IT'S been 37 years since he raced at the former Thomson Road circuit, but 60-year-old Mr Wong (not his real name) recalls his brushes with death there very clearly.

The soft-spoken man, who did not want to be identified, took part in the 1969 and 1970 Clubman races there while he was in his 20s.

The daytime race was a fringe event to the motorcycle and car Grand Prix races, and the winner received a few thousand dollars in prize money and a trophy.

The place was also the scene of a horrific crash on Tuesday night that killed two polytechnic students.

They died after the car they were in careened off Old Upper Thomson Road and slammed into a wall of trees.

In 1969, Mr Wong's Mini Cooper skidded and spun twice. But he went on to complete the race.

The following year, his front right wheel got caught in a puddle at the Thomson Mile stretch along the 4.9km circuit, and the car went out of control. Again, he managed to escape unharmed.

He pulled out of the race and never raced at the circuit again.

Said Mr Wong: 'After that incident, I refused to take part anymore. I didn't think I would be three times lucky.'

Looking back, the retiree said the track was 'just too dangerous'.

He added: 'There was nowhere to escape if something happened. The road was narrow and there were many rubber trees along the way. If you veered off, you'd hit the trees and end up in the ravine.'

With names like Devil's Bend, The Snakes and Hairpin, the circuit wasn't for the fainthearted.

'The Devil's Bend and The Snakes were probably the most dangerous sections,' said Mr Wong.

'For the latter, you had to steer left, right and left again, while travelling fast.'

Tuesday's accident happened in this area.

Mr Wong described Devil's Bend as 'very severe'.

His accident at that turn was caused by spilt petrol from another vehicle, he said.

Mr Wong said there were quite a few deaths there over the years, which probably contributed to the demise of the event in 1973.

He said sandbags were placed in certain areas like near the VIP stand, but not where there were bends.

The actual Grand Prix events attracted hordes of spectators. While there were those who paid to be in the spectator stands, others lined the unfenced parts and stood among the trees to catch the action.

And when it rained, the organisers would wait for the rain to stop. But the puddles that remained were equally dangerous.

GOOD & BAD MEMORIES

Mr Wong said he returned to the area once in a while after the event was canned as it brought back memories, both good and bad.

'I took part for the fun of it. I was young and rash,' he recalled.

He said he still shudders when he recalls his mishaps, especially the second one in 1970.

'It was such a frightening experience that I will never forget it. When it happened, my mind went blank and there was nothing I could do,' he added.

When asked to compare the old race track with the new Grand Prix circuit at the Marina Bay area, Mr Wong said the former was definitely more challenging.

'There were no safety precautions at all in the past, not even barriers. In the new circuit, the driver will never find himself in a ravine,' he added.

Mr Aman Aljunied, 52, on the other hand, enjoyed watching the Grand Prix races as a schoolboy.

He went on to become a motorcycle racer and is now an assistant manager at the Singapore Safety Driving Centre.

Mr Aman, who raced from 1972 to 1990, said there was no margin for error at the old circuit.

He added: 'The circuit is not fit for racing. There is no run-off area.

'If a person skids, he will hit a lamp post or end up in a drain or ravine.'

Mr Aman added that the two-way road is narrow and winding, with several notorious stretches.

He said: 'Devil's Bend feels like it is never ending. When you take the bend, you expect it to end, but then you suddenly realise that there's more to it.

'It's dangerous to brake suddenly at the bend, especially if you are going fast.'

Mr Aman said the current speed limit of 50kmh is probably too fast for drivers who are not familiar with the route.

Monkeys that dash across the road are another hazard for drivers, he added.

Even though he was a racer, MrAman said he never tested his skills at the circuit.

He added: 'We just don't race on the road. There are proper places to do that.

'Some people think it's thrilling to drive fast there. They don't realise that it is different from proper racing, where the drivers are always prepared and know what to expect ahead.'

THE CIRCUIT

FORMER motorcyle racer Aman Aljunied, assistant manager at the Singapore Safety Driving Centre, took The New Paper on a tour of the former Thomson Road Grand Prix circuit.

The local grand prix was held from 1961 to 1973. It was called the Malaysia Grand Prix in 1962, before it was renamed the Singapore Grand Prix in 1966, after Independence.

Circuit length: 4.9km

Fastest lap: 1 min 54.9 sec, set by Australian Leo Geoghegan in 1973.

RANGE HAIRPIN

- The sharp turn signals the last burst to the finish line at the circuit.

LONG LOOP

- Longer than the Devil's Bend but not as sharp.

DEVIL'S BEND

-Tricky because it's like a never-ending bend.

- A death trap for many drivers.

- One should approach the bend slowly and then gradually accelerate on the way out of it.

THE SNAKES

- Named after the series of bends.

- Those unfamiliar with the road may be unprepared for the winding bends.

THOMS0N MILE

- Also known as The Straight.

- Racers hit their top speeds along the straightest stretch.

CIRCUS HAIRPIN

- A favourite vantage point for spectators as racers had to brake hard to negotiate the sharp turn.

– Named after a roundabout that used to be there.

SITE OF ACCIDENT

Phua Jia Chee, 19, was driving his father's Mitsubishi Lancer around midnight on Tuesday when it skidded and plunged into some trees. Backseat passengers, David Li, 18, and Mervin Teo, 19, died.