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Macau Grand Prix
SportHong Kong

Local racing star Shaun Thong urges youngsters to ‘keep fighting’ despite sport’s lack of popularity

  • The 24-year-old describes being stuck in Japan for six months and contrasts the support given between racing scenes
  • Thong says motorsport’s future ‘will be tough’ in Hong Kong – ‘it will always be the unpopular one’

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Hong Kong racing driver Shaun Thong ahead of his Super GT test at the Fuji Speedway in Suzuka, Japan in 2020. Photo: Handout
Andrew McNicol

Top Hong Kong racing driver Shaun Thong Wei Fung did not beat around the bush when talking about being grounded in Japan for the last six months.

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The 24-year-old, who won this season’s opening Fuji 24-Hour Super Tec race in stunning fashion last weekend, had visited the island nation for a few trial runs with the intention of returning home for the summer.

“Living in Japan wasn’t my plan at all, to be honest,” Thong said. “I came for the preseason tests and that’s when all the Covid-19 issues started booming – then Japan started to close its borders.”

After deliberating with his father, the pair opted to hedge their bets and wait for the government to open them back up. But one month after the next, it became clear that they would be there for the long-haul.

Hong Kong racing car driver Shaun Thong (second from right) celebrates with Japanese teammates after winning the Fuji 24-Hour Super Tec race in Fuji, Japan. Photo: Handout
Hong Kong racing car driver Shaun Thong (second from right) celebrates with Japanese teammates after winning the Fuji 24-Hour Super Tec race in Fuji, Japan. Photo: Handout
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“If I had left Japan, I wouldn’t have been able to return and that is a big problem because there are six rounds of races [left]. I’m also racing in the Pinnacle Championships here, the biggest super GT [grand tourer] domestic race event. I wouldn’t be in it if I came back to Hong Kong.”

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