While the proposed Singapore Grand Prix is likely to be held in 2008 at the very earliest, Singaporeans will get the chance to experience driving a Formula 1 (F1) racing car firsthand in the Central Business District (CBD) as part of the Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) Grand Prix Challenge, the very place where the Singapore Grand Prix is supposed to be held.

Singapore is the 2nd of 5 locations to host the RBS Grand Prix Challenge. With Sydney the first to experience the thrill of the Challenge earlier in March; London, Tokyo and Hong Kong will follow after Singapore later this year.

Held from Mar 28 to Apr 3 between 10am and 7pm at the ground floor of Caltex House, the Challenge is open to all Singaporeans aged 18 and above with a valid driver's licence.

Participants will be driving a machine similar to the racing simulators at the arcades, except this is actually a state-of-the-art AT&T Williams racing simulator based on a full-size F1 show car.

So while you can't exactly tear up the tarmac down Clifford Pier and cause the people on the sidewalks to lose a few decibels of their hearing because of the deafening roar of the engine, the technology involved with the simulator is stunning to watch to say the least.

Singapore 's veteran A1 race driver, Dennis Lian, who was the 3rd person in Singapore to drive the simulator, gave his stamp of approval prior to driving it when he praised the realism involved with the simulator and noted that the narrow field of vision provided by the monitor screens was similar to that of an actual racing car.

And after clocking in at 1 min 25s (the average time for amateurs stands at around 1min 30s), he said the experience of handling the car and racing it was, "as close as it gets" to the real deal.

The top 3 scores clocked in over the course of the week will be used to select the racers who will take on bona fide AT&T Williams drivers Alex Wurz and Narain Karhikeyan in the Grand Finals on Apr 4 at the National Museum where the overall winner will be determined.

Mr Alan Goodyear, the General Manager & Head of Global Banking and Markets in South East Asia for RBS, revealed in his speech at the press conference that the Grand Finals would also be graced by the appearance of the Legendary Sir Jackie Stewart, "a 3 times F1 World Champion and RBS Global Ambassador".

The overall winner in Singapore will then be flown to Europe later in the year to represent Singapore and compete against the winners of the other legs of the RBS Grand Prix Challenge.

But this time, the race won't be confined to the simulator anymore.

Instead, RBS has decided to increase the adrenaline rush and organise the race on an actual European race circuit using real racing cars. However RBS will not be throwing the racers straight into the cockpit to race, rather, these racers will, first, have to learn how to operate these machines under the guidance and tuition of racing experts before finally getting the chance to compete against each other.

Mr. Goodyear explained that such a move was necessary because, "As F1 cars race at 300km/h and drivers experience up to 5 Gs of corning force, you'll be glad of their guidance!"

So with close to 1,000 people expected to try out the simulator in a bid to win the RBS Grand Prix Challenge over the course of the week, why sit at home when you can be in the cockpit of an actual F1 car driving to win the Challenge?

Who knows? Come Apr 4, you might be the overall winner who will head to Europe to represent Singapore in the finals of the RBS Grand Prix Challenge.

All photos courtesy of Grayling.