Singaporeans at the helm of this year's Singapore GP

For the first time, Singaporeans are at the forefront of the 2009 Formula 1 Singtel Singapore Grand Prix, holding key positions such as Clerk of the Course, Secretary of the Meeting, Chief Medical Officer and National Steward.

Gabriel Tan, Manager, Motorsports Industry Development Department, Singapore Sports Council will be taking on the mantle as Clerk of the Course in this year’s instalment of Formula One's only night race.

Joining him at the helm are Michael Gray as the Secretary of the Meeting, Dr Kelvin Chew as the Chief Medical Officer and Harold Netto as the National Steward.

The appointments for these key positions are endorsed and accredited by the Singapore Motor Sports Association and approved by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA).

Senior Minister of State for Trade and Industry Mr S Iswaran met up with the four key national appointees at the Recovery Training Session that was held at the National Stadium Theatrette this morning. With less than a month to event day, the training of race officials has been ramped up.

At the inaugural 2008 Formula One Singtel Singapore Grand Prix, these positions were held by officials from the Confederation of Australia Motor Sport (CAMS), with local officials taking up key deputy positions to learn and gain the experience of organising and managing an international motor sports event.

"As Singapore positions itself as a sports events hub, we must continue to build our manpower capabilities across a broad spectrum of sports events, including motor sports. Moreover, with the upcoming Changi Motorsports Hub, there is a need to develop capabilities of motor sports technical officials so as to support the growing industry in the future."

"The appointment of local officials for pivotal roles such as the Clerk of the Course reinforces that we do have the skills and world-class talents to meet the demand of international motor sports events such as Formula One," said Mr Oon Jin Teik, Chief Executive Officer, Singapore Sports Council.

In preparation for their roles, the officials have been working closely with their counterparts in CAMS to understand the roles and challenges of the various positions. The officials have also undergone training at the various Formula One races held earlier this year, including the 2009 Formula 1 ING Australian Grand Prix, the 2009 Formula 1 Petronas Malaysian Grand Prix as well as the Clipsal 500 V8 Supercar Championships in Melbourne last year.

In addition, the Clerk of the Course and the National Steward are also required to be holders of a FIA Super Licence – a qualification that allows the licence holder to take part in Formula 1 races as a driver.

"Being an understudy at the various races provided me with the opportunity to learn from some of the best in the international motor sports scene. I was able to observe and learn the diverse range of race operations systems that the various Formula 1 organisers had adopted to suit each individual race."

"I am looking forward to rise up to the challenge and applying the experience I have gained through these attachments to make the 2009 Formula 1 Singtel Singapore Grand Prix a memorable and successful event,” said Mr Gabriel Tan, Clerk of the Course of the 2009 Formula 1 Singtel Singapore Grand Prix.

Prior to his appointment as the Clerk of the Course, Gabriel has held several key positions at international motor sports events , such as Deputy Sector Marshal and Deputy Chief Pit in the 2008 Formula 1 ING Australian Grand Prix and Assistant Clerk of the Course at the Clipsal500 V8 Supercar Championships.

Similar to Gabriel, Dr Kelvin Chew has been an understudy at several international motor sports events, including 2009 Formula 1 ING Australian Grand Prix and 2009 Formula 1 Petronas Malaysian Grand Prix, in preparation for his role as the Chief Medical Officer. Dr Chew was the deputy Chief Medical Officer for the 2008 Formula 1 Singtel Singapore Grand Prix.

"Bringing Formula One to our shores was a major coup for Singapore. As the race promoter, Singapore GP has always championed having locals to be in the frontline of the Singtel Singapore Grand Prix - from the service ambassadors, to the vendors, to the marshals."

"We believe that the experience learnt will be extremely beneficial to elevate the local motorsports and event industry to a higher level," said Mr Colin Syn, Deputy Chairman of Singapore GP Pte Ltd.

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Credits: JRC