A LOOSE manhole cover nearly aborted the running of the visiting Deutsche Touring Meisterschaffe (DTM) in Shanghai last weekend. Fixing the manhole cover back in place also delayed the race for four hours.

The race finally restarted at 5:30pm and ended with Gary Paffett (C-Class AMG-Mercedes) winning the Petronas Shanghai International Race Festival of the DTM ahead of Bernd Schneider (Vodafone AMG-Mercedes).

The first race was red-flagged on the first lap after a manhole cover on the racing circuit was dislodged. Bernd Maylander (CLK AMG-Mercedes) hit the cover and badly damaged his car.

For safety reasons, all 50 manhole covers on the track were then welded into place.

But the waiting time was really hard on the thousands of spectators sitting and standing in 36 degree centigrade heat.

The organizers announced that the manhole problem would be fixed by 3.30pm but less half the work had been done by then.

"The organization is in chaos. They should have considered the potential problem of the manhole covers before the race," said Wang Yuanhao, a spectator who had come all the way from Hong Kong to watch the race.

An official from the organizing committee said: "It was an accident beyond all our expectations. The roadway was not designed to be a racing circuit. We had glued the manhole covers before the race in accordance with the requirements."

However, when the temperature on the road surface reached 50 degrees centigrade, the glue melted and the manhole covers became a hazard to the cars as they raced at very high speeds.

Bernd Maylander, was forced to retire from the race after his collision with a manhole cover. "I made a good start," he said. "However, when I changed to third gear the safety switch stalled the engine to avoid overheating after the long starting procedure. Then I hit something hard and my car was stopped abruptly. Only after I got out I saw that a manhole cover had caused the accident."

The organizers also failed to realize that the hot weather would drive fans off the viewing platform.

Wang Yanhao, who arrived last Friday, had experienced the scorching weather on Saturday without being under any shelter. Most of the spectators had to find shelter underneath the platform to save themselves from being burned by the sun.

"What was good was that the organizers provided us with umbrella on Sunday but what was unlucky was that we had to stay four hours longer," said a spectator from Germany.

But more trouble was waiting for the spectator after the long race - they found they had no way to leave the area. All traffic near the circuit had been blocked.

"We still lack experience in organizing major events but we are gradually becoming adept in dealing with them," said a spokesman from the organizing committee.

Shanghai expects to hold more road racing events to help boost the market.

Besides the coming Formula 1 China Grand Prix to be held in September, the Australia Vee Eight (V8) Supercar Championship will race at the Shanghai International Circuit each year for the next five years.

Tony Cohrane, chairman of Australian Vee Eight Supercar Company said: "The people of Shanghai will be blown away with what they see in next June, just as our teams and drivers will be blown away when they see what is arguably the best motorsport facility in the world."

Yang Xiaodu, Shanghai's vice mayor, appeared confident Shanghai could handle more and more major racing events. " The problem is not whether we can handle them but that we need more of them," he said.