Today’s South China Morning Post offers the following letter to the editor:
Build car circuit near the airport
Regarding Hong Kong losing out to Singapore to host the V8 Supercars race, as an Aussie expat and long-time motor racing competitor I see this in two lights. Hong Kong does need a motor sport facility that hosts international races, but not a street race featuring cars that are irrelevant to the local market.
As in most developed societies there is locally a testosterone-induced culture of hot cars involving younger males which is clearly dangerous. This could be addressed by the building of a dedicated motor sport facility. It could be for professionals and amateurs.
Someone will always be inconvenienced by the presence of a race circuit, but why inconvenience hundreds of thousands of locals with a street circuit costing millions that is used once a year?
Invest that money in building a permanent facility near the airport where noise is already a fact of life, maybe even on reclaimed land as part of the Macau bridge project.
Then bring the FIA World GT Championship to the venue. The Aston Martins, Ferraris et al are far more relevant to our market.
Richard Warland, Sai Wan Ho
The human flesh search engine whirs into operation and reveals a world jam-packed full of Richard Warlands, from a disgruntled and semi-literate British youth to someone who died in 1753 in one Parish of Almer. The Sai Wan Ho one appears to be this gentleman, a self-confessed car-racing enthusiast, Antipodean and Business Development Director at something called U-Marketing.
Whatever it is, the mental disease that compels some people to demand a car-racing circuit in Hong Kong is less rare than you would think. The pastime of watching cars go whizzing round and round is surprisingly popular, as anyone who has the misfortune to be in Macau during the mini-grand prix will notice when they find themselves surrounded by slightly creepy but basically dull-looking people wearing gaudily coloured nylon jackets and caps emblazoned with advertising. Many of these people are over from the Big Lychee, and a fair proportion would probably think it an excellent idea to dedicate 100 hectares of land in a polluted city where the average family has 400 square feet of space to occasional tournaments between ultra-loud gas-guzzlers.
Where I agree with Dick, as his friends may well call him, is that something needs to be done about the younger-males-with-hot-cars problem – the sort who mount late-night races on public highways in parts of Kowloon and the New Territories. But inflicting something called the FIA World GT-whatever on all of us is not the answer. I would suggest a tyre-deflating spike strip stretched across the road. And, when the testosterone-victim concerned comes out of hospital, prison. And branding of the forehead. It would, as the man says, be “far more relevant to our market”.
The SCMP’s letters to the Editor page is home to a number of expats offering helpful advice about dogs, education, the quality of the air, the weight of schoolbags, eating on public transport and so on.
I’ve always wondered why HK can’t employ the judicious use of nasty speed bumps on the racing circuits.
We live near Victoria Road in Pokfulam which is one such circuit and regularly get awoken at 4 or 5am on the weekends by these speed demons.
What about another use for the high speed rail? A motor vehicle car to take these people and their vehicles over the border to race there.
“Intellectually stimulated by and evangelical about the ability of companies to drive customer relationship and profits via intelligent use of data!”
Tosser.
“Member, Hong Kong Mensa
Member, Australian Mensa”
Ha!!!
“Visionary & Passionate Senior CRM Consultant to Asian markets.”
My myopic and lethargic friends and I steer well clear of such dynamos. Pass the bong, please.
Hemlock – remember the go-karting at Victoria park?
What would me more innovative is to redevelop Crappy Valley race course, convert the stables at the top end for mega stars and house them there permanently. There should be enough land to host all the tennis courts for the US, Australian and Wimbledon tennis. Nobody needs to travel and so won’t complain of stomach pains, jet lag and groin strains and other sundry ailments that are responsible for them losing out on mega bucks per match. This would make the entrance fee much much cheaper and the satellite feeds a snip.
As for gweipo’s comments, I have the same problem. Woken up by tinny, screeching motorbikes on the West Kowloon Expressway everyday.
Remember John Duffus ?
He was hired post-97 to organize all sorts of festivities in HK. He was English -of course- (just like that newly hired head of the cultural hub thingy) and previously he worked for that fat musical guy. Sir Lloyd-Jones or something.
Remember the “100-wonders of HK” ? Neither do I.
John Duffus didn’t last long.
Maybe he wasn’t a member of Mensa Australia, although that probably would have been an advantage of some sort. Dunno.
Why do I mention this ? Welllllll, I do remember a plan from a US-based architectural company that proposed a bridge from TST to Central. The obvious advantage of that plan was that one could walk across the harbour rather than take the MTR. Where would we be without logic ?
Yes Mike Hunt – I remember it well! Good job that Lord Norm was below his par at the time. Can you imagine every one walking out of step to stop the resonance? c.f. that bridge across the Thames. It wern’t my fault. Those bloody injuneers ca’nt even spell injuneers!
Employee in Hyderabad office sending cable to head-office in Newcastle:
“The inside circumference of the tube is 1 1/4 ”
Cable from head-office in Newcastle to Hyderabad office:
“1 1/4 what ?”
Cable from Hyderabad office to head-office in Newcastle:
“1 1/4, SIR !!”