Preview | Macau GT World Cup with first all-pro field ever

Seven official car manufacturing teams will race the challenging Guia Circuit in this year’s edition of the Macau GT World Cup, which is one of the most anticipated races included in the program of the Macau Grand Prix.

The teams are representing well-known manufacturers such as Audi, BMW, Ferrari, Honda, Lamborghini, Mercedes-Benz and Porsche, and have battled to secure the best line-up of drivers for a race that will follow the new rule of “professional-racers” only.

Consequently, the races held in Macau will involve a large number of famous drivers from around the world, including some of the most famous ones from the history of the Guia Circuit.

Marking his presence once more is two-time Macau F3 winner Felix Rosenqvist. The Swede will be attempting to become the second driver after “Mr Macau” Edoardo Mortara to win both the F3 and GT races at the 6.2km street circuit.

Rosenqvist will be making his Macau GT racing debut behind the driving wheel of the only Ferrari listed, a 488 GT3 entered by American- based team Scuderia Corsa.

For Rosenqvist, the opportunity to take part in one of GT racing’s biggest events is an exciting one.

“Competing at Macau is something very special,” said Rosenqvist during the announcement of the team entry to Macau race. “It’s one of my absolute favorite events in the world and I’ve always had great experiences at the circuit in the past. To take part in the GT race is something that will be extremely challenging. Scuderia Corsa has an incredible reputation for preparing some of the best Ferraris in the GT world, and I appreciate the opportunity from everyone,” he said.

But the task for the Swede will be not an easy one as strong competition is in the next garage.
The winners of the Macau GT Cup in 2014 and first edition of the FIA Macau World Cup 2015 in Mortara and another former Guia Winner, the Spaniard Daniel Juncadella, will be representing AMG-Mercedes and promise to put all their winning experience into the two Mercedes-AMG GT3 vehicles from the AMG Racing Academy.

The two-time winner in 2014 and 2015 with Mercedes, Maro Engel, will be back this year in the Mercedes camp but will be switching to the Asian-based Gruppe M Racing team which has claimed both drivers and team victory in the Blancpain Asia GT championship.
Engel’s teammate is the former F3 European Champion Raffaele Marciello, who has been scoring several podium finishes in the Blancpain GT Sprint and Endurance series for Mercedes-Benz.

Making the Porsche team stronger are two previous winners of the Cup, with reigning champion Laurens Vanthoor driving the Porsche 911 GT3R from Hong-Kong based Craft Bamboo Racing. He promised to try to repeat last year’s victory (keeping the four wheels on the ground, if possible). The other driver for Porsche is Hong Kong’s Darryl O’Young, winner of the first GT race back in 2008.

Brazilian Lucas di Grassi, who is the current reigning FIA Formula E Champion, will also be returning to Macau after a five year absence from the Guia Circuit. di Grassi last raced in Macau in 2012 in an AF Corse-run Ferrari 458 GT3.
To recall, di Grassi has raced and won Macau’s Queen Race Formula 3 back in 2005, winning the competition ahead of Rubert Kubica and Sebastian Vettel.

This time di Grassi will race one of the Audi R8 LMS from the HCB-Rutronik-Racing team, aiming to put his name into the very exclusive Hall of Fame, winners in Macau in both the F3 and GT categories.

Racing for Italy’s FFF Racing Team, which will only have a single car this year due to the serious accident putting Macau’s Andre Couto on the sidelines under a long recovery plan, will be Italian Mirko Bortolotti.
The joint winner of the 2017 Blancpain GT series in Europe will drive the only Lamborghini Huracan GT3 from the grid.

And because the GT World Cup does not only consist of returning racers, there are some strong newcomers such as two-time DTM champion Marco Wittman, who will pair with Bathurst 1000 winner Chaz Mostert at the wheels of two BMW M6 cars, signed in by FIST Team AAI. The third car will be driven by Tom Blomqvist who has raced in Macau back in 2010 in the extinct Formula BMW Pacific (making 3rd place overall and fastest lap) and has raced three years in a row from 2012 to 2014 in the F3 series before joining the BMW DTM field in 2015.

The field is not complete without mentioning the two-time winner of the 24 Hours of Le Mans and Pikes Peak International Hill Climb and also FIA World Endurance Champion, Romain Dumas, who will drive another Porsche 911GT3R, representing HubAuto Racing.

The drivers and their machines will compete in two races that include a qualifying event over 12 laps (or 60 minutes) on Saturday November 18 and the main Cup decider over 18 laps (or 75 minutes) to be raced on Sunday November 19. This race will attribute the 2017 World Cup.