I attended my first drag racing event in Santa Pod in the UK. It’s probably one of the most accessible automotive events around for people to participate, because all you need to do is just, well, drive in a straight line as fast as you can.

It’s interesting to see all manner of machinery rock up to compete, and this time in Australia it’s no different at the Perth Motorplex. There were Euro hot hatches, JDMs, KDMs, the odd one or two supercars, Australian muscle including Utes, classic cars and even a bone stock looking Hyundai i30 hatchback - the sort the ‘Star in a Car’ would drive on TopGear shows. The smell of burnt tyres when they do burnouts, the screaming engines redlining every gear and the odd mishap or two kept things exciting. There was a bit of a festival atmosphere too - my son really enjoyed the souvenir shop selling shirts and model cars, while dinner was served by none other than an Australian barbecue smokehouse.

Given the strict speed limits in Australia, I’m sure these enthusiasts relish the ability to unleash the full potential of their cars and to go all out on the drag strip. That made me wonder - should Singapore have a permanent drag strip?

The Singapore Motor Sports Association (SMSA) and Singapore GP have held drag events in the past on the Marina Bay Circuit’s Pit Straight, but this only happens occasionally. People can’t just show up after work or on the weekends to do it.

With the increased policing we can expect on our roads, with ERP 2.0 and red light cameras that will also double up as speed cameras, it may be wise to allow enthusiasts a location to let off some steam in a safe and private environment as opposed to public roads, right?

A drag strip would also not take up much space in our crowded island, and in fact could double up as a runway too (anybody remembers the 997 GT3 drag race with a Boeing 747 at Changi?). Lest we keep spending our dollars in Ringgit across the border for motorsport events, this is something we could be creative about - like reeling in Taylor Swift to Singapore - I suppose.

Photos by James Wong

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