The low number of international riders interested in taking part in the 54th Macau Motorcycle Grand Prix, which returns to the Guia circuit this year after a two-year hiatus, should force changes to the preconditions allowing the race to take place.
According to Pun Weng Kun, president of the Sports Bureau and coordinator of the Macau Grand Prix Organizing Committee (MGPOC), there are only 10 entries for the reinstated motorcycle race this year, which would have contravened the Sporting Regulations when the race was last held in 2019.
At that time, regulation 12, paragraph 3 stated that “A minimum of 22 entries must be received for the race to run.”
Changes to the eligibility and selection criteria of the riders for the GP might also be introduced, considering that as a consequence of the Covid pandemic, many of the events which theoretically determine selection and eligibility for the local race have been canceled or postponed.
Still, according to both Pun and Chong Coc Veng, coordinator of the Sports Subcommittee of the MGPOC, among the foreign entries are riders from the UK, Portugal, Germany, Spain, Austria, Belgium, Switzerland, Finland, Czech Republic, and the Netherlands.
Sources among the inner circles of motorcycle racing hinted to the Times that the grid this year should include some familiar names in Guia, such as the already-confirmed Portuguese rider André Pires, Spanish Raul Torras, and German Didier Grams. They may also be joined by some new faces coming from the International Road Racing Championship (IRRC) which will likely include this year’s superbike category champion Vincent Lonbois from Belgium, second runner up Lukas Maurer from Switzerland as well as SuperSport category winner and a regular face at Macau GP, the Czech Marek Cerveny.
Other names which are rumored to be among the sport’s insiders include the Finn, Erno Kostamo who qualified for the race back in 2019 in the seventh position and finished ninth.
Questioned on the sidelines of the press conference announcing the 69th Macau Grand Prix, Pun confirmed that all foreign racers entering Macau to participate in the GP will have to undergo quarantine under the same conditions as any other arrival from the same point of origin.
The four-day event returns this year
With the final inclusion of the motorcycle race on the calendar of the Macau GP this year, the number of racing categories in the program has been raised to seven (one more than in 2020 and 2021). With this inclusion, the program is also returning to its original format, spanning over four days from Thursday (November 17) to Sunday (November 20).
In his speech, Pun noted that the government in general and the organizers in particular, expect that with these developments, the GP can attract a high number of visitors, and thus boost the local economy in several sectors.
“It is expected that the event can completely fulfill its role of promoting Macau and tourism so that visitors can experience the dynamic image of our city as a capital of events, while promoting social and economic benefits brought by the Grand Prix’s wider impact [on the community].”
Gaming concessionaires continue to sponsor the GP
Without any notable new events in the program, apart from the return of the motorcycle race, the GP this year still consists of the main events: the Formula 4, the Macau GT Cup (GT3), and the Guia Race for touring cars (TCR). Each of these headliners will be respectively sponsored by Sands China, Galaxy Entertainment Group and Wynn Macau.
As title sponsors, the three will also contribute to a total budget of MOP180 million with MOP6.5 million each (MOP19.5 million).
The secondary races, including the Macau Touring Car Cup, the Greater Bay Area GT Cup, and the Macau Roadsport Challenge will be sponsored respectively by MGM Macau, Melco Resorts & Entertainment, and SJM. For the second-tier races, each of the title sponsors will contribute with a sponsorship amount of MOP3 million (MOP9 million in total).
In total, the amount of the sponsorship will reach MOP28.5 million – less than 16% of the event’s total budget.
TCR Asia to run as Guia Race
One of the most emblematic events of the local Grand Prix each year is the Guia Race of Macau for touring cars.
The race has been highlighted many times in the past as the Grand Finale of the worldwide touring car championships such as the World Touring Car Cup (WTCC), subsequently renamed WTCR. This year it will see its status significantly downgraded, running under the flag of the TCR Asia championship.
Less international than other competitions, the TCR Asia has been running this year exclusively in Chinese territory, with the championship consisting of six rounds.
Macau will come as the fifth of these rounds before the season concludes in Shanghai on the first weekend of December.
A special point of attraction could be the possible return of local racer Rodolfo Ávila, who currently sits in the fifth position of the championship with 37 points after just two events. Upcoming rounds are scheduled to take place on November 1 and 5, respectively at Zhuzhou (Hunan) and Shaoxing (Zhejiang).
