Sitting on a pile of entries to The Straits Times' Ultimate Singapore Formula One Fan readers' contest, Mr Michael Chen can justifiably feel that he is on top of the world.
From a total of 9,541 entries received, the 34-year-old's was picked to be the top prize winner last Friday.
Mr Chen, a bank officer, won a pair of tickets worth $18,000 to the exclusive Paddock Club for each of the three nights of the Singapore Grand Prix from Sept 20 to 22, as well as access to a drivers' autograph session.
"I've been to every edition of the Singapore Grand Prix, but this will be the first time I'll be walking on the track," he said. "I am happy and excited to be able to witness the thrill and the speed up close."
While he has no favourite F1 team, Mr Chen has a soft spot for Jenson Button, the McLaren driver whom he would most like to meet at the autograph session.
Winning the second prize of a pair of three-day The Green Room hospitality suite tickets worth nearly $8,500, as well as a pit lane experience, is Mr Tan Chuan Ah, 44.The Green Room is located above the Premier Grandstand at Turn 3.
The telco engineer was a marshal during the 2011 race. He said: "The roar of the F1 cars was like thunder, and it is going to be so unreal to be so close to the action."
Another 15 readers each won a pair of Pit Grandstand tickets.
The Ultimate Singapore Formula One Fan contest is an initiative of The Straits Times Appreciates Readers (Star) programme to reach out to readers and the community. The paper will also give a Justin Bieber fan the chance to meet the pop idol at his closing concert for the Singapore F1 Grand Prix, in the Ultimate ST Justin Bieber Fan contest.
Five finalists have been chosen from 255 entries. The winner, to be decided by vote on the ST Communities website, will get a pair of tickets worth $296 to Bieber's Sept 23 closing concert at the Padang, as well as access to a meet-and-greet session.
The other four, as well as another 26 contributors, will each win a pair of concert tickets. Voting closes at 11.59pm on Thursday.
Fifteen readers each won a pair of Pit Grandstand tickets to next month's Formula One SingTel Singapore Grand Prix in The Ultimate Singapore F1 Fan contest, an initiative of the Straits Times Appreciates Readers programme. Each prize is worth $2,576.
The winners are:
Ang S.B. (SXXXX129Z)
Kevin Chan (SXXXX008B)
Florence Yeo (SXXXX803C)
Yeo Wee Loon (SXXXX172Z),
Karina Manoch Jasmani
(SXXXX620A)
Joshua Leong (SXXXX908G)
Lim Fang Shuen (SXXXX484G)
Daniel Sy (SXXXX656Z)
Dickson Chew (SXXXX250D)
Maggie Wong (SXXXX241G)
Tan Zhi Yao (SXXXX778G)
Melissa Phung (SXXXX181C)
Tan Kee Hong (SXXXX009G)
Hon Chu (SXXXX160G)
Charmaine Chu (SXXXX178F)
