Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO) and Madame Tussauds Hong Kong make their first collaboration happen to exhibit wax figures of eight renowned racing drivers at the Macao Grand Prix Museum (the “Museum”) starting from Monday (27 March), to make the Museum more enchanting and enrich visitors’ experience. An inaugural ceremony will take place in the afternoon of the day to lift curtains upon the wax figures. Drivers Michael Rutter and Robert Huff are invited to grace the inauguration with their presence in Macao. As the Macau Grand Prix celebrates the 70th anniversary this year, exhibition of the wax figures, all modelled after internationally-celebrated motorsport racers, will add to the destination glamour that attracts visitors from diverse source markets worldwide to Macao.
Lifelike portray of racers
Five of the eight figures, as replicas of the drivers John Macdonald, Ron Haslam, Michael Rutter, Robert Huff and Edoardo Mortara, are brand-new waxworks of Madame Tussauds for this collaborative project. The other three figures were recast to portray Ayrton Senna da Silva, Lewis Carl David Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel.
The lively statues captured the glamorous demeanor of these drivers in racing outfits. Five of them were made specially for the joint debut. The countenance and bearing of the drivers were depicted after their photos in different races, including their competing and trophy moments in Macao. Moreover, measurements were taken for Ron Haslam, Michael Rutter, Robert Huff and Edoardo Mortara to have their wax figures tailor made. The racing outfits worn by the wax figures were given by these racers, while the outfit of John Macdonald’s wax figure was chosen in accord with what he wore in the Macau Grand Prix as shown in the photo. The Museum will exhibit the eight wax figures next to the cars once driven by respective racers in Macao, to highlight the essence of the waxworks and captivate museumgoers more profoundly.
Most of the eight prestigious drivers won championships in Macao
The eight drivers are internationally renowned and former competitors in the Macau Grand Prix. Most of them also garnered numerous awards along the Guia Circuit.
John Macdonald – unparalleled legend in the history of Macau Grand Prix
John Macdonald made his Macau Grand Prix debut in 1964, where he finished sixth. The first of his six victories on the Macau Guia Circuit with a Lotus 18 FJ took place at the 12th Macau Grand Prix in 1965. Macdonald remains the only competitor to have won all three headline races on the Guia Circuit, with four Macau Grand Prix wins (1965, 1972, 1973, 1975), a win in the 1969 Macau Motorcycle Grand Prix, and victory in the first running of the “Guia 200” in 1972 (which is now known as the Macau Guia Race).
Ron Haslam the “Rocket”
Ron Haslam, nicknamed “Rocket”, headed to Macao for the first time in 1981, participated in the 15th Macau Motorcycle Grand Prix with RS1123 Honda and took the victory. In 1982 and 1983, Haslam got his second and third victories in Macao, making him the second motorcycle rider winning in three consecutive years. He continued to garner victories from 1985 to 1987 resulting in a brilliant achievement to his sixth wins in six starts.
Ayrton Senna da Silva kept lap record of Formula 3 for 7 years
Ayrton Senna da Silva joined the 30th Macau Grand Prix in 1983 and competed in two legs of fierce battle with the first-ever Formula 3 Macau Grand Prix. Senna won both legs and took the first championship of the Formula 3 Macau Grand Prix. It was his first and only visit to Macao. His lap record of Formula 3 had been kept for 7 years.
Michael Rutter -- the two-wheel “King of Macao”
Known as the two-wheel “King of Macao”, Michael Rutter made his debut in 1994, and took his first Macao podium in 1996. Rutter garnered his first Macao victory in the 32nd Macau Motorcycle Grand Prix in 1998, and the second victory in 2000. Rutter went on to make four wins in a row between 2002 and 2005 and equal Ron Haslam’s record of six Macao victories. He won in 2011 and 2012, followed by his historic ninth victory in 2019.
Lewis Carl David Hamilton made seven victories in Formula 1 World Championship
In 2008, at just 23 years of age, Lewis Hamilton won his first Formula 1 World Championship title to become Formula One’s youngest-ever champion. It became the first of his seven victories in the Formula 1 World Championship in the years ahead. He participated in Formula 3 Macau Grand Prix in 2003 and 2004.
Sebastian Vettel shone as a young Formula 1 World Champion
Sebastian Vettel won the Formula 1 World Championship in 2010, becoming the youngest world champion in the motorsport history. In 2005, Vettel made his Macao debut at the 52nd Macau Grand Prix racing with ASM Formule 3 at the 23rd Formula 3 Macau Grand Prix, and finished third to complete the podium.
Robert Huff set a new record of nine victories
Robert Huff made his Guia Circuit debut in 2005. However, it was Huff’s fourth visit to Macao that ignited the Briton’s special relationship with the Guia Circuit. Huff returned to Macau Guia Race in 2008 and took his first Macao victory. Between 2009 and 2014, he won the FIA World Touring Car Championship in Macao (runner-up in 2012). He also won both of the FIA World Touring Car Championship races that comprised the Macau Guia Race in 2011. Huff participated in the TCR International Series – Macau Guia Race 2.0T in 2015, having a win in the first race as his eighth victory in Macao, and he was tied with motorcycle rider Michael Rutter for the greatest number of victories on the Guia Circuit. He returned to Macao in 2017 and took his history-making ninth victory in Macau Guia Race.
Edoardo Mortara --- the first to win Formula 3 Macau Grand Prix twice in a row
Edoardo Mortara made his debut in the Formula 3 Macau Grand Prix in 2007 where he finished tenth, and in 2008, he finished second. With his victory in 2009 and 2010, he became the first driver to win the Formula 3 Macau Grand Prix twice. Mortara participated in the Macau GT Cup for the first time in 2011 and took victory. His third victory in Macao in as many years began to give rise to the moniker “Mr. Macao”. In 2012, he further justified the title with a second consecutive victory in the Macau GT Cup. He then also won the Audi R8 LMS Cup and the Macau GT Cup at the 60th Macau Grand Prix in 2013, and took his fourth Macau GT Cup victory in 2017.
Special discount at gift shop
To celebrate the debut of the wax figures, the gift shop will sell some of its commodities at 50% or 20% off from 27 March to 2 April. In addition, from 27 March to 12 April, museumgoers can also enjoy a discount upon the purchase of any beverage at the café next to the Museum by presenting their photo taken with the waxworks.
Adjustment of opening hours around the inauguration
The Museum will be temporarily closed on 26 March and in the morning of 27 March for waxwork installation. It will be reopened at 14:00 on 27 March with an inaugural ceremony to unveil the wax figures at 14:30. The Museum is closed on Tuesdays but will be opened specially on 28 March to celebrate the arrival of wax figures.
For the latest information and ticketing of the Museum, please visit the official website:
https://mgpm.macaotourism.gov.mo/en/.
In 2021, the Macao Grand Prix Museum was reopened in a brand-new outlook upon completion as an expansion project, followed by an addition of more multimedia interactive features, racing scenario display, motorsport exhibits as well as barrier-free facilities, among other highlights. Residents and visitors are offered an educational fun experience at the Museum, which manifests the city’s diverse offer of “tourism +” and enhances its charm as a travel destination.
