Sheridan Morais
In a much-anticipated return to the local Grand Prix (GP) program, the Macau Motorcycle GP is finally back after a two-year absence caused by the restrictions imposed on the entry of foreign nationals due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The most international of all races from the Guia circuit program is being held for the 54th time this year with opportunities for those who dared to spend seven days in quarantine upon their arrival in Macau.
With the major names from road racing and the Macau GP ruled out from the entry list, the Motorcycle GP has a special attraction this year with the possibility of lesser-known protagonists taking the limelight.
One thing is certain, Macau will see this year a new Motorcycle GP winner as none of the previous champions is returning.
Indeed, we will miss seeing many big names on the track: such as the record-holder Michael Rutter or the most recent multiple-winner Peter Hickman, but this does not mean that the Motorcycle GP will be less interesting.
The first highlight has to be the South African of Portuguese ascendency Sheridan Morais who is making his debut in Macau and he might make it a golden one as he will aim straight for the higher spot on the podium.
Erno Kostamo [above], André Pires [bottom-left] and Nadieh Schoots [bottom-right]
The 37-year-old Morais has such wide experience and success in the many categories of the motorcycle racing world that is impossible not to consider him among the main favorites for ultimate victory. Still, it is his first time at Macau and that factor might leave the way clear for other names far more experienced on the Guia circuit to rise. Among these, we find Finn Erno Kostamo, who placed ninth in 2019 and is the best-classified racer among those who have raced before in Macau. Kostamo will bring once again the very well-prepared BMW S1000RR, a motorcycle that has proven its success on the Guia.
Also in this group, we have the Portuguese André Pires, racing for the eighth time in Macau, and the Brit, Robert Hodson. Also returning to Guia is Spanish rider Raul Torras who appears this year, like Morais, in a very carefully prepared Honda CBR1000RR SP.
More surprises are likely to come for other newbies, such as the Swiss Lukas Maurer, the German David Datzer, and the Belgian Laurent Hoffmann. The trio comes directly from the International Road Racing Championship (IRRC) with Datzer and Maurer finishing the championship this year in second and third places, respectively.
The final mention is for the Dutch Nadieh Schoots, the first woman to race in the Guia circuit in the main category. Schoots’ participation this year in an all-female team is also another attraction of this year’s race, proving that motorcycle racing is for anyone with the determination and the courage to join the Armco rollercoaster of Guia.
The motorcycle race also has several changes to the program this year. The original three free practice sessions on Thursday and Friday morning will be replaced with a single 45-minute FP1 session today. Following today’s session, there will also be two 30-minute qualifying sessions tomorrow that will set the grid for the first of the two races to take place on Saturday.
Following an early-morning warm-up session, Race 1 (8 laps) will set the grid for a final race, of the same length, that will close Saturday’s program.
