Rilek1Corner

Tag: track invasion

  • Briton Charged Over F1 Track Invasion

    Briton Charged Over F1 Track Invasion

    The man who walked across the race track during the Singapore Airlines Singapore Grand Prix was charged with committing a rash act yesterday.

    No plea was taken from Briton Yogvitam Pravin Dhokia, 27, who is burly and about 1.85m tall.

    He is accused of acting rashly to endanger the personal safety of the Formula One drivers involved in the race near Turn 13 along Esplanade Drive at about 9pm on Sunday.

    Closed-circuit TV camera footage released hours after the race showed a man entering via a gap in the fence. He sauntered across the track and scampered to the other side when race leader Sebastian Vettel’s Ferrari emerged from the turn. He then climbed back over the barrier.

    Deputy Public Prosecutor Marshall Lim sought a short adjournment to finalise investigations. He said Dhokia may face fresh charges.

    No one posted bail of $15,000 for him yesterday.

    His bailor must be either a Singaporean, permanent resident or consular officer from the British High Commission.

    Now unemployed, Dhokia said the bail sum was too high for him and that he had spent all his savings on tickets and did not have that kind of money. He was allowed to make one local phone call.

    Asked by District Judge Ronald Gwee if the embassy had been informed, the prosecutor said “yes”.

    A spokesman for the British High Commission in Singapore confirmed the arrest of a British national in Singapore.

    He said: “We stand ready to provide consular assistance.”

    Dhokia’s passport has been impounded. His case will be mentioned on Oct 6. If convicted, he could be jailed for up to six months and/or fined up to $2,500.

     

    Source: www.straitstimes.com

  • Sebastian Vettel: Tighter Security Needed After Track Invasion

    Sebastian Vettel: Tighter Security Needed After Track Invasion

    Sebastian Vettel called for tighter security at the Singapore Grand Prix after a “crazy” spectator ran across the track in front of him and took a photo on Sunday.

    The Ferrari driver and eventual winner said he did a double-take when the man appeared shortly after the race’s halfway stage, an incident which prompted the safety car.

    Police said a 27-year-old man was arrested and was helping with investigations, without giving further details.

    “I had to look again because I wasn’t sure whether I had a problem with my eyesight or I saw somebody crossing the track,” Vettel said.

    “I went on the radio and said some guy’s crossing the track. I saw him taking a picture — I hope it was a good one at least, it was in focus!

    “Yeah, (it was) pretty crazy. We approach that corner around 280-290 clicks (kilometres per hour; 174-180 miles per hour). I wouldn’t cross the track if I was him so yeah, it was crazy.

    “Maybe next year they need to block the grandstands a bit better. Fortunately nothing happened to us and nothing happened to him, as far as I know.”

    Fans are positioned close to the track in some parts of the street circuit, most of which is enclosed by walls and tall metal fencing.

    Central Singapore grinds to a standstill for the race which snakes past modern and historic landmarks along usually busy roads of the former British colony.

    “I think he did a pretty good job, he was a quick runner. He crossed me from the right to the left,” Vettel said.

    “Pretty odd, obviously that’s not what you expect when you come round looking into the next corner.”

    Video footage of the incident showed the man walking down the side of a stretch of track before hopping through a gap in the fence.

    The safety car came out for four laps after the incident before the race resumed.

     

    Source: https://sg.sports.yahoo.com

  • Man Arrested For F1 Track Invasion

    Man Arrested For F1 Track Invasion

    Police have arrested an unidentified man who was captured on live footage sauntering on the race track midway through the Formula One Singapore Grand Prix (GP) on Sunday (Sep 20).

    At about 1am, police confirmed a 27-year-old man was arrested for Rash Act and is now assisting with investigations.

    The individual, who was clad in a T-shirt and boardshorts, strolled along the side of the Esplanade Drive section of the Marina Bay Street Circuit, where cars reach top speeds of 290km/h.

    Then-race leader Sebastian Vettel, who eventually won, radioed his team shouting: “There is a man on the track, there is a man on the track.” Runner-up Daniel Ricciardo also told his team that the individual “was taking a video”.

    The safety car was immediately deployed onto the race track but after a brief amble, the man hopped back into the stands.

    “I had to look again as I wasn’t sure if I had a problem with my eyesight and that I actually saw somebody crossing the track,” Vettel told reporters.

    “The team said on the radio that someone was on the track, I think I saw him take a picture so I hope it was a good one at least… in focus.

    “It was pretty crazy though, we approach that corner at around 280-290 clicks (km per hour) so I wouldn’t be crossing the track if I was him but it was good to see the safety car come out straight away.

    “Maybe next season we need to block the grandstands a bit better and fortunately nothing happened to us and nothing happened to him. It was pretty odd, not what you expect to see when you come around to the next corner.”

    Australia’s Daniel Ricciardo, who finished runner-up to Vettel, was not impressed by the intrusion, saying the introduction of the safety car might have cost him a chance of winning the race .

    “Thanks to the guy on the track…appreciate it!” Vettel joked. “I was tempted to swerve – clip him!”

    Shortly after the incident, another spectator at the Singapore GP tweeted a photo of a separately open and unmanned gate to the track.

    Similar invasions, while uncommon, have happened in the past, raising concerns about security at Formula One races.

    An Irish former priest ran onto the track during the 2003 British Grand Prix while a disgruntled Mercedes Benz employee invaded the Hockenheim track during the 2001 German Grand Prix.

    Earlier this year, a spectator ran across the track in front of cars travelling at 260km/h during practice for the Chinese Grand Prix.

    Apprehended by security and handed over to police, he explained that he had wanted to drive one of the cars.

     

    Source: www.channelnewsasia.com