Macau GP confirms interest in return of three FIA events
The Macau Grand Prix Organizing Committee (MGPOC) is working towards bringing back all three FIA events, including the GT World Cup and the WTCR race, the president of Sports Bureau (ID) and coordinator of MGPOC, Pun Weng Kun, told the media yesterday on the sidelines of the 2023 Women Sports Festival which took place at Tap Seac Multisport Pavilion.
To the media, Pun said that for the 70th edition of the Macau Grand Prix, which is due to take place in November this year, organizers want the program to include the return of the three major international races and not just the Formula 3 race.
Pun admitted that negotiations over the F3 are advancing. He said that the MGPOC is working towards reestablishing the other two races, while also keeping some junior races in the program, such as the Chinese Formula 4 race, which have been run at the past three editions instead of the F3.
Pun’s comments confirmed the possibility aired by the Times one month ago (February 7) when, in a report quoting the Discovery Sports Events head, François Ribeiro, it was hinted that the WTCR category, although extinct, could continue to run, potentially until 2025, as a separate event or a one-off annual event.
The cancellation of the series was related to a major restructuring that replaced the racing category with the FIA ETCR, a similar format event but running fully electric vehicles instead.
At the time and although Ribeiro did not reveal that the potential “one-off annual event” could be related to the Macau GP, the Times learned from well-informed sources in the touring car racing world that such a possibility was on the cards.
In the meantime, the TCR series has already presented a new championship aiming to continue to run the old TCR cars, named – TCR World Tour – which the organizers say aims to “gain access to the TCR World Final.”
The new competition will include a total of 20 races including TCR Europe (2 x 55 km), TCR Italy (2 x 55 km), TCR South America (2 x 30 minutes + 1 lap), TCR Australia (3 x 30 minutes), TCR Australia – Bathurst (3 x 21 laps), and TCR Asia Challenge (2 x 55 km).
Note that when was first presented, last year, the TCR Asia Challenge was run precisely during the 69th edition of the Macau GP.
Addressing the other events for the potential two weekends celebratory edition, Pun said that it is hoped that the event this year will involve more young drivers.
Major tennis, golf events on ‘big six’ proposals
At the same event, Pun also revealed that among some of the proposals from the six gaming concessionaires to host sports events this year in Macau are some “large-scale” tennis and golfing events.
Not wishing to disclose too many details, Pun only noted that these are some of the proposals submitted to the ID by the gaming concessionaires according to the new regulations that mandate that the casino operators must host non-gaming activities throughout the year to support economic diversification and the so-called “Tourism + Sports.”
Pun said that he hopes that such events can produce positive effects on that front and that people can use to look to Macau as a major sports event location.
As the Times also reported, early last month the Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture, Elsie Ao Ieong had said at the Legislative Assembly that the “big six” had until March to submit their annual proposals for sports events.
