Local driver Charles Leong Hon Chio defended his SJM Formula 4 Macau Grand Prix crown in dominant fashion at the Guia Circuit, 24 seconds ahead of fellow Macau driver, Andy Chang Wing Chung.
For a second year running Leong was unstoppable on home soil, executing a perfect lights-to-flag win. The only time he looked under pressure was right at the start, when rival Andy Chang drew alongside on the run into Lisboa on the first lap. Leong cleverly held the inside line to ensure he retained the lead, before a devastating first two laps that left him four seconds clear of the field. At the end of Lap 3, Leong's life got even easier when Chang was forced to serve a drive-through penalty for a jump start.
Leong is the tenth multiple winner of the Macau Grand Prix and joins the likes of Edoardo Mortara, Felix Rosenqvist and Dan Ticktum as back-to-back winners in the modern era.
“I didn’t have any mechanical failures, everything just went fine. It was perfect,” Leong said. “Without that track time since last year, this really gives me a boost. It shows that I have the ability to go a lot higher, and I’m really eager to show that ability and the talent that I have. It’s pumped me up quite a lot.”
Andy Chang showed great skill and perserverance to come in a deserved second place, with Li Si Cheng finishing in a distant third, resulting in a top three podium lineup identical to last year’s race.
Dramatic Comeback
Darryl O’Young completed a remarkable turnaround from a major crash in Race 1 on Saturday to claim this year’s Sands China Macau GT Cup crown.
The Craft-Bamboo Racing driver looked to have had his hopes of a second Macau GT triumph dashed in a dramatic finish to the opening race on Saturday. Running second, he slipped on oil left by a stricken car on the run to Lisboa and crashed his Mercedes AMG GT3 heavily into the wall.
The subsequent red flag meant he was classified second in Race 1, but getting to the grid for Race 2 required a huge overnight repair effort by the Craft-Bamboo crew. O’Young paid them back in fine style with victory in Sunday's 12-lap finale.
He set up the win by jumping pole postioned Ye Hong Li (TORO Racing Porsche) at the start. O’Young was ultimately able to hold off Ye to add to his 2008 Macau GT Cup crown becoming just the fourth multiple winner of the Macau GT Cup (along with Keita Sawa, Edoardo Mortara and Maro Engel) and just the second, with Mortara, to win it in different brands of car.
“I’m lost for words, to be honest,” said O’Young. “We made it onto the grid with 10 seconds to go. If they’d opened the gate and I didn’t make it out, I’d be out [of the race]. Literally 10 seconds before we got the car together. The guys worked all through the night. This victory is for them.
“The car is still quite damaged, the chassis is bent. I’m sure the guys behind could see I was struggling a lot. I just tried to control the race.”
Ye agreed that O’Young was sporting damage in the race, and complained of oil coming from the battered Mercedes.
“Congratulations to Darryl, he did a decent job,” said Ye. “The thing is, the whole race his oil kept spraying on my screen. I couldn't see anything towards the end of the race. And also my tyres were covered in oil. But I enjoyed the fight with Darryl. He was defending very hard.”
Luo Kai Luo, a consistent threat throughout the race in his TORO Racing Mercedes, claimed a well-earned third place.
A trophy and a title
Jason Zhang Zhi Qiang took victory in a dramatic second race of the Galaxy Entertainment Macau Guia Race, after team-mate Ma Qing Hua suffered a puncture while leading on the final lap.
It was Zhang’s second victory in the Macau Guia Race, having made history in 2020 by becoming the first Chinese driver to win the event. The win also meant the Shell Teamwork Lynk & Co Racing driver secured the TCR Asia drivers’ title.
Ma Qing Hua launched well from pole position to head the field on the run to Lisboa on the first lap. By the last lap, Ma appeared to have victory in his clutches, but that was thrown into jeopardy as the race leader picked up a front-left puncture and slowed at the start of the lap.
Zhang held station behind his team mate as he attempted to preserve its 1-2 position, but eventually had no option but to pass Ma, ultimately clinching his first on-the-road Macau Guia Race triumph by 1.897s.
“Last year was my first year with Shell Teamwork Lynk & Co Racing, and this time it’s quite emotional,” said Zhang. “I don’t know why, but in Macao I’ve always got lucky. I’m really honoured to be here with my Chinese friends, with Chinese drivers, to stand here on the podium and to win in Macao and take the TCR Asia title.”
Macao driver Filipe de Souza, who was a threat for much of the race, had his hopes effectively ended when he received a drive-through penalty for a false start. Having failed to serve that within three laps of it being awarded, however, he was shown a black flag. He then returned to the track after eventually taking the drive through, but did stop in the closing stages of the race after he was shown the black flag for a second time.
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Wynn Macau Challenge Cup
Macao’s Wong Wan Long in a Mitsubishi EVO 10 celebrated victory in the Wynn Macau Challenge Cup Race 2 taking victory ahead of Delfim Choi by 7.095s. Starting from pole position, Wong didn’t put a wheel wrong throughout the 12-lap race. Choi, in a Mitsubishi EVO 9, had been engaged in a race-long battle for a podium position, moving up to third mid-way through the race, before getting past Chan Chi Ha on the final lap to finish second. Fourth overall was Mou Chi Fai, followed by Chu Hiu Fong and Wong Ka Hong.
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Melco Macau Touring Car Cup
Célio Alves Dias won a shortened Melco Macau Touring Car Cup Race 2, with the Macao driver taking victory in a Mini Cooper S ahead of Sabino Lei and Lui Man Fai. Dias led the field from pole position, with Lei’s Ford Fiesta ST behind him and Lui, in a Mini Cooper S, engaged in an early battle for the final podium position. The safety car was called out on Lap 5, but immediately following the safety car period, the red flags came out after a massive pile-up on R-Bend involving multiple cars, and the race was not restarted. Lam Kam San was fourth overall, followed by Rui Valente and Wan Jin Cun.
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MGM Greater Bay Area GT Cup
Chang Chien Shang driving a BMW M4 GT4 won the MGM Greater Bay Area GT Cup Race 2 ahead of Mok Tsz Nok in his Mercedes AMG GT4 and Evan Mak Hiu Kong, also in BMW M4 GT4. From pole, Chang expertly controlled the pace, the Harmony Racing driver taking a dominant victory after 12 laps. Fourth overall was Nicholas Lai Chi Hou (BMW M4 GT4), while Cao Qi (Audi R8 LMS GT4) finished fifth.