Singapore's Grand Prix track paved with unique, high-performance Shell bitumen

Shell Cariphalte Racetrack was selected by the Singapore Land Transport Authority (LTA) as the binder material solution to be used by main contractor, Or Kim Peow Contractors (Pte) Ltd and their asphalt specialists, Hanson Building Material Pte Ltd, for the racetrack due to its ability to withstand the demanding conditions created during a Formula One race. The inaugural Singapore Grand Prix will be staged on a new street circuit, which will be open to regular motorists throughout the year.

With its high shear and stress properties, Shell Cariphalte is a Shell-designed, high-performance binder that allows enhanced road performance in terms of resistance to extreme heat, rutting (or deformation), cracking, stripping and ageing. The physical properties that make Shell Cariphalte Racetrack suitable for these high-stress surfaces is a Styrene Butadiene Styrene (SBS) concentration which ensures a three-dimensional network within the bitumen. The product is designed to have increased stiffness at high temperatures, to better withstand high temperatures and has a substantially increased elasticity, helping to reduce cracking.

Shell Cariphalte Racetrack meets all Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) stringent track requirements and has been used on other high-stress surfaces, including Bahrain's Formula One track and Malaysia's Sepang circuit. Products from the Shell Cariphalte range were also recently used for the runway upgrade at Singapore’s Changi Airport to accommodate the Airbus A380.

Paving works on the Singapore track will begin in April 2008 and is scheduled to be completed by June 2008. Construction will take place between midnight to 6am from Thursdays to Sundays. The Singapore Grand Prix will take place from 26 - 28 September 2008.

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