Briton who intruded Singapore F1 track jailed for 6 weeks

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SINGAPORE (AP) A British national who walked into the track while cars were hurtling toward him at about 280 kilometers per hour (175 mph) during Singapore’s Formula One night race was on Tuesday sentenced to six weeks in jail.

Yogvitam Pravin Dhokia, 27, pleaded guilty to committing a rash act that endangered the personal safety of F1 drivers on Sept. 20. He was arrested soon after the intrusion.

It is the first case of track intrusion in Singapore, which has held highly-anticipated F1 night races since 2008 and has a reputation for being tough on visitors and citizens alike who break the law.

Closed-circuit television footage showed Dhokia squeezing his way through a gap in the Marina Bay circuit’s metal fencing, clad in a t-shirt and shorts. He was seen casually strolling against the flow of traffic for a short distance while holding up a camera, before climbing over a trackside barrier to safety.

In sentencing Dhokia, District Judge Chay Yuen Fatt took into account a second charge of criminal trespass that stated he entered the race track with an intent to cause annoyance. The six-week sentence was backdated to Oct. 16 as he had voluntarily spent a period in remand.

He had faced a maximum sentence of six months in jail and a fine of 2,500 Singapore dollars ($1,791).

On Lap 37, eventual race winner Sebastian Vettel was first to raise the alarm over Ferrari’s team radio. “There’s a man on the track! Man on the track!” Vettel screamed, and a safety car was deployed. Dhokia climbed over a barrier was helped to safety by two marshals a few moments later.

Vettel told reporters after the race that the fan’s actions were “pretty crazy” as cars were traveling at around 280 kilometers per hour (175 mph) approaching that corner.

“I had to look again because I wasn’t sure whether I had a problem with my eyesight,” Vettel said. “I think I saw him taking a picture. I hope it was a good one at least, I hope it was in focus.”

Red Bull driver Daniel Ricciardo, who was runner-up in the race, said the emergence of the safety car at that point affected his winning chances. “I was tempted to swerve, clip him,” Ricciardo told reporters.

Singapore Grand Prix organizers are considering tighter security for next year’s race, featuring higher fences and more marshals.

IndyCar disappointed by delay of video game but aiming to launch at start of 2024

IndyCar video game 2024
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An IndyCar executive said there is “absolutely” disappointment that its long-awaited video game recently was delayed beyond its target date, but the series remains optimistic about the new title.

“Well, I don’t know how quick it will be, but the whole situation is important to us,” Penske Entertainment president and CEO Mark Miles said during a news conference Monday morning to announce IndyCar’s NTT title sponsorship. “Motorsport Games has spent a lot of money, a lot of effort to create an IndyCar title. What we’ve seen of that effort, which is not completely obvious, is very reassuring.

“I think it’s going to be outstanding. That’s our shared objective, that when it is released, it’s just widely accepted. A great credit both to IndyCar racing, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, something that our fans love.”

In June 2021, IndyCar announced a new partnership with Motorsport Games to create and distribute an IndyCar video game for the PC and Xbox and PlayStation consoles in 2023.

But during an earnings call last week, Motorsport Games said the IndyCar game had been delayed to 2024 to ensure high quality.

Somewhat compounding the delay is that IndyCar’s license for iRacing expired after the end of the 2022 season because of its exclusive agreement with Motorsport Games.

That’s resulted in significant changes for IndyCar on iRacing, which had provided a high-profile way for the series to stay visible during its 2020 shutdown from the pandemic. (Players still can race an unbranded car but don’t race on current IndyCar tracks, nor can they stream).

That’s helped ratchet up the attention on having a video game outlet for IndyCar.

“I wish we had an IndyCar title 10 years ago,” said Miles, who has been working with the organization since 2013. “We’ve been close, but we’ve had these I think speed bumps.”

IndyCar is hopeful the Motorsports Game edition will be ready at the start of 2024. Miles hinted that beta versions could be unveiled to reporters ahead of the time “to begin to show the progress in a narrow way to make sure we’ve got it right, to test the progress so that we’re ready when they’re ready.”

It’s been nearly 18 years since the release of the most recent IndyCar video game for console or PC.

“(We) better get it right,” Miles said. “It’s something we’re very close to and continue to think about what it is to make sure we get it over the line in due course.”