No Formula One? No problem, Hong Kong can still put on a party for racegoers
If organisers can stage a racing carnival at the proposed Kai Tak track, it doesn’t matter what kind of race is held there
The prospect of having a car-racing circuit at the planned Kai Tak Sports Park sent a buzz of excitement around the motor racing community in Hong Kong. But what was going through their minds? A dedicated track for our Formula E race? The ability to be part of the fast-expanding Asian GT circuit? Top-class motorcycling races? Possibly, but deep within the hearts of Hong Kong motor racing enthusiasts was the burning question ... can it stage a Formula One race?
It was better left unasked to safeguard against disappointment but it took Australian Simon Gardini – one of two overseas motor racing track designers in Hong Kong to assess the Kai Tak site – to put us out of our misery. “We’re not talking about Formula One,” said Gardini bluntly at a press conference held by Hong Kong Automobile Association chief Lawrence Yu Kam-kee, who wants a street circuit at Kai Tak to host future Formula E races.
Gardini is with the Confederation of Australian Motor Sport and has worked on tracks for various Australian grands prix, Australian MotoGP and spent six years with the Singapore Grand Prix.
He is joined in Hong Kong by Briton Dafydd Broom, design director at Apex Circuit Design who was involved in the tracks for the KL City Grand Prix in Malaysia and the Zhejiang Racing Circuit in China.
The track at the future Kai Tak Sports Park is still in the approval stages and designers remain clueless as to what it will look like should it receive the green light. But having seen initial designs for the sports park and knowing the constraints of a city street circuit, Gardini and Broom can tell straight away that F1 is not an option.
When asked what kind of races could be held at such a venue, Gardini started promisingly, saying: “It really comes down to design and we can pretty much aim at any level.” Then he talked about the reality of it all. “Given the constraints of the site in terms of development, we’re not talking about Formula One. In terms of street racing, it really can be up to grade 2 standard, which will enable any competition below Formula One ... GT Asia series, super cars ... something quite easily influenced by design.”