Revving it up
Grand Prix competitors and enthusiasts descend on Guia Circuit for 62nd edition of annual Macau event
Macau comes alive every autumn with the roar of sports car and motorcycle engines, as drivers, riders and enthusiasts descend on the former Portuguese enclave for one of the world’s most exciting sporting events.
The Macau Grand Prix takes place on the Guia Circuit on the third weekend of November each year, and is the only street circuit in which cars and motorcycles compete. The 62nd annual edition, from November 19 to 22, has attracted 231 drivers from 31 countries, including 59 locals. Practice and qualifying take place on Thursday and Friday. Racing will be on Saturday and Sunday.
Top contenders from the International Automobile Federation (FIA) Formula 3 European Championship and All-Japan Formula 3 championship will compete for the chance to race in the Macau Grand Prix on November 22. The favourites include 2014 winner Sweden’s Felix Rosenqvist, two-time winner Edoardo Mortara from Italy and 2011 champion, Spaniard Daniel Juncadella. Others in contention are Japan’s Kenta Yamashita and Mitsunori Takaboshi, Nick Cassidy of New Zealand, and Italian driver Antonio Giovinazzi.
Riccardo Patrese, Ayrton Senna, Michael Schumacher and David Coulthard are among the big names to have won the event.
The demanding 6.2km-long and 7m-wide Guia Circuit combines long, fast straights with sharp, tight corners. The surface can be bumpy, and there are not many spots where it is possible to overtake another car.
