Old Upper Thomson Road is the kind of road you might drive past without slowing down—until you learn that Singapore’s first Grand Prix once shook the trees along it. According to the National Library Board (Singapore’s national library authority), the first Singapore Grand Prix was held on 16 and 17 September 1961 at the Thomson Road circuit; today the same road has found a quieter second life as a park connector through a rich biodiversity and historical area, according to the NParks Park Connector Network (Singapore’s official park-connector site).

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Racing period: 1961–1973 · Circuit length: about 3 miles (4.8 km) · First Singapore Grand Prix: 16–17 September 1961 · Today: park connector

Road name Old Upper Thomson Road
Grand Prix racing period 1961–1973, hosting the Singapore Grand Prix and other car and motorcycle races, per Atlas Obscura
Circuit length about 3 miles (4.8 km), according to the National Library Board; RacingCircuits.info (a reference site for historic racing circuits) lists 3.023 miles
Racing type Cars and motorcycles, including the Singapore Grand Prix, per Atlas Obscura
Notable bends The Snakes, a set of four bends, and Devil’s Bend, a rounded V-bend, per the National Library Board
First Singapore Grand Prix 16–17 September 1961, per the National Library Board
Current use Park connector through a biodiversity-rich, historical area, per the NParks Park Connector Network
Circuit direction Clockwise, according to RacingCircuits.info

The first Singapore Grand Prix was held on 16 and 17 September 1961 at the Thomson Road circuit, according to the National Library Board.

  • The circuit stayed active from 1961 to 1973, hosting the Singapore Grand Prix and other car and motorcycle races, says Atlas Obscura.

Old Upper Thomson Road was originally part of Thomson Road.

According to RacingCircuits.info, the circuit’s extreme danger and spectacular racing made it legendary.

“The circuit remained active from 1961 to 1973, hosting Singapore Grand Prix and other car and motorcycle races.”

Atlas Obscura (a travel encyclopedia for unusual heritage sites)

Today the star attraction is the same tarmac, but quieter. The NParks Park Connector Network describes Old Upper Thomson Road as a park connector that winds through a rich biodiversity and historical area. … you are walking through a living corridor with a racing past.

  • Look for Devil’s Bend on the Atlas Obscura listing for the site: Devil’s Bend, Old Upper Thomson Road.
Dates: First Singapore Grand Prix, 16–17 September 1961, per the National Library Board.
Lifespan: 1961–1973, per Atlas Obscura.
Course: about 3 miles, with four bends known as the Snakes and a rounded V-bend called Devil’s Bend, per the National Library Board.

The documented survivors are the road itself and the bends known as the Snakes and Devil’s Bend, per the National Library Board.

About 3 miles, or 4.8 km. RacingCircuits.info lists a more precise 3.023 miles.

Is the old Thomson Road circuit the same as Old Upper Thomson Road?

Yes, the circuit used public road in the Thomson area, and the road itself now forms part of a park connector. The National Library Board records the first Singapore Grand Prix on 16–17 September 1961 at the Thomson Road circuit. The NParks Park Connector Network describes it as a route through a rich biodiversity and historical area, and Atlas Obscura highlights the Devil’s Bend site.

The records used here do not settle that question, and no official ghost-tour route for Old Upper Thomson Road was documented in those sources either.