Thailand to get it's own F1 Grand Prix?

[TBWG]

Thailand moves closer to Formula 1 grand prix deal
By Jonathan Noble    Thursday, September 27th 2012,

Thailand has moved a step closer hosting its first Formula 1 race after agreeing a deal in principle for a 2014 event.

After speculation earlier this year that the country was serious at bidding for an F1 race, a senior government official has revealed that he and representatives from Red Bull moved forward with their plans after meeting F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone in Singapore.

Kanokphand Chulakasem, governor of the Sports Authority of Thailand (SAT), said that the provisional plan agreed with Ecclestone was for a night race to be held in Bangkok as early as 2014.

"It will be a city race like in Singapore and Monaco. It will be a night race like the Singapore Grand Prix," he was quoted as saying by the Bangkok Post.

The discussions still have some way to go before becoming official, with Chulakasem stating that a race fee had yet to be agreed.

The Thai government has promised to fund 60 per cent of the total cost of the race, however, with the rest coming from local sponsors like Red Bull and Singha.

Red Bull driver Mark Webber attracted over 100,000 people during a street demo on the streets of Thailand in 2010.


TBWG

[TBWG]

    
Thailand looks for a Grand Prix
by Joe Saward

It seems that Thailand is bidding for a Grand Prix, at least according to newspapers in that country. There have been stories of a Thai Grand Prix for several years, because of the connection between Thailand and Red Bull, the original drink company being based there, but up to now there has only been speculation. I did hear a couple of months ago that Thailand should be taken seriously as a candidate and that the plan was for a street race in Thailand. The newspaper reports suggest that the event will be held at night, just as happens in Singapore. But, as we all know in F1, the show is not over until the fat lady sings and so it is probably not very wise for the locals to be jabbering to the media before a deal is done. The plan is for a race in 2014 but the calendar for that year is fairly business already, although some of the projects mentioned are not necessarily going to happen. This all helps Ecclestone to keep the price of the sport going up. The teams are saying that 20 races is enough and more and more countries seem to be interested and so the logical conclusion is that F1 will go to the highest bidder, or at least the bidder that offers the most in a place that is strategically interesting for Formula 1.

At the moment there are new races being discussed in France, Mexico, the United States, Turkey, Russia and Thailand. There has been talk of others. The problem is that they cannot all be fitted on the calendar. Ecclestone himself is talking down New Jersey, although this is probably in order to get money that has been promised on the table. It would not be a wise idea to dump the New York event for the sake of a few million dollars - and Ecclestone knows that - but he has to keep up appearances. France is largely dependent on money and the government (inevitably) is not helping. This means that if there is to be a French event, there will have to be guarantees from regional governments, as Mr E's lawyers like this kind of thing before handing out racing, so they know that they will be guaranteed their cash. There are doubts about some of the current races in the long term, notably Korea, Germany and Belgium.




TBWG

[dimple joe]

The mind boggles

F1 cars weaving to avoid the occasional Somchai on his motorsai nipping up the circuit the wrong way
Somtan, Noodle and Fried Chicken stalls at every corner spilling on to the circuit
Ferrari swerving to avoid haphazardly parked yellow and green taxis
Williams baulked by a couple of Tuk Tuks crossing at right angles
Pot holes every 100 yards
Track marshalls blowing whistles frantically
Garland and Peanut sellers wandering around the pits
Lottery ticket sellers strolling up and down the starting grid trying to interest Michael Schumaker with his lucky number
The BIB stopping Jensen Button for staying in the outside lane - pay 200 Baht or must go Police Station
And the Safety Car being deployed at least twice during the race to allow the motorcade of some General or other to pass through

It'll be a laugh a minute

[TBWG]

The mind boggles

F1 cars weaving to avoid the occasional Somchai on his motorsai nipping up the circuit the wrong way
Somtan, Noodle and Fried Chicken stalls at every corner spilling on to the circuit
Ferrari swerving to avoid haphazardly parked yellow and green taxis
Williams baulked by a couple of Tuk Tuks crossing at right angles
Pot holes every 100 yards
Track marshalls blowing whistles frantically
Garland and Peanut sellers wandering around the pits
Lottery ticket sellers strolling up and down the starting grid trying to interest Michael Schumaker with his lucky number
The BIB stopping Jensen Button for staying in the outside lane - pay 200 Baht or must go Police Station
And the Safety Car being deployed at least twice during the race to allow the motorcade of some General or other to pass through

It'll be a laugh a minute

DJ

You forgot something!   ~~~~ no mention of the mass influx of young ladies from Pattaya!


TBWG

[gotlost]

To keep it political correct....

[TBWG]

A lot of talk in Thailand

 by Joe Saward


Bernie Ecclestone likes race promoters who do not talk a lot and deliver deals – before they go public. Thus he cannot be overly impressed with the Thailand’s government’s sports authority, which has been putting out stories for some weeks that it will be hosting a Formula 1 race in Bangkok in 2014. If a contract has been signed, numbers agreed and guaranteed by the government then it is a good moment to make a noise, but Kanokphand Chulakasem, the man in charge of the Sports Authority, admits that the negotiations are not yet completed and the project has not been signed off by the Thai government.

He says that he will sign a deal when he gets the nod from the government, but adds that the government will be paying only 60 percent of the costs; the rest being paid by private enterprise (read Red Bull and friends). He says that the deal will not cost more than $39.2 million per year. It would be a surprise if the Formula One group would be willingt to accept such a deal. One can understand that the total may have dropped from the high-spending days in the early 2000s, when deals up to $50 million a year were agreed. All the F1 contracts are believed to include a 10 percent increase per year, which means that a $40 million a year race fee with a normal 10 percent annual hike means that over a seven-year contract a promoter must find around $380 million, without including the money needed to either build a track or assemble and disassemble a street circuit each year. This will add around $200 million to the bill.

Thus the government must be willing to guarantee funds of around $600 million if a deal is to go ahead. If private partners are going to kick in 40 percent that is fine, but the guarantee is likely to be at government level only. While this is a great deal of money, an event does make sense for Thailand where the country is trying to build on recent growth in the tourism sector. Thailand underwent a messy coup d’état in 2006 and political disruption followed on and off until the election in 2011 when the Pheu Thai Party won a landslide victory over the Democrat Party. There have since been disastrous floods with widespread damage that has hurt the economy.

Despite all the troubles, the country’s tourism figures have moved upwards, rising from 10 million in 2003, to 14.6 million in 2006. They then stabilised after the coup, but in 2010 the number leapt to 16 million, jumping to 19 million last year. This year the Tourism Authority of Thailand has set a target of 22.22 million for 2013, hoping to latch on to the developing middle classes in Asia, at a time when European demand has weakened because of the Euro Crisis.

The Thais are also talking about a race in November, which makes little sense given that the World Championship showdowns attract the biggest TV audiences when they take place in the Americas, the time difference meaning that the races are beamed into Europe – the biggest F1 TV market – at prime time.


TBWG

[TBWG]

  Bernie Ecclestone has revealed that a grand prix in Thailand is likely to be added to the Formula One calendar in 2015.

Kanokphand Chulakasem, Governor of the Sports Authority of Thailand, said in October that he was working with F1 organisers to bring a race to the country and it appears that he has been successful.

"They say (it will be held in) 2014 and I say 2015. It is serious and it is good," Ecclestone is quoted as saying by the Wall Street Journal.

It has been reported that 60 percent of the annual fee will be covered by the Thailand government with drinks companies Red Bull and Singha contributing the remainder.

New Jersey and Russia are already set to be added to schedule in 2014 and should Thailand come on board, further pressure will be placed on current circuits to keep their places if the cap of 20 races is to be adhered to.


TBWG

[toffo]

April fool come early for Bernie ho ho ho

[nookiebear]

A night race in BKK...................What a load of old bollocks

[Alan]

Bit closer than Bangkok
http://www.bangkokpost.com/breakingnews/332463/newin-to-build-f1-racetrack

[Starman]

Can't see it working. He can't even fill up the football stadium partly because of the price of the tickets. What will the price of a F1 ticket be?

I also think they will need a Thai driver in F1 first. After all, most people like to cheer the home team.

[Albert]

F1 Comes to Buriram please stop it's killing me.  

[Albert]

Can't see it working. He can't even fill up the football stadium partly because of the price of the tickets. What will the price of a F1 ticket be?

I also think they will need a Thai driver in F1 first. After all, most people like to cheer the home team.

They need a Thai driver first,well then it wont never happen because none of these clowns can drive on the normal road let alone F1.

[TBWG]

 Might be one on the way up see.......

Bio
Alexander Albon is making a big step up this year, swapping karts for Formula Renault 2.0. The Thai-English driver, who was born in London, but races under a Thai licence goes into Formula racing as both a World and European Champion from the KF3 class – following in the footsteps of Red Bull Junior Team graduates Sebastian Vettel and Sébastien Buemi.

Alex has won his own weight in silverware karting in Britain, including the Vodafone Karting Challenge and the GP Kartmasters, racing as far afield as Malaysia.

Alex’s programme for 2012 includes both the Eurocup series and ALPS championship. He is driving for EPIC Racing, the team from the Basque country that oversaw the development of the mighty Robert Kubica.

If the name looks familiar, Alex's dad is former BTCC and Porsche Carrera Cup driver Nigel Albon. Encouraged by his father, Alex started karting when he was six years old, initially on a course made from bricks. Having dominated the under-15s KF3 category, Alex moved into the senior KF1 category when he reached the minimum age last year. He took back-to-back wins and was runner-up in the World Championship.


TBWG

[toffo]

I hope newin does build a track here.. They have a thing called track day when you can take your own vehicle around the track.. Imagine all the old boys riding there mopeds and ending up in the barrier or tyres.. Maybe all the falangs can have a race day where the winner gets a trophy .. Would bring a little more excitement to buriram