Macau Kart Grand Prix to showcase ‘Stars of Tomorrow’

The 2024 edition of the Macau Kart Grand Prix starts tomorrow at the Macau International Karting Track in Coloane.

The four-day event brings together Round 5 of the 2024 AAMC (Automobile General Association Macao-China) Karting Championship and Round 3 of the 2024 China Karting Championship (CKC), including eight racing categories.

For the local races, the spotlight will be on the Mini ROK category, dedicated to the youngest of the racers (7 to 12 years old) with a total of five young future champions to take their first steps in motorsport, the majority of them being girls.

In total, the event will feature 27 entries of racers aged between 7 and 12 years old racing in both the Mini ROK class of AAMC and the Cadet class of CKC.

In addition to these are another 21 entries of ROK GP Junior (AAMC) and Junior class (CKC), which include racers aged between 12 and 14 years old.

In the KZ Class, the most senior class, local, Hong Kong and Taiwan racers with some experience will battle in a race that includes well-known names of local motorsport legends such as Tiago Rodrigues, Cheong Man Hei, Gonçalo Ferreira, Maximiano Manhão and Leong Kin On.

In the five classes included in the CKC, the field becomes larger and more diverse, with the presence of several racers from Singapore, Japan, the USA, the Philippines, Italy, Thailand, and Austria, alongside those from China, Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan.

The event is the first of two international-level karting events that Macau will be hosting this year, the president of AAMC, Roberto Carlos Osorio, said at the press conference held yesterday at the karting track. The second one will take place in December this year and will include the Asian Finals of the IAME Series Asia, a kart racing championship founded by the engine manufacturer IAME (Italian American Motor Engineering) that takes place in two counties (Thailand and Malaysia) and five different circuits.

As announced by IAME, the Macau Asian Finals will award seats to the 2025 edition of the IWF (IAME Warrior Final), which attracts the best from around the world.

Osorio also noted that the AAMC has been, in line with the guidelines of the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA), strengthening the base of the motorsport pyramid, advocating vigorously for the opportunities and growth of grassroots drivers.
The FIA called on all their national and regional members to launch a series of kart racing programs, and to encourage associations to host competitions and provide racing opportunities particularly among the younger generations.

Osorio was also satisfied with the steady return of the Macau Kart Grand Prix, which had commenced here in 2010 but was suspended during the pandemic, expressing hopes that it will continue without interruption every year.

At the same press conference, the president of the Sports Bureau (ID), Pun Weng Kun, expressed joy at the return of the event this year, noting the importance of karting events in providing valuable experience for drivers taking part from the Macau Grand Prix, as well as providing training for auxiliary staff such as marshals.

Pun also commended efforts in seeking out new generations of drivers to keep the spirit of the sport alive in Macau.

The 2024 Macau Kart Grand Prix starts on Thursday (June 20) with the first free practice sessions, and ends on Sunday (June 23) with the final races of all eight categories, scheduled to start at 1:50 p.m.

Man dies at Olympic swimming pool, ID confirms he never entered the water

A 60-year-old man felt unwell and died while preparing to attend a swimming session at the Taipa Olympic Sports Centre swimming pool yesterday early morning.

Initial reports claimed the man had drowned, but this has been refuted by statements in the afternoon from the president of ID, Pun Weng Kun.

Questioned by the media on the topic, Pun said that after reviewing surveillance footage from the facility, it was clear that the man never entered the swimming pool and must have become unwell between the locker room and the poolside.

For the time being, the cause of death is uncertain, but Pun conclusively ruled out the possibility of drowning, which had been suggested by some media sources in the early hours after the incident.