Its quite obvious Singapore cannot do without Iskandar. Even the own Changi Motorsports Hub became a major flop even before completion.
National motor sports races currently held in Singapore could be staged across the Causeway in two years' time when the race track in Johor's Iskandar region is expected to be completed.
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SINGAPORE: National motor sports races currently held in Singapore could be staged across the Causeway in two years' time.
That's when the race track in Johor's Iskandar region is expected to be completed.
Meanwhile the motor sports community in Singapore is gearing up for the new attraction.
The dream of Singapore Motor Sports Association to have a motor sports hub in Changi was dashed last year.
Now, it believes it has found an alternative venue to hold its races in Fastrack Iskandar, which is just a 10-minute drive from the Second Link.
Tan Teng Lip, president of Singapore Motor Sports Association, said: "It is a full-fledged motor racing track, so we can have national events both for cars, motorcycles and go-karts.
"Even if we do not have all our events there, we can have part of the rounds of the championships there using the circuit."
Currently, car and motorcycle races are staged in open spaces while some legs of the national karting competition are hosted at Singapore's only karting track in Jurong.
Roland Chong, principal of Kartmaster Drakar Racing Team, said: "Once there is a permanent and more easily accessible track -- an international standard track -- I think the growth will be much more stable, and I think we will see more drivers, more karters."
Motoring enthusiasts say racing in Iskandar also brings cost savings because they require less petrol to drive up to Iskandar, compared to Sepang.
Matthew Ng, an amateur racer, said: "For us to prepare our cars to go all the way up to Sepang, that will incur us about, say, $300 to and fro, inclusive of petrol, inclusive of toll fees.
"And we are not talking about the car set-up cost, the cost to run the tyres all the way up and all the way down. So there will be a lot of cost savings, that's for sure."
Besides the main 4.4km Grade 1 track, Fastrack Iskandar boasts a 1.2km go-kart circuit and another off-road track for sports utility vehicles.
The main track can be used to stage a Formula 1 race, but the owners say they have no plans to do so.
Barry Kan, CEO of FASTrack Autosports (Iskandar), said: "We don't intend to organise an F1 race, anything below F1 grading is possible. We are looking at more classical races like GP races, GT races, including motor bikes, super bikes."
Nevertheless, racers will find the track no less challenging.
Its designer Hermann Tilke, the German who has designed numerous F1 circuits, believes taming the track will prove to be a tough challenge for racers.
He said: "It's challenging to learn it. The Nurburgring is an example. The Nurburgring has thousands of people each year who want to learn it because it's so difficult, and I think this will be the same here."
Pending approval from the international automobile federation and clearance from the local authorities, construction of the track is slated to start later this year.
The massive project will cost some S$1.2 billion, and will include commercial and residential developments, including a 300-room hotel.
It will be opened in phases, starting with the karting track in early 2016 and the main track later that year. The first race is likely to be staged in 2017.
