year made it more challenging, but we were prepared for all scenarios.”

(Above): Ferrari driver Kimi Raikkonen (right) loses control of his car and scrapes fellow Ferrari driver Sebastian Vettel's car at Turn 1 of the 2017 Formula One Singapore Airlines Singapore Grand Prix. TODAY file photo

Another serious incident occurred in 2016, when Nico Hulkenburg of Force India crashed right before Turn 1, and his car came to a halt at the pit lane exit.

“I ran to Turn 2, and sent the crane out to pick up the car. It was memorable because the crew did a stellar job.”

FAVOURITE DRIVER: While he is a fan of former F1 driver Mika Hakkinen, he admires Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen because “he has an air of indifference”, but “just gets the job done”.

He saw Raikkonen up close when the Finnish driver walked past him at Turn 5.6 on one occasion, but Mr Chia did not do anything as volunteers are required to be professional and impartial. However, he added: “In my heart, I was very happy!”

PROUDEST F1 MOMENT: His wife Cindy Tan brought his seven-year-old son to the race track last year, and they managed to spot him at Turn 5 after a search.

“He came up to me and said ‘Hi daddy’… I was very happy to see him but I told him I needed to stay focused on my job, and he understood.

“He turned to me and said, “Daddy, I’m very proud of you’. It was an emotional moment for me.”

Photo: Koh Mui Fong/TODAY

EMILY GOO, 30, MANAGER, RACE OPERATIONS & ASSISTANT CLERK OF COURSE

WHAT SHE DOES: Manage a team of 850 officials for the Grand Prix weekend. Her job includes role allocation and deployment, managing officials’ training schedules, taking care of their benefits and welfare, and procuring their equipment such as gloves, and safety eyewear.

HOW IT STARTED: After graduating from Temasek Polytechnic with a diploma in information technology, Ms Goo said she did not want a “boring job doing coding”. A neighbour who worked at the then Singapore Sports Council (now Sport Singapore) told her about an opening for an executive assistant there for the Singapore Grand Prix’s race operations team.

“I didn’t know anything about motor racing and had no idea what it was. I only knew that F1 was coming to Singapore.”

In 2010, the team of three was incorporated into race promoter Singapore GP.

FIRST F1 EXPERIENCE: “It was quite overwhelming at first as there were a lot of things I didn’t know, like what a track marshal was, and this was my first job.”

She joined the race operations team just three months before the inaugural edition in 2008, which meant busy days of administrative work in their office underneath the Bay Grandstand.

She tried to peek through her office windows on race day to get a glimpse of the cars as they zoomed by. “I had to stand on tiptoes to try to see what was going on…the cars were really beautiful under the lights.”

ON THE JOB: Ms Goo told TODAY that it can be challenging working with volunteers as she has to juggle their work schedules with mandatory training sessions. Some also have “different expectations” of the work involved, and she added that they “cannot be too harsh” because these are volunteers, and not staff.

However, she noted that the Singapore race gets between 85 and 88 per cent volunteer retention each year, which is “one of the best in the world” among Formula 1’s races each season.

Hours before Friday’s practice session, qualifying and the race on Saturday and Sunday, she will walk at least two laps around the circuit park to check on the officials to see if they are settling in, and “to boost morale”. She usually clocks in at least 30km in mileage over the race weekend.

She is also the mother hen of the group, constantly nagging officials to remember their equipment and gear, reminding them to be on time and to refrain from taking photos.

WHAT SHE LOVES: Meeting volunteers from all walks of life is something that she enjoys, as the group includes the vice-president of a bank, and even an Australian marshal who travels here every year to volunteer at the race.

Her favourite moment of the race, she said, is the group photo that the 850 officials gather for at the Singapore Flyer theatre before Sunday’s finale.

“I enjoy it because it is a very proud moment, they are all so happy and enjoying themselves. For me, seeing how they were when they started as officials and didn’t know much about motor sports, going through training, and then standing trackside… it’s a very proud moment for me.

“It’s like they are graduating (from school), and I’m the proud principal.”

They have also become a close-knit group, and Ms Goo said she meets some of the volunteers for dinner, and even attends their weddings and baby showers.

MOST POPULAR REQUEST: The most sought-after job among officials, revealed Ms Goo, is in the pit lane, as this allows volunteers to witness the action in the team garages, and to see the superstar drivers up close.

As officials work in teams, they are usually rotated through the different sections each year. The pit lane team has a crew of 32, and role allocations are decided by a risk committee.

But do not expect Ms Goo to let anyone in on how to land those coveted posts. “It’s a secret!” she told TODAY.

Photo: Najeer Yusof/TODAY

MICHAEL LIM, 59, SECURITY MANAGER

WHAT HE DOES: Mr Lim, a service quality manager and business development manager at security firm Securus Pte Ltd, helps to manage a team of security staff for the race weekend. He will be stationed at Zone 1, which encompasses the pit building, F1 village and hospitality zone.

HOW IT STARTED: In 2008, Mr Lim’s employer, Evtec, was an external vendor for the Singapore race, and the security area manager was responsible for managing security at Turns 1 to 3. Two years later, he joined Singapore GP as an assistant ground commander for Zone 1.

At 59, Mr Lim is also the oldest security staff working at the Singapore race.

ON THE JOB: Calling it an “eye-opening experience”, Mr Lim said he has learnt to manage the different type of crowds at the different zones.

For instance, he said that spectators in Zone 4, where the Padang stage is, tend to be concert goers who want to get out quickly after the entertainment ends.

He also works with the team to ensure that elderly fans, and those in wheelchairs, are able to get to the spectator stands. He gets a “sense of satisfaction” from helping fans, including those who have lost their bags and cameras.

One of the most challenging aspects of his job is communicating with foreign fans who do not speak English, said Mr Lim.

There were instances when he had to deal with fans who were injured or had lost their children at the circuit. “Language and cultural differences are the most challenging (part of the job)… I usually use hand gestures with them.

“The important thing is to smile. A smile is international, everybody knows a smile and it helps to calm a situation.”

BEST MOMENT: During the inaugural edition in 2008, Mr Lim said he spotted some Ferrari fans with a giant flag of the iconic F1 team. As flags were not permitted, he got a marshal to hang it on his cage trackside instead, and the flag was captured on television by a helicopter flying overhead during the race.

“It was a very memorable experience…the fans even invited us out for drinks after that!”

*Tune in to Mediacorp’s coverage of the Singapore Grand Prix from 14-16 Sep, live on oktoSports and Toggle.

14 Sep, Fri

1st Practice Session

From 4.30pm, live on oktoSports & Toggle

2nd Practice Session

From 8.30pm, live on oktoSports & Toggle

15 Sep, Sat

3rd Practice Session

From 6pm, live on oktoSports & Toggle

Qualifying

From 8.55pm, live on oktoSports & Toggle

16 Sep, Sun

Race Day

From 7.45pm, live on oktoSports & Toggle