Drivers’ ‘career recognition’ weighs more than local success

The completion of the Macau Grand Prix Museum revamp with the addition of wax figures of famous racers was announced by the Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO) Sunday.

Of the eight names to be immortalized in the local museum, only four have been unveiled so far, John Macdonald, Ron Haslam, Ayrton Senna da Silva and Sebastian Vettel.

To a Times inquiry on the criteria for the choice, the MGTO said, “Our decision was based upon the fact that these drivers are well-known international racers, some of whom also garnered numerous awards on the Guia Circuit in Macau.”

The MGTO said the success and international recognition of the drivers weighed more on the decision than winning the local GP or exceptional achievements in locally held racing events.

For instance, this justified the choice of Sebastian Vettel, a four-
time Formula 1 World Champion who had only finished third during 2005’s Formula 3 GP.

The MGTO said the idea is to match racers’ wax figures with the vehicles currently displayed in the museum. This means the four racers to be announced are also racers with racing machinery on display.

“Considering too that the Macau Grand Prix Museum has the related exhibits in-house, we decided to have these wax figures made after the eight drivers,” MGTO said, repeating that the waxwork installation was part of the initial idea and was made in parallel with the renovation project of the Macau Grand Prix Museum.

The delay of almost two years was explained by the fact that border restrictions made it difficult for specialized staff from Madame Tussauds to visit Macau to assemble the wax figures.

Two of the figures already featured in other Asian museums

Another contributing factor to the final choice of some of the wax faces is that some have already seen their figures made in wax by Madame Tussauds’ brand and are featured in other museums.

The Times’ research found that at least two of them (Ayrton Senna and Sebastian Vettel) already have wax figures in Madame Tussauds’ museums in Asia. The first is in Tokyo, and the second in Singapore.

Questioned on the matter, MGTO did not disclose if this fact played any role in the choice, saying only that the project is a joint promotion between MGTO and Madame Tussauds Hong Kong.

Several possibilities for four available slots

As MGTO noted previously, the identity of the four other racers to be featured in wax in the museum will be only announced later.

But, according to information disclosed by MGTO, names such as Teddy Yip, who not only played a significant role as a racer but also as an organizer and a highlighted figure of worldwide motorsport have gained momentum.

Other names may include the seven-time Formula One World Champion winner Michael Schumacher, the ten-time Macau Guia Race winner, Rob Huff, and Michael Rutter, the nine-time winner of Macau’s Motorcycle GP.

Other possibilities include Edoardo Mortara, also named Mr. Macau, for his success in both F3 and GT racing categories, and the first-ever winner of the Macau event, Eduardo Carvalho, or the first-ever motorcycle race winner and two-time winner, Hiroshi Hasegawa.

Another possibility, taking into account, the criteria suggested as a principal by MGTO, is that the public would see the seven-time Formula One World Champion, Lewis Hamilton, which has also been represented in wax by Madame Tussauds in several of the international brand museums worldwide, including Singapore, Dubai and Blackpool (UK).

Hamilton raced in Macau twice (2003 and 2004) with the best result being 14th place in the main race in 2004.

The GP Museum currently displays the 2003 car of the racer when he crashed and did not finish the race.