Formula One: No money, no night races

In A couple of years, Grand Prix events under light, pioneered by the Singapore Grand Prix, could be a fad among racing event organisers across the world. In fact, had it not been for the global economic downturn that has hit the sports administrators and their budgets too, fans could have been treated to other night Grand Prix events by now, said Colin Syn, Deputy Chairman of the Singapore Grand Prix, in Mumbai to promote a tour package for the Formula One racing fans.

A Grand Prix under floodlights, in a bustling city that has shut shop for the day, with racing cars zipping by business establishments and malls on cordoned off roads, is a novelty initiated by the Singapore Grand Prix last year.

"It is a spectacle," said renowned F1 commentator Steve Slater, who has been airing his views for the past two decades on a popular sports channel.

And because it is immensely popular among fans, Slater felt the initiative should extend to other racing venues as well.

But Syn, and F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone, who have been toying with the idea of having more F1 races under lights find themselves crippled by the recent economic meltdown.

"We were hoping to initiate more races under lights. But because of recession, the plan will have to wait for at least a couple of years," Syn said and added that racing circuits like Shanghai (China), Sepang (Malaysia) and Albert Park (Melbourne, Australia) have expressed their desire to conduct a Grand Prix under lights too.

And though, the Singapore GP that culminated after hours of dedicated work and concentrated efforts over a period of two decades is on the threshold of losing it's exclusivity, Syn is not perturbed. In fact, he is advocating that more and more GP's should be held under lights.

"I am totally for the night races. If there are more night races, even we will be able learn and improve the Singapore GP. As promoters of the sport, we should always be on our toes to give the masses the best we can," he said.