Singapore GP gatecrasher gets six weeks in jail

A SINGAPORE district court sentenced a 27-year-old man to six weeks in jail on Tuesday for breaching security fences and entering the circuit during this year’s Formula One Grand Prix in September.

British national Yogvitam Pravin Dhokia was arrested and charged with committing a rash act as to endanger the personal safety of the drivers after television pictures showed the intruder strolling along the track as cars sped past.

“The accused’s act was not only rash but was both selfish and foolhardy,” District Judge Chay Yuen Fatt said in a brief statement on the decision, adding that Dhokia had admitted he had wanted to film the race from the track.

“Any dangerous intrusion onto the race track can and could have resulted in disastrous and fatal consequences.”

Dhokia’s lawyer Shashi Nathan told the court that his client’s actions were “a childish endeavour” and he did not intend to disrupt the race or spoil the spectacle, according to the Singapore-based Channel NewsAsia news channel.

Singapore Grand Prix organisers are considering tighter security for next year’s race, with higher fences and more marshals, after this year’s incident.

The race was won by Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel, who was one of several drivers to speed past Dhokia and alerted his engineers of the intruder over his team radio.

- Reuters AFTER 17 races, 418 laps and a total race distance of 1 988.8km, this year’s MotoGP Championship all comes down to the wire this weekend in Spain.

Yamaha team-mates Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo go into the final round in Valencia with only seven points between them, and either can walk away with the 2015 title on Sunday afternoon.

This weekend’s finale marks only the 16th time in the sport’s 67-year history that the championship will go down to the wire, and the margin between the possible winners is the tightest since Wayne Rainey and Mick Doohan battled right down to the last laps of the 1992 final held at Kyalami. On that occasion American Rainey overcame a two point deficit to his Australian rival by finishing third. Doohan came sixth.

Italian Rossi holds the points advantage this time around with 312 to Spanish Lorenzo’s 305, but the kicker here is that Rossi will be starting from last on the grid as a penalty for an altercation with Honda rider Marc Marquez two weeks ago in Malaysia.

The seven-time premier class champ has challenged the decision, but the results of his appeal won’t be announced until Friday.

The 2010 and 2012 champion Lorenzo has two wins in the last four races held at this venue, but also two non-finishes.

Rossi has podiumed here in eight out of 16 attempts but his last win in Valencia was 11 years ago. Of course the two will also have to contend with other riders on Sunday, including last year’s Valencian winner and champion Marquez, and his Honda team-mate Dani Pedrosa who has won two of the past three races this year.

The permutations for this year’s championship are as follows:

If Lorenzo wins the race then Rossi needs to finish second to become champion.

If Lorenzo finishes second then Rossi needs to finish on the podium to become champion.

If Lorenzo finishes third then Rossi needs to finish sixth or better to become champion.

If Lorenzo finishes fourth then Rossi needs to finish ninth or better to become champion.

If Lorenzo finishes fifth to ninth then Rossi needs to finish no more than six places further back to become champion.

If Lorenzo finishes lower than ninth then Rossi will be champion

If Lorenzo and Rossi tie on points, Lorenzo wins due to having more wins this year (currently Lorenzo has six to Rossi’s four).

MotoGP World Championship Points:

- Valentino Rossi ITA (YAMAHA) 312 points

- Jorge Lorenzo SPA (YAMAHA) 305 points

- Marc Marquez SPA (HONDA) 222 points

- Dani Pedrosa SPA (HONDA) 190 points

- Andrea Iannone ITA (DUCATI) 188 points