Macao’s signature annual international sporting event, the “Celebration of the 75th Anniversary of the Founding of the People’s Republic of China and the 25th Anniversary of the Establishment of the Macao Special Administrative Region – 71st Macau Grand Prix” will be held from November 14th to 17th.
The Macau Grand Prix Organizing Committee (MGPOC) held a press conference today (October 22nd) at the conference hall of the Macau Science Center to provide details about the event and its sponsors. Guests attending the press conference included: Luís Gomes, President of the Sports Bureau of the Macao Special Administrative Region Government and Coordinator of the MGPOC; Chong Coc Veng, Chairman of the Automobile General Association Macao-China and Coordinator of the Sporting Subcommittee of the MGPOC; Rui Cunha, Secretary-General of SJM Resorts, S.A.; Buddy Lam, Director of Corporate Affairs of Galaxy Entertainment Group; Wilfred Wong, Executive Vice Chairman of Sands China Limited; Kenneth Feng, President and Executive Director of MGM China Holdings Limited; Kent Wong, Chief Advisor of Melco Resorts & Entertainment; Craig Fullalove, Chief Financial Officer and Chief Administrative Officer of Wynn Macau, Limited; Lei Si Leng, Deputy Coordinator of the MGPOC; MGPOC and Subcommittees members; other sponsor representatives; and Sports Committee members.
A video of a speech by FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem was shown at the press conference in which he congratulated Macao on the staging of the 71st Macau Grand Prix and the of the FIA FR World Cup, FIA GT World Cup and FIA TCR World Tour Event of Macau.
The MGPOC introduced the competitors and announced the sponsors for the “Celebration of the 75th Anniversary of the Founding of the People's Republic of China and the 25th Anniversary of the Establishment of the Macao Special Administrative Region – 71st Macau Grand Prix”.
Race Programme
This year's Grand Prix includes seven exciting events. They are the: Macau Grand Prix – FIA FR World Cup; Macau GT Cup – FIA GT World Cup; Macau Guia Race – Kumho FIA TCR World Tour Event of Macau; Macau Motorcycle Grand Prix – 56th Edition; Greater Bay Area GT Cup (GT4); Macau Roadsport Challenge; and the Macau Roadsport – Macao SAR Establishment Cup.
Sponsorship
The Macau Grand Prix provides a platform for local companies to increase their investment in non-gaming elements, and to leverage their resources to enhance ancillary elements and introduce additional publicity channels through which to promote the event. The 71st Macau Grand Prix is supported by six integrated resort and leisure companies in Macao, including four elite sponsors: SJM Resorts, S.A.; Galaxy Entertainment Group; Sands China Limited; and MGM China Holdings Limited. Each has invested sponsorships in the amount of MOP20,000,000. For the two premium sponsors, Melco Resorts and Entertainment; and Wynn Macau, Limited; the sponsorship amount is MOP10,000,000 each.
MGPOC aims to continue to use this major event as a platform on which to work with the private sector to develop sports tourism projects that attract international visitors, and effectively promote the coordinated development of both a comprehensive tourism and leisure industry and the sports sector.
A cheque presentation ceremony for the elite sponsors and the premium sponsors was conducted during the press conference.
It was also announced that the safety car for the event will be sponsored by BMW Concessionaires (Macau) Ltd.; Macau Industrial Ltd. is the official beverage sponsor and Air Macau Co., Ltd. is the official airline sponsor of this year’s Grand Prix.
Multiple Ticketing Outlets
Tickets for this year's Grand Prix will go on sale at 10am tomorrow (October 23rd). Ticket prices range from MOP400 to MOP1,200, depending on viewing location. Individual ticket purchases are limited to a maximum of 20 per person, and all spectators aged two and above must hold a valid ticket.
To facilitate easy ticket purchasing, MGPOC has set up a total of 15 sales points in Macao, Hong Kong and the Mainland, as well as online, telephone, email and mobile applications purchase channels. Residents and visitors wishing to attend can make reservations through the Macao ticketing network www.macauticket.com, email and phone, or purchase tickets at Kong Seng Macao and Hong Kong stores and Mainland sales points. Tickets can also be obtained through Ctrip, Trip.com mobile apps, Damai mobile apps and WeChat mini-programs, EGL Tours website www.egltours.com, the domestic version of Tongyue.com WeChat mini-programs and CITS WeChat mini-programs.
During the event, as well as manned counter services, each on-site ticketing centre will also be equipped with self-service ticket machines. Spectators may purchase tickets using credit cards and other electronic payment methods.
Ancillary Events
MGPOC will organize a number of activities surrounding the event in the coming weeks to allow residents and visitors to immerse themselves the lively atmosphere of the Grand Prix. The Macau Grand Prix Family Carnival will be held at Tap Seac Square from November 2nd to 3rd. 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 Macau Grand Prix Auto Show will be held at Tap Seac Square from November 9th to 10th, allowing residents and visitors to see the racing vehicles up close. An opening ceremony will also be held at the same venue on November 9th. As well as the displayed racing vehicles, the show will include stalls selling Grand Prix-themed cultural and creative products.
To further promote racing culture, the 71st Macau Grand Prix Photography Contest will be held with the aim of encouraging Macao residents to participate in Grand Prix activities in a variety of ways.
Opportunities to Watch
In addition to welcoming spectators onsite, the Grand Prix will continue to be broadcast live or rebroadcast by a variety of TV stations and broadcast organizations covering Macao, the Mainland and numerous countries and regions around the world. In addition, communities across Macao can watch the live action via giant screens set up across the city.
Promoting Local Industry
Last year, MGPOC used the occasion of the 70th Macau Grand Prix to launch a series of cooperation projects with different local and foreign brands and small and medium-sized enterprises, successfully creating a platform for collaboration with the industry. The successful leveraging of the linkage effect of the Grand Prix via this platform continues this year, with organizers working hand in hand with Macao enterprises and the tourism industry to promote the development of the tourism and sports industries, maximizing the role of the Grand Prix in promoting Macao and sports tourism.
The event enables visitors to experience the dynamism of Macao as a city of major sports events and, at the same time, uses the linkage effect of the Grand Prix to bring sports, tourism, economic and other benefits to the entire Macao SAR.
To further utilize the linkage effect of sports tourism, the MGPOC will continue its ticket partnership program to cooperate with tourism bodies, travel agencies, airlines in Macao and other regions, and online travel platforms to jointly launch package discounts for air tickets, ferry tickets or hotels for this year’s Grand Prix. Organizations and merchants interested in participating in the ticket partnership program may contact the MGPOC. Successful partners will be granted varying discounts based on the number of tickets purchased.
More information about the event can be found by visiting the official website of the Macau Grand Prix at www.macau.grandprix.gov.mo, downloading the relevant mobile application or following the event’s Facebook page, WeChat and Weibo accounts, "Macao Major Sporting Events" Facebook page, "澳門體育" (Macao Sports) WeChat public account and "澳門特區體育局" (Macao SAR Sports Bureau) WeChat subscription account.
Entries
Macau Grand Prix – FIA FR World Cup
History will be made at the 71st running of the Macau Grand Prix when Formula Regional cars are run for the first time, and with a glittering array of top international young talent at the steering wheels. With championships in Europe, the Americas, the Middle East, Japan and Oceania, FR’s most exciting graduate to date is F1-bound Kimi Antonelli. However, next month the eyes of the international motorsport community will be firmly focused on Macao to see which FR driver will be the first to conquer the Guia Circuit.
Italian powerhouse Prema Racing showed the world the talents of Antonelli, and for Macao the squad renews its collaboration with Theodore Racing, the eponymous team of late Macao resident Teddy Yip. The SJM Theodore Prema line-up includes Ferrari Driver Academy talent Dino Beganovic, McLaren F1 junior Alex Dunne, and newly-crowned Italian F4 champion Freddie Slater.
Another Ferrari Academy driver, exciting Finn Tuukka Taponen, makes his Macao debut with R-race GP alongside McLaren F1 Junior Ugo Ugochukwu and FR rookie and Red Bull junior Enzo Deligny. ART Grand Prix brings James Wharton, currently second in the FR European standings, French F4 champion Evan Giltaire and Japan’s Kanato Le.
From the FR Japanese Championship comes 2023 title winner and Macao newcomer Sota Ogawa. He lines up for TGM Grand Prix with Rintaro Sato, son of 2001 F3 Macau Grand Prix and two-time Indianapolis 500 victor Takuma Sato. Five-time Grand Prix winners at Macao, TOM’S Formula returns to Macao for the first time since 2018 with Rikuto Kobayashi and Jin Nakamura.
MP Motorsport brings Red Bull Junior Oliver Goethe and Valerio Rinicella, while Saintéloc Racing enters French talent Théophile Naël and the Macau Grand Prix’s first-ever Kazakhstani driver Alexander Abkhazava.
Accomplished Macao driver and 2023 Chinese F4 champion Tiago Rodrigues will race with Evans GP, and is joined on the squad by Australian Cooper Webster and India’s Kai Daryanani.
FIA F3 driver Mari Boya returns to Macao, this time with KCMG IXO by Pinnacle Motorsport. The Spaniard is joined by fellow FIA F3 podium finisher Noel León who also contested the Macau Grand Prix last year. PHM Racing brings Italian Matteo de Palo and Emirati talent Rashid Al Dhaheri, while the FR championships of both Oceania and the Americas are represented by Kiwi Motorsport which campaigned American Jett Bowling in both series this season.
Macau GT Cup – FIA GT World Cup
One of the most dazzling entries ever will contest the Macau GT Cup – FIA GT Cup this year, with GT3s from Audi, BMW, Ferrari, Lamborghini, Mercedes and Porsche all represented on the grid.
Winner in 2023, Raffaele Marciello returns, defending his title in a BMW, while fan favourite ‘Mr. Macao’ Edoardo Mortara will be looking for a record fifth win, this time in one of three Lamborghini Huracán GT3s entered. Mercedes regular Maro Engel arrives in Macao on the hunt for a fourth race win to equal Mortara’s record, but all three face formidable opposition from the star-studded entry.
Chinese GT star Ye Hongli, winner at Macao in 2020, returns in a Porsche, as does 2016 winner Laurens Vanthoor. Another driver hoping to repeat his Guia Circuit success in a GT3 is Augusto Farfus who will contest the race in a BMW.
A host of big names in GT competition will be out to add a Macao victory to their tally of triumphs, including Thomas Preining, Sheldon van der Linde and Dries Vanthoor, newcomer Ricardo Feller and former F3 Macau Grand Prix winner Daniel Juncadella. Adding yet more prestige to the line-up are three Ferrari factory drivers: Daniel Serra, Antonio Fuoco and China’s Ye Yifei.
Macau Guia Race – Kumho FIA TCR World Tour Event of Macau
The Macau Guia Race has attracted an entry as mighty as its reputation, bringing a truly formidable line-up of international teams and drivers. Also counting as the final round of the Kumho FIA TCR World Tour, the entry combines the finest international touring car specialists with the leading competitors in the category from across Asia.
Kumho FIA TCR World Tour current title holder and points leader heading to Macao Norbert Michelisz is part of a three-car BRC Hyundai N Squadra Corse campaign alongside Mikel Azcona and Nestor Girolami. Esteban Guerrieri is second in the points and will race a GOAT Racing Honda Civic Type R alongside Italian Marco Butti and Serbian Dušan Borković. The third leading title contender is 2017 FIA World Touring Car Champion Thed Björk, who is joined by Yann Ehrlacher, China’s Ma Qing Hua and Santiago Urrutia at Lynk & Co Cyan Racing.
Rob Huff, the most successful driver in Macau Guia Race history with nine wins returns to the Guia Circuit in one of two Volcano Motorsport-entered Audi RS 3 LMS entries.
Leading TCR drivers from across China and Asia will go head-to-head with the giants of international touring car competition in what promises to be a Macau Guia Race to remember.
Macau Motorcycle Grand Prix – 56th Edition
Four-time Macau Motorcycle Grand Prix winner Peter Hickman returns to the Guia Circuit this year, and his toughest challengers to his title defence could well come from within his own FHO Racing BMW MOTORRAD squad in the form of nine-time winner Michael Rutter and team newcomer and 2023 runner-up in Macao, Davey Todd.
Joining them on the international line-up are Finland’s Erno Kostamo, winner in 2022, Italy’s Luca Gottardi, Frenchman Almaric Blanc and Belgium’s Laurent Hoffmann. Other experienced road racers include top-five finisher last year Rob Hodson and Ulsterman Paul Jordan.
GT4 and Roadsport Races
This year’s programme also includes the Greater Bay Area GT Cup (GT4), the Macau Roadsport Challenge and the Macau Roadsport – Macao SAR Establishment Cup.
The Greater Bay Area GT Cup (GT4) has become a firm favourite on the race programme. Held in celebration of the close cooperation between neighbouring Greater Bay Area regions, the entry has grown to attract international competitors to vie with their counterparts from across China. The race is also a feast for the eyes, in terms of both the thrilling action as well as the variety of automobiles from prestigious automotive marques such as Aston Martin, Audi, BMW, Ginetta, Lotus, McLaren, Mercedes, Porsche and Toyota.
Since its inception in 1954, grassroots motorsport has played an integral role in the success of the Grand Prix. The Macau Roadsport Challenge and Macau Roadsport – Macao SAR Establishment Cup provide the opportunity to showcase the best of local motorsport talent. All drivers are privateers and compete in either Toyota GR86(ZN8) or Subaru BRZ(ZD8) cars, the level playing field resulting in exciting on-track action.
