Chronological of Events
Oct 2007 – A 20-hectare plot in Changi will be the site for a permanent race track
Sept 2008 – Singapore F1 race starts
Oct 2008 – Teo Ser Luck, Senior Parliamentary Secretary for the Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports, said at last month’s F1 SingTel Singapore Grand Prix that the permanent circuit in Changi is on track to be completed in 2011. Although 20 hectares have been allocated for the project, he also said the Government is willing to consider releasing more land should there be a need.
Mar 2010 – SG Changi has won the bid for the Changi Motorsports Hub, which will boast a permanent race track that can host any race except Formula One and have grandstands for at least 8,000 spectators. SG Changi will finance, build and run the Changi Motorsports Hub.
Jan 2011 – the Corrupt Practices Investigations Bureau (CPIB) was revealed to be probing the tender for irregularities – investigations had apparently begun months before and it included the Singapore Sports Council (SSC) and SG Changi. Despite questions now coming up about the future of the project, SG Changi had maintained that plans were still on track and no delays were expected. However, barely a month after, news appeared that investors had frozen funds.
Dec 2011 – the SSC announced that it had ended its project agreement with SG Changi. The land slated for the Hub was returned to SSC about six months later with the piling intact – with the hope that it could be of some use in the future.
Dec 2015 – Billionaire Peter Lim was building a $1.2 billion motorsports facility on a 110ha freehold site in Johor’s Iskandar.
Jan 2016 – Efforts are under way to restart the stalled Changi Motorsports Hub project, driven by parties which include marina tycoon Arthur Tay and venture capitalist Tommie Goh. Mr Tay said he has submitted a proposal to the Singapore Sports Council (SSC), the body whose first attempt at getting the race track project off the ground crashed in 2011 when a Japanese-led consortium that won the bid ran out of money. He has the backing of fellow tycoon Tommie Goh, a motorsports fan and avid car collector, and was among those keen on the project when the Government floated the idea in 2007. But it is said he backed out because conditions were too onerous.
May 2024 – The same site will become Porsche Experience Center. A journey that took 17 years and counting.
Fact Sheet for Changi Race Track
