Macau's annual international sports event - the 70th Macau Grand Prix - will be held from November 11th to 12th, and 16th to 19th.
The Macau Grand Prix Organizing Committee (MGPOC) held a press conference today (October 25th), at the conference hall of the Macao Science Center to announce the details of the event and information about surrounding activities.
In addition to being an annual international sporting event in Macao, the Macau Grand Prix is also a platform from which to promote the city. The 70th Macau Grand Prix once again focusses the world's attention on Macao, enhancing its image and international reputation as a city of tourism, promoting the development of the tourism, cultural and creative, catering, retail and sports sectors as well as many other industries.
As well as receiving sponsorship and support from six integrated resort operators in Macao and other businesses, the event also successfully promotes cooperation with various local and overseas organizations from different sectors to jointly launch a variety of products to further develop the link between the Grand Prix and the promotion and development of the sports industry, and the enhancement of the social and economic benefits sporting events bring.
Guests attending the press conference included: Pun Weng Kun, President of the Sports Bureau of the Macao SAR Government and Coordinator of MGPOC; Chong Coc Veng, President of the Automobile General Association Macao-China and Coordinator of the Sporting Subcommittee of MGPOC; Allen Lau Cho Un and Christine Lam Lin Kio, Deputy Coordinators of MGPOC; Benjamin Toh, Chief Operating Officer of Finance and Development of SJM Resorts, S.A.; Kenneth Feng, President and Executive Director of MGM China Holdings Limited; Dave Sun, Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Sands China Ltd., Managing Director of Venetian Macau Ltd.; Frederic Luvisutto, Chief Operating Officer and Executive Director of Wynn Macau, Limited; Kent Wong, Chief Advisor, Melco Resorts & Entertainment Limited; Philip Cheng, Director of Galaxy Entertainment Group; and members of the Sports Committee.
A video message from FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem was broadcast at the press conference, congratulating Macao on the occasion of the 70th Macau Grand Prix, and announcing the FIA F3 and GT World Cups will continue to be held in Macao for three consecutive years starting this year.
Exciting race programme for the Guia Circuit
The 70th Macau Grand Prix will be held over two weeks in November. There will be five races in the first week from November 11th to 12th, including the: Macau Formula 4 Race; TCR Asia Challenge; Greater Bay Area GT Cup (GT3); Greater Bay Area GT Cup (GT4); and the Macau Roadsport Challenge.
The second week of events, from November 16th to 19th, will include six races: the Formula 3 Macau Grand Prix - FIA F3 World Cup; Macau GT Cup - FIA GT World Cup; Macau Guia Race - Kumho TCR World Tour Event of Macau; Macau Motorcycle Grand Prix - 55th Edition; Macau Touring Car Cup – China Touring Car Championship; and Macau Grand Prix 70th Anniversary Challenge.
Multiple ticket purchasing channels
Tickets for this year’s Grand Prix are now on sale to the public. Tickets for November 11th, 16th and 17th are MOP 100, while tickets for November 12th, 18th and 19th range from MOP 400 to MOP 1,000, the price depending on the stand. Each person is limited to purchasing a maximum 20 tickets at a time. Anyone aged two and above must purchase a ticket to enter.
In order to enable the public and fans to purchase tickets, the MGPOC has set up a total of 17 sales points in Macao, Hong Kong and the Mainland. It has also established online, telephone, email and mobile application sales channels.
Residents and visitors wishing to attend the Grand Prix can make reservations through the MacauTicket network at www.macauticket.com, via email and phone. Alternatively, tickets may be purchased from Kong Seng Macao and Hong Kong stores and Mainland sales outlets, or from Ctrip, Trip.com mobile apps, Damai mobile apps and WeChat mini-programs, EGL Tours website www.egltours.com and the tongyue.com WeChat mini-programs.
In addition, during the event, as well as manned counter services, each on-site ticketing center will also be equipped with self-service ticket purchasing machines. Spectators can purchase tickets using credit cards and other electronic payment methods.
Surrounding activities boost the lively atmosphere of the Grand Prix
As well as arranging exciting races for the fans, the MGPOC will also organize a number of activities surrounding the event in the coming weeks to allow residents and visitors to experience the thrilling atmosphere of the Grand Prix.
The Macau Grand Prix Family Carnival will be held at Tap Seac Square from November 4th to 5th. The venue will feature a simulated Guia Circuit and a mini racing track, allowing children to experience the various types of posts and functions involved in the organization of the Grand Prix, and gain a greater knowledge of and interest in motorsport activities.
The “Celebrating the 70th Macau Grand Prix – Guia Circuit Fun Run presented by Bank of China” will be held on November 5th. Four thousand participants will experience the 6.2km Guia Circuit and the lively atmosphere of the Grand Prix. The response when registration opened was overwhelming, with all places filled on the same day.
The 70th Macau Grand Prix Auto Show will be held at Tap Seac Square from November 10th to 12th, allowing residents and visitors the opportunity to see the racing cars and motorcycles up close and personal. The opening ceremony will be held at the venue at 1pm on November 10th. In addition to the show, there will also be a sales booth on site with Grand Prix-themed cultural and creative products.
In addition, in order to further promote racing culture, the 70th Macau Grand Prix Photography Contest will be held once again in order to help encourage Macao residents to participate in Grand Prix activities in different ways.
As well as viewing the races on site, this year's Grand Prix will again be broadcast by various TV stations and broadcast organizations covering Macao, the Mainland and different countries and regions around the world. Viewing will also be enjoyed in many communities in Macao with giant screens set up in each location to broadcast the event.
Prestigious international line-up
Formula 3 Macau Grand Prix – FIA F3 World Cup
An entry of top young stars from the world of junior motorsport ensures the Formula 3 Macau Grand Prix – FIA F3 World Cup will be an event to remember as the category returns to the Guia Circuit for the first time since 2019.
Dutchman Richard Verschoor, winner of the race in 2019, returns to the category from the FIA F2 Championship to defend his title. Other drivers returning to F3 from F2 are promising Czech driver Roman Staněk and Red Bull Juniors Zane Maloney, the first Barbadian to race in Macao, and Frenchman Isack Hadjar.
The F2 hopefuls are joined by a host of drivers from the 2023 FIA F3 Championship field, with front-runners, Ferrari Driver Academy Swede Dino Beganovic, Italian Gabriele Minì, and Pau Aron lining up for the SJM Theodore PREMA Racing team. Joining them from the championship are Spanish Red Bull Junior Pepe Martí, Colombian Sebastián Montoya, son of Indy 500 winner Juan Pablo, and Denmark’s Oliver Goethe who will race in Macao with Campos Racing.
Moving up for his F3 race debut in Macao is American talent and McLaren F1 team protégé, 16-year-old Ugo Ugochukwu, who has won a total of 11 Formula 4 races this season in the UAE, Italian and Euro championships. Meanwhile, like Verschoor, Dan Ticktum returns to the Guia Circuit once again, although this time the Briton arrives hoping to become the only triple Formula 3 Macau Grand Prix winner in the history of the race.
Macau GT Cup – FIA GT World Cup
Leading the charge of drivers looking for their first Macau GT Cup win is French Mercedes Factory driver Jules Gounon, won the last three Bathurst 12 Hours in a row and is also the reigning 24 Hours of Daytona winner and a two-time Spa 24 champion. However, Gounon is not the only GT star in the field that has yet to conquer the Guia Circuit. Reigning DTM champion Sheldon van der Linde will be looking to give BMW its second Macao crown in his TEAM WRT M4. Porsche, meanwhile, has factory stars Kevin Estre and Thomas Preining at its disposal for its Macao tilt, as well as New Zealander Earl Bamber, who finished third the last time the FIA GT World Cup title was up for grabs. Mercedes driver Daniel Juncadella is another driver that, despite extensive Macao experience as 2011 Formula 3 Macau Grand Prix winner, is yet to be a winner here in a GT car. Ferrari will be looking for its first Macau GT Cup - FIA GT World Cup victory this year. To help that cause, Ferrari factory ace Daniel Serra joins the Harmony Racing squad.
For any of those drivers to take a first Macao win, they will have to beat a strong field of proven winners. There are five former champions in the field, including Laurens Vanthoor, Augusto Farfus and Raffaele Marciello. Perhaps the toughest to beat, though, will be Maro Engel. The German, a factory Mercedes driver, delivered a crushing Macau GT Cup win last year. This year he will be looking to join Edoardo Mortara – known as ‘Mr. Macau’ – on four wins. Mortara finished second last year, and will be back trying to add a fifth title to his name this time around.
Driving talent from the Asian GT scene can never be underestimated, and the likes of Adderly Fong, Marchy Lee, Ye Hongli and David Chen Wei’an are Macao experts that know the circuit like the backs of their hands and could always spring a surprise against the ‘imports’.
Macau Guia Race – Kumho TCR World Tour Event of Macau
Four drivers who have stood atop the Macau Guia Race podium are among the star-studded entry for this year’s running of the race. Nine-time main race winner Rob Huff leads the charge with Audi Sport Team Comtoyou, and is joined by 2018 race two winner, Frédéric Vervisch. Newly-crowned 2023 TCR Europe champion and Macao regular Tom Coronel also races an Audi for Comtoyou Racing.
The third driver to have stood on the top step of the Macau Guia Race podium is Cyan Racing Lynk & Co’s Ma Qing Hua of China, who triumphed in race one in 2021. He is joined on the team by Santiago Urrutia, former FIA World Touring Car Champion Thed Björk, and two-time WTCR champion Yann Ehrlacher.
Race two Macau Guia Race winner in 2010 and former WTCR champion, Norbert Michelisz, is part of a three-car entry from BRC Hyundai N Squadra Corse, which also include last year’s WTCR champion Mikel Azcona.
The top eight drivers in the official classification of Race 2 of the TCR Asia Challenge, held on November 12, will be rewarded with entry to the race using the same cars in which they competed in the first weekend.
Macau Motorcycle Grand Prix – 55th Edition
Nine time champion Michael Rutter’s sternest opposition at the Macau Motorcycle Grand Prix – 55th Edition is likely to come from his FHO Racing teammate and three-time Macau winner, Peter Hickman. Although he has had more than his fair share of ill luck in this season’s British Superbike series, the 36-year-old won three races at the Isle of Man TT in June, and set a new outright lap record on the Mountain course. Australian Josh Brookes is the third member of the FHO Racing squad. An unknown quantity, the 40-year-old Macao newcomer will bring a vast amount of racing experience to the Guia Circuit from his career as a World and British Superbike racer.
Last year’s Macau Motorcycle Grand Prix winner, Erno Kostamo, and runner-up, David Datzer from Germany return on BMWs, while Yorkshire’s Davey Todd has been re-united with the Burrows Engineering squad to race yet another M1000RR.
Manx Grand Prix winners Rob Hodson and Michael Evans plus TT podium finisher, Paul Jordan, join Dominic Herbertson and Australia’s David Johnson on a pair of Dafabet Kawasakis. Joey Thompson, who enjoyed a top ten finish in last year’s Macau Motorcycle Grand Prix, returns on a R1 Yamaha. Brian McCormack, and Phil Crowe, who made his Macao debut in 2017, will both be BMW mounted, while Sam West, Paul Williams and Mark Goodings complete an entry of 12 British riders in a starting line-up of 23.
Nadieh Schoots of The Netherlands, who last year became the first woman to compete in Macao’s two-wheel headliner, returns, while Swiss racers Lukas Maurer and Olivier Lupberger, Frenchman Timothee Monot, Austria’s Julian Trummer and Czech ace Kamil Holan give the entry a truly international flavour.
Support Programme
The first 70th Macau Grand Prix weekend kicks off with five races for international, regional and local competitors. The Macau Formula 4 Race will see young drivers from the age of 15 compete in identical 1,400cc, 160hp Tatuus F4 GEN2 single seater cars, which feature the latest FIA safety equipment including the halo driver protection and extractable seat. Drivers hail from across the globe, and the line-up includes two-time Formula 4 Macau Grand Prix winner Charles Leong Hon Chio of Macao.
This year, the Greater Bay Area GT Cup will include two separate races each for GT3 and GT4 cars. Included in the GT3 line-up are two-time Macau GT Cup winner Darryl O’Young, Fanatec GT World Challenge Asia GT3 Silver champion Ling Kang, and Macao’s Kevin Tse and Liu Lic Ka. On the GT4 entry are 2022 race winner Liang Jia Tong, runner-up Luo Kai Luo, and Macao drivers Leong Ian Veng, Ip Un Hou, Lao Kim Hou, Chan Chi Hou and Wong Wai Hong. Marques represented across the two races include Aston Martin, Audi, BMW, Ginetta, KTM, Lamborghini, Lotus, McLaren, Mercedes, Porsche and Toyota.
The TCR Asia Challenge is set to be a thrilling encounter between the finest touring car drivers and teams from across Greater China. The entry list includes Hong Kong’s Lo Sze Ho, second in the 2022 Macau Guia Race, Malaysian female driver Leona Chin Lyweoi, and long-time Macau Grand Prix competitors Henry Lee Junior and Paul Poon. From Macao come Wong Kiang Kuan, Ip Tak Meng, Jerónimo Badaraco, Lam Ka Chun, Chan Weng Tong, Cheong Chi On, Ng Kin Veng and Wong Chun Hao.
The Macau Roadsport Challenge entry is reserved exclusively for Subaru BRZ and Toyota GR86 models, creating a level playing field from which drivers can showcase their skills. Created to support the development of grassroots motorsport, the race promises to be full of thrills and spills as drivers from the Mainland and the neighbouring SARs of Macao and Hong Kong go head-to-head.
Supporting the headline races from November 16th to 19th, are two more fascinating races to keep the adrenaline pumping throughout the four-day programme. The Macau Touring Car Cup has long been a favourite fixture of the annual programme, and this year also counts as the final round of the prestigious China Touring Car Championship (CTCC). CTCC points leader ahead of the penultimate round this weekend is Martin Cao Hongwei with Hyundai N, with Briton Jack Young of Macpro Racing Team and Shell Teamwork Lynk & Co Racing’s Jason Zhang Zhiqiang challenging hard for the 2023 title.
The impressive entry includes to Macao drivers, with 2000 Formula 3 Macau Grand Prix champion André Couto entered with the Honda’s Macpro Racing Team, and last year’s Macau Guia Race winner Filipe De Souza racing a CHAMP Motorsport Audi. Joining Zhang’s five-car team for the Zhuzhou and Macao races as a guest driver is Hong Kong star entertainer Aaron Kwok. Kwok is no stranger to the Guia Circuit having competed here in various categories over the years, and his return to the event will be welcome news to his legions of fans.
The fleet of Subaru BRZ and Toyota GR86 cars will be back in action over the second weekend in the Macau Grand Prix 70th Anniversary Challenge. The entry includes no fewer than 12 Macao drivers, led by long-time Guia Circuit campaigners Rui Valente and Lei Kit Meng who are joined by Mou Chi Fai, Cheung Hing Wah, Chan Chi Ha, Lo Kai Tin, Leong Iok Choi, Carson Tang, Sou Ieng Hong, Leong Keng Hei, Wong Ka Hong and Cheang Kin Sang.
