Porsche Carrera Cup Asia part of the Formula 1™ Singtel Singapore Grand Prix

The official Carrera Cup Asia 2008 season launch was held at the Porsche Pit Stop Singapore at Singapore Cricket Club. They will participate in the 2008 Formula 1™ Singtel Singapore Grand Prix as a support race. Grand Prix visitors not only will be able to watch the first F1 night race ever but also roaring Porsche Carrera’s around the Marina Bay race track which will be one out of 7 races of the Porsche Carrera Cup Asia series.
This annual launch traditionally held at Sepang Int. Circuit was bigger than ever with a convoy of more than 30 Porsche’s including

a Carrera GT,

a 911 GT3 RSR
and the Cayenne S Transsbyeria as well as road and heritage cars driven by Singapore Porsche Club members, through Orchard Road leading the way to the Porsche Pit Stop for public showcase at the Padang. At the same time Porsche Club Singapore was celebrating its 20th anniversary. Hundreds of Porsche owners and interested spectators came by to check out all the beautiful showcases. I was amazed to learn how many Porsche’s actually are registered to negotiate Singapore’s congested roads nowadays.
Porsche now and then

To add to the racing atmosphere there was also music, a giant TV screen with race footage and information videos, information on the 2008 Formula 1™ SingTel Singapore Grand Prix, the Porsche Club Singapore and the Porsche Carrera Cup Asia......

plus (surprise, surprise in Singapore!!!) a food and beverage tent.

Race simulators were also a hit among young and old.

198 days to the F1 Singtel Singapore Grand Prix

This year seams flying by faster than usually and I can't believe its only less than 200 days until the first night race ever will be started.

Wouldn't it be a great idea and opportunity for all overseas friends of Erich's Wuerstelstand and Singapore to combine a visit at Erich's ;-) and be part of the first night race in F1 history and the probably most spectacular Formula One Grand Prix of the year?

Today's Straits Times reports that there are still tickets available. Check out the official F1 webpage for more details.

The map below (+ pix above courtesy of ST) will give you an idea where the viewing areas will be built.

Don't wait to long to make a decision!
Race tickets and hotel rooms are selling fast!

Just First Class Allowed In Singapore?

Last week we proudly announced of getting another award for being ranked 1st. But there are some news lately that make me a bit worried Singapore heading in the right direction long term.

Here are just a few:

• The rising prices for rentals and daily needs is a developmet that not only happens in Singapore but you can find similar reports in European which is a downside of a good economy.

But the following 2 headlines are more of a concern to me:

• Parkway to build hospital with A Class suites only
• SIA to convert all direct non-stop flights to Los Angeles & New York to Business Class only

Is this a healthy direction for Singapore? Does that mean, reading in between the lines, Singapore only want's to attract the rich and famous in future? Some Singaporeans are already feeling the pinch and to calm them down the government is giving out insentives for their citizens.

From a business perspective it's understandable everything "First Class" shows better figures in a P&L than "Coach"and I'm talking in general not about airlines only.

However in long term isn't a "coach class" customer the one who has to be groomed, to be pampered for he might be a faithful future customer and step up to business class once or maybe even to "First Class"??

Isn't it very dangerous for potential Singapore visitors to everywhere read how "First" everything here is, because to many of the average tourists, "first" will always be equaled with "expensive" as well. Reading about how many million visitors Singapore wants (or has) to attract every year "first class" passengers would not be enough to satisfy Singapore's appetite of the travel cake.

Talking about Singapore Airlines decision to convert all direct flights to the US into Business Class only, again I do understand the big profit they will make, however have they forgotten about the not so great times just few years ago when September 11 and SARS hit the economy so bad? When hotels and flights were almost empty and many companies had their staff fly economy or not fly at all?

Non of us hopes these things to happen again however there is always the possibility, just watch the US and oil prices now..........

What about families flying to the US many of then were ready to pay the premium for a nonstop flight for the convenience of shorter flying times but paying business class fees only for a minority. I've seen quite a few split families where either dad or mom fly business (for whatever reason) and the rest of the family coach. Not possible anymore, even the business class dad has to take a longer flight now! Mind families with kids, they are your future customers and you're pissing them off at a young age already! They might consider using other carriers and liking them since all want to catch up with Singapore Airlines standards.

How will the all the "First Class" oriented react to lure back customers if something happens.......?

How everything got started with Erich's Blog!

Here she is: Kathi "The culprit" It was all her fault that we got started with the Wuerstelstand Blog. When she announced leaving Singapore for a "better" life in Dubai (who says? Not even the guys are better there {?} and difficult to officially get a beer- don't know about her priorities though- and how can you even leave a place that sells the best sausages in the world anyway) we finalized this idea to record all the happenings at Erich's Wuerstelstand, Chinatown, Singapore, Johor and some even say Batam and beyond.
Last week Judith went there and met up with Kathi to celebrate the reunion with a couple of drinks. Nur böse Zungen behaupten die leicht geröteten Gesichter stammen nicht von der Hitze!
We do hope she soon makes her promise come true and finally visits us again to celebrate an even greater reunion at the Wuerstelstand!

Singapore: Another #1 Ranking: Best Place To Live In The World

Lately Asian expatriates have ranked Singapore as the best place to live in the world for its safe and clean environment. Sydney was rated second in the survey, with the third spot shared by Melbourne and Kobe in Japan.
ECA International, a human resource consultancy for multinationals, said the island-state, Southeast Asia's most advanced economy, was ranked above the other cities also because it offered Asian expatriates a similar feel to their home countries.It says Singapore's solid infrastructure, low crime rate and clean air made it a favorable place to live.The annual survey is based on categories such as climate, air quality, health services, housing, political tensions and personal safety.

Singapore’s long-running regional competitor Hong Kong as a location for banking and financial services came in at 15th place with the territory's air pollution cited as a drawback.
Shanghai was seen as the best place for top Asian professionals Among Chinese cities while Xian ranked as the worst location which compared living standards in 254 locations worldwide. Beijing, host of the 2008 Olympic Games in August, scored worse than other Chinese cities such as Nanjing and Tianjin as a result of its notorious air pollution.

It’s definitely great news for all responsible institutions in Singapore however they also have to be careful since the ranking is also moving upwards in a category which you definitely don’t want to be ranked as a No.1: Cost of living!! Here the trend is unfortunately also shooting steeply upwards.

Top 10 list for Asian expatriates to live in:
1. Singapore
2. Sydney
3. Melbourne/ Kobe, Japan
5. Copenhagen, Denmark
6. Canberra, Australia
7. Vancouver, Canada
8. Wellington, New Zealand
9. Yokohama, Japan
10. Dublin, Ireland

HAPPY BELATED VALENTINES DAY

A thousand apologies to all of you for not having featured that very important day, however I was out of town and not able to post. But it's never to late for a recap. Today our friend and paparazzi photographer Reinald (Hamburg) mailed the priceless prime footage.
No need for comments I guess: Pictures say more than 1000 words!
Who is this mysterious old lady? She's not even hot!
Don't tell me that was Erich's Valentine???

Wondering what Helen has to say about that?
Thank you Reinald for these shots.

The Singapore Flyer is ready to spin

The Singapore Flyer will officially open on March 1. Since a view weeks they've already been spinning the magnificent wheel in a soft launch.
We've been lucky to grab some tickets in advance taking the change to be among the first to experience the tallest ferries wheel in the world. And I have to say it's really breathtaking to slowly climb the highest point at 165m.
It is 30 metres higher than the London Eye and 100 m higher than the Vienna Ferries Wheel. The wheel's diameter is 150 meters.
It takes about 30 minutes to hover to the height of a 42 storey building and back to ground level.
It's a very quiet and smooth ride in these 28 fully air conditioned and UV protected glass capsules with capacity for up to 28 people each. You can experience some of the best views in the entire region, Singapore's city from Changi Airport to Sentosa Island, the container port and on clear days beyond into parts of Malaysia and the Indonesian Islands.
Its exciting to watch the enormous construction activity in our city from a birds eye view. You can spot hundreds of busy cranes all over the island.
The construction site for the Integrated Resort seems to be huge from here.
A lot of construction activities are related to the Formula One Night Race in September. Below you can see the shell construction of the pit stop.
Only a few month more and the peaceful spinning of the flyer will we interrupted by the roaring sound of highly powered Ferrari or Mercedes engines. Reaching the highest point after 15 min.
Looking 165m down.Unfortunately our "friendly" neighbours sent us over some haze which disturbed the wonderful view a bit.
Moving downwards again.

Back in the base.

But there is more than just experiencing the amazing view. The organizers have a lot more to offer:
You can rent a whole capsule for yourself for all kind of occasions such as Weddings -Birthday parties -Class gatherings -Graduations, you name it.

Want to see the fireworks on National day or New Years Eve you better be quick, these special dates are taken up fast.

You have to ride the flyer at least twice to experience the gorgeous view of Singapore and neighbouring islands and one flight at night to see the city lights.

It's definitely worth it.

Final Gathering to End Year of the Rat Celebrations

We finally gathered to another "Feuerzangenbowle" to end this seasons Chinese New Year celebrations. It also marks the end of our "cold" Singapore winter. So for the next parties it has to be cooling drinks like Sangria or Margarita's besides Erdinger or Tiger beer.
Uncle Claus, "the master of ceremony" did his best again to please us with a warming and delicious hot Feuerzangenbowle. He's so good at it that rumors have it that for his chemistry doctorate he researched and wrote the thesis about best formulas and ingredients for this specific drink.
Here are some impressions of the night:
Dr. (Hexenmeister/Wizard) Claus: Master of Ceremony
Dr. Claus and Zauberlehrling/wizard's apprentice Herbert
Claus, Elfie and Herbert Q
Wuerstelstand ("Patent Pending") Attorney Martin, Herbert, Judith closely watching Claus's ceremony.