‘Friendly fire’ at FHO

Now in its 56th edition, the Macau Motorcycle Grand Prix has seen a decline in competitiveness over the past few years, with a noticeable gap forming between the top two or three riders and the rest of the field. This year, with most of the favorites competing under the FHO Racing team banner, it seems likely that we’ll witness some “friendly fire” as teammates battle it out for supremacy.

At the top is Peter Hickman, the reigning champion of the local GP, who will be aiming for his fifth victory after winning last year’s event. If he clinches the win again this year, Hickman will become the third most successful rider in Macau GP history, following Michael Rutter (nine wins) and Ron Haslam (six wins).

Hickman’s teammate at FHO Racing is none other than the record-holder, Rutter. With nine victories between 1998 and 2019, Rutter brings a wealth of experience to the team and will be looking to leverage that to his advantage. While Hickman’s younger age and better preparation from higher-level competition may give him an edge, Rutter will no doubt be targeting a podium finish.

Last year, Rutter didn’t finish the race due to a mechanical failure after posting the fifth-fastest time in qualifying. This year, he’ll be determined to put that disappointment behind him and deliver a result that reflects his true capabilities.

Davey Todd, who finished second last year, also showed great potential, and with FHO Racing this time around, he is one of the riders most likely to challenge Hickman’s dominance.

With Mario Datzer, who finished third last year and second in 2022, absent from this year’s race, the field seems to be wide open for FHO Racing’s riders to assert their control. Joining them this year is Craig Neve, another FHO Racing rider. Neve, who was a regular competitor in the British Supersport Championship, significantly raised his profile last year by joining Rutter at Bathams Racing for the Isle of Man TT. There, he finished five out of six races inside the top 15, including an impressive eighth-place finish in the second Monster Energy Supersport TT race.

All four FHO Racing riders will be competing on BMW M1000RR bikes. This same bike will also be ridden by 2022 winner Erno Kostamo, who suffered a DNF last year after starting from third due to a mechanical issue. Kostamo seems to be the only non-FHO Racing rider capable of challenging for a podium finish and breaking the team’s potential dominance.

Other riders to watch include Rob Hodson, who finished fifth last year and will be racing an SMT Honda CBR1000RR-R this time, and Paul Jordan, who finished seventh in 2023. Jordan, also racing a CBR1000RR-R, enjoyed a strong performance in this year’s North West 200 and Isle of Man TT events.

Among the newcomers to this year’s race are Marcus Simpson and Ryan Whitehall, both of whom will be taking on the Guia Circuit for the first time after competing in the North West 200 and TT races.