British Touring invited to join Macau GP

The Grand Prix organizers are looking for a replacement to the WTCC race

A report by AUTOSPORT has revealed that the British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) was contacted by the Macau Grand Prix organizers regarding the possibility of having BTCC teams and cars contesting on Macau’s Guia circuit as part of the annual Macau GP races.
Macau had hosted the World Touring Car Championship (WTCC) finale since 2005. However, it was announced at the end of last year that the WTCC would not be returning to Macau in 2015 after the decision was made by the FIA World Motorsport Council meeting in Doha, Qatar. Instead, the final race of the championship will take place in Qatar.
Alan Gow, the BTCC series director, confirmed that Macau has been in touch with TOCA, which is one of the major motorsport event organizers in the United Kingdom. “They are looking at various options and the BTCC cars are one of those options,” he said.
Gow said that he was asked whether BTCC teams would be interested in racing in Macau. After he contacted the teams, Gow said that most of them gave him an affirmative reply.
“The reaction has been positive but I think they will only bring a handful of cars. The organizers haven’t had direct contact with the teams, so they are just fishing around to see what is available,” he said.
The report also mentioned that while the teams have to attract the required running budget, the Macau organizers have offered to provide financial support for the expenses on freight and travel.
David Bartrum, from one of the English motor racing teams, Motorbase Performance, commented that the Macau GP would be popular if their expenses were to be covered.
“It is a lovely idea,” he said. “It would be a good way of generating extra budget during the closed season. They have given us some idea about what they would help with in terms of costs and it looks very appealing.”
Some weeks after the last Macau GP was held, WTCC’s general manager, François Ribeiro, commented on The reason why Macau was dropped from the WTCC calendar: “As much as the Macau Grand Prix has helped the WTCC to get a first taste of racing in Asia, we now have a solid broadcast base in the region and a presence in China, Japan and now Thailand,” he said. “We take this opportunity to thank the Macau Grand Prix organizers for having hosted us since 2005. The WTCC has matured over its 10 years of existence, and we have therefore decided to look for new alternatives in a new region that can open up new markets, better TV schedules, and be closer to our home base, allowing the material to return quicker to Europe.”
João Costa Antunes, coordinator of the Macau Grand Prix Committee, said later that it was “normal,” and that the GP Committee would look for another race to replace the WTCC. MDT