How is it like to drive on the Singapore Grand Prix’s Marina Bay street circuit?
Street circuits are much trickier than purpose-built circuits, for good reason. The concrete walls play on the mind and there is less room for error as a result.
The other thing about street circuits is that drivers have to adapt to the track quickly, as they are not able to do any form of testing or training prior to the race itself since the circuit is only temporarily set up for the race.
Duvashen Padayachee, 21, had the opportunity to race at Formula 1 tracks through a junior formula series JK Racing Asia series, formerly known as the Formula BMW Pacific series.
Having started racing in go-karts in 2007, Duvashen is into his second year of racing single-seaters. He returns to Singapore this weekend to race on the Marina Bay street circuit a second time and shares with Yahoo! how being part of the Formula 1 atmosphere is one of the best things in the world.
Q: How many times have you raced on an F1 track?
A: I was fortunate enough to be able to race in last year's Formula BMW Pacific series (now renamed to JK Racing Asia series), which allowed me to race at both the Malaysian Grand Prix at Sepang International Circuit and the Singapore Grand Prix at Marina Bay. I would have to rate the Marina Bay street circuit (especially at night) as one of the best tracks I have ever raced on.
Q: This is your second time on the Singapore street circuit, how was your experience last year and what do you look forward to at this year's?
A: It was phenomenal to race on the Singapore street circuit last year, and be able to qualify under lights in front of a massive crowd. The experience and atmosphere of the whole event was electric, probably the best racing experience I've ever had.
The racing weekend wasn't good though; I was blocked in qualifying twice! Then in Race One my rear brakes locked twice, causing me to spin and hit the wall. In Race Two I went from 16th to 6th before a racing incident caused some damage to my car.
Whenever I have a weekend like this, I always try to come back and conquer the weekend. So this year I will be putting the drama of 2010 behind me and just focus on driving as hard as I can for a podium finish.
Q: How is it like driving on an F1 track and being part of the F1 atmosphere?
A: In one word: unreal.
That's how it feels — To know that you're driving on the same tarmac as the world's best and at high speeds. All eyes are on us and it's fantastic to know that I am only one of few drivers to be racing on the same track as the F1 guys.
The atmosphere at any F1 event is always incredible, but there is something special about Singapore — The night life, the people, the thrill and the relaxing atmosphere brings out the best ambiance to race in.
Q: How challenging is it driving on a street circuit compared to a purpose-built circuit?
A: Street circuits have a certain enigma about them. All race tracks are a 'living' object, they are always changing. For a purpose built circuit the grip levels, the track temperature and humidity are always changing.
A street circuit, however, changes more often than a purpose built circuit. There is public transport on the circuit, the foliage and trees alter track temps and grip levels, the tarmac has much less grip.
The big difference, and what is most difficult/challenging when racing at speed, is that a street circuit has no room for error. No run-off. No gravel traps. You have to be brave but at the same time calm and calculated. It's very challenging both physically and mentally to race a street circuit, and racing at night makes it 10 times harder.
Q: Racing in a tropical climate like Singapore, with the heat and humidity, causes a driver to tire more easily. Hence, fitness is very crucial. What do you do to keep fit?
A: I balance a specific weight and cardio programme every week to maintain my fitness for racing. I will alternate between upper body, lower body, abdominals, back, legs and also neck with my weight training. I focus on using light weights, but with more repetitions.
One week a month I will change to heavy weights with fewer repetitions to keep the body guessing. Every day I would either jog or cycle for one to two hours. I enjoy running, so I usually run about eight to 12 kilometres a day. It's always important to have a break so Sunday is a rest day.
Every now and then I do jump back into the kart for a whole day of testing. Nothing beats seat time for proper fitness training.
Q: Why is fitness so important in racing?
A: Some people think that all race drivers do is sit and turn a wheel. How hard can that be? It's actually much more difficult than that. For instance our steering wheel would weigh the equivalent of over 20kg in a high-speed corner when the downforce is pushing the front wheels harder into the ground.
We have to manage these kinds of weights more than 20 times a lap. With this we also push more than 100kg of force into the brake pedal multiple times a lap and sustain 2 to 3G (ie. 2-3 times our body weight) on our core and neck during cornering.
All these forces are hard work for our body and it's common for our heart rate to be around 180 beats per minute over just 25 minutes of racing. F1 drivers' bodies are pushed even further, as they experience 5G in lateral force and have races nearly two hours long.
About the writer
Passionate about cars and motorsports, Cheryl Tay is a familiar face in prominent local, regional as well as international automotive titles. More of her at www.cheryl-tay.com.
