Fans flocked to the square to immerse in the excitement of GP
The Suncity Group 64th Macau Grand Prix officially blasted off the starting blocks at the weekend (November 11-12), with a spectacular show at Tap Seac Square. On parade for the enjoyment of both residents and visitors alike were the impressive GT sportscars of the SJM Macau GT Cup-FIA GT World Cup, the 28 Grand Prix motorcycles, the 2016 race-winning Formula 3 Dallara Mercedes of Portugal’s António Félix da Costa, and the BMW safety and rescue vehicles.
Dr. Alexis Tam Chon Weng, Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture of the Macao SAR Government and President of the Macau Grand Prix Organizing Committee (MGPOC) officiated at the opening ceremony of the show, held at 3pm on Saturday, November 11. The ceremony was also attended by: Mr. Ip Peng Kin, Chief of Office of the Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture; Mr. Pun Weng Kun, President of Sports Bureau of the Macao SAR Government and Coordinator of MGPOC; Ms. Helena de Senna Fernandes, Director of the Macao Government Tourism Office; Mr. Allen Lau Cho Un, Vice President of Sports Bureau of the Macao SAR Government and Deputy Coordinator of MGPOC; Ms. Christine Lam Lin Kio, Vice President of Sports Bureau of the Macao SAR Government and Deputy Coordinator of MGPOC; Mr. Charles Lo Keng Chio, Chairman of Automobile General Association of Macao-China; Mr. Chong Coc Veng, President of Automobile General Association of Macao-China and Coordinator of Sporting Subcommittee of MGPOC; and Ms. Gina Lei, Senior Vice President of Corporate and Community Relations of the Suncity Group.
Meeting the fans and posing for pictures with their competition motorcycles were several of the riders who will compete in the Suncity Group Macau Motorcycle Grand Prix – 51st Edition, amongst them: winner of the last two editions, Peter Hickman; eight-time winner Michael Rutter; Portuguese rider André Pires; the Czech Republic pair of Marek Cerveny; Germany’s Didier Grams; and Briton Dean Harrison. They were joined by the fellow riders, all of whom met the fans and posed for pictures.
The show, entry to which was free of charge on both days, also included a booth for pre-registration for the newly-launched Macau Grand Prix Club, a pop-up store with the full range of merchandise created by Macao designers for this year’s event, a Grand Prix exhibition, tyre display and games for all the family.
Countless residents and visitors took advantage of the chance to get an up-close preview of the awesome racing machinery that will be in action on the 6.2km Guia street circuit from November 16-19, and Tap Seac Square was abuzz with excitement all weekend.
The four-day Suncity Group 64th Macau Grand Prix gets underway on Thursday, November 16, with the most prestigious programme of races in the event’s history. This weekend, Macao becomes the first venue ever to stage two FIA World Cups and a round of an FIA World Championship. The four headline races are the: Suncity Group Formula 3 Macau Grand Prix - FIA F3 World Cup; the SJM Macau GT Cup – FIA GT World Cup; the Suncity Group Macau Guia Race – FIA World Touring Car Championship (WTCC); and the Suncity Group Macau Motorcycle Grand Prix – 51st Edition. These are joined by the CTM Macau Touring Car Cup and the Suncity Group Chinese Racing Cup on the international, six-race programme. Practice and qualifying sessions will be held on Thursday and Friday (November 16 and 17), with two action-packed days of races on Saturday and Sunday (November 18 and 19).
Information, results, pictures and video can be found at the official website www.macau.grandprix.gov.moand app, and across the event’s social media channels Facebook, WeChat and Weibo.
