Quote and Unquote “Taxi Drivers are the Real F1 Racers”
As part of my daily routine at work, I have to go through The Business Times and Straits Times to pick up news that are relevant to my company and industries happenings that will affect my company.
And since this weekend would be the inaugural F1 night race in Singapore, you bet the newspapers are swarming with news about F1 this week. Actually the coverage already started way back at the beginning of the month.
I came across these two editorials that caught my eye and I actually shared them with my colleagues. And we were talking about them during lunch today. They were written by reporters about how they felt about F1 and seriously quite interesting to read and ponder about. Some of the points raised by them are actually quite true!
One of the articles were titled “Pride in F1 Race Missing”. Sub-heading “Come on, folks, lets grab the chance to make the city a race icon.” Basically the whole article goes about the hype about F1 race, how its going to affect the economy blah blah blah. But the main point that was raised was how some Singaporeans actually thought that the race was next year instead of this coming weekend. Hmmm…this would only meant a set back for the ad agency who has been employed by the F1 Committee to do the publicity work. Even though majority of the Singaporeans knew that the race is this coming weekend, having a minority thinking that it is next year would mean that the publicity work done is not good enuff! So that means bad news for the ad agency that is being hired!
Some interesting lines caught my eye, quote and unquote:
“Going by the scuttlebutt floating around, here is what many Singaporeans think: This whole F1 deal is for tourists….Meanwhile, the lot of us will have…road closures, and a continuing hangover from the Lehman Brothers/ AIG/(insert bank name here) fallout.”
“I am not sure why. Perhaps it is the way all this has been touted. Week after week, all we keep hearing about are tourists, tourism receipts, fancy watch shows, fancier boats…Frankly, it can seem to some as if Singapore is throwing a giant party.
Only thing is, someone forgot to invite the Singaporeans.”
Hmm..something to ponder about? How true is that? Seriously, I think many of us have heard about the lavishing parties and exclusive events etc that are meant for like exclusive ones or read “INVITED GUESTS” only. Or unaffordable dinner meals/packages/hotel stays with exclusive views to the race that are totally unaffordable by an average Singaporean? Well, you might say that F1 is only for the rich and famous. Yes that is right but doesn’t that statement made by the editor “Only thing is, someone forgot to invite the Singaporeans.” Is pretty much true then? All the hype and glam behind this event is all for the rich and famous and tourists per se or millionaires who are flown from overseas @ all expenses paid, to our sunny island here.
And how many Singaporeans are worried about the road closures blah blah. Hey that is so true lor! I myself was thinking that I should totally avoid going out this weekend since the public transport will be crowded with peeps, no matter where you are headed for and my colleagues who drive, are also complaining right from the beginning of the week since many of the roads are closed for the construction of the tracks. Gosh.
And the second article to boot is basically poking fun at our friendly taxi uncles in their blue/yellow taxis. “Taxi Drivers are the Real F1 Racers” Haha.. How many of you are actually nodding your head to that sentence?! Basically the article is about how 25 of the vintage car owners are invited to test drive their cars on the F1 tracks on Sunday and how our taxi drivers should be the ones invited for the test drive and not these 25 drivers.
Quote and unquote:
“Clearly, di Montezemolo believes that Singapore’s street circuit will not allow for overtaking. Clearly, he has never been in a Singapore taxi.
There is not a narrow corner, hairpin bend or traffic jam that taxi drivers have not successfully navigated around the street circuit of this weekend’s inaugural SingTel Singapore Grand Prix.
Why didn’t the race organisers use taxi drivers instead? Not only do they know every bend, bump and pothole on the course, they could also offer insightful tips about the course itself.
What better chaperones than Singapore taxi drivers? They have been treating the streets along the race circuit like an F1 track for years.
Street circuits such as Monaco require the tightest steering and concentration. Drivers can rarely slow down and should never stop. When was the last time a Singapore taxi driver stopped in the CBD?
Formula One drivers will only stop on this course for tyre changes and after the finish line. Taxi drivers will only stop on this course for surcharges and after midnight.”
Hahaha..How true are some of these remarks? Personally I adore the line “They have been treating the streets along the race circuit like an F1 track for years!” I guess some of my friends and colleagues who drive would totally agree with that. Well, I am still on a L plate as all of you already know and I have my fair share of them since I take cabs often. And hey they really drive like they are F1 racers! The way they suddenly cut in your lane to catch you unaware when you are driving or just suddenly stop without any signalling! And have you ever taken a taxi where it is swerving really bad that you feel like you are on a boat that is on a rocky sea, only to discover that the taxi driver is actually dozing off on his wheels! Or the time when you are in a cab driven by a really really old uncle that is old enuff to be your grandpa and he seems to drive at a really slow speed that the bicycle next to you overtakes you and he seems to cut into other people’s lanes without any realization that he did and you kinda wondered if he can really see what is in front of him since he is peering so hard and straight thru the windscreen! ^_^
Well, that is so true of taxi drivers. Having undergone more treachous routes than dear Lewis Hamliton or Kimi Raikkonen. I believe if you ask them to race thru the route that the racers are supposed to, they would probably do a not too bad job! Having cut corners way too many times and more dangerous than the pros! Can you imagine all our Comfort Taxis uncles behind the wheels of Ferrari F1 cars?! OMG! I cant believe the kind of terror that they will bring to the roads! Ahaha..:P
Or they are already treating their Toyota Crown and Hyundai Sonata taxis as F1 race cars, our roads as F1 circuits and they themselves as Lewis Hamliton or Kimi Raikkonen! ^_^
