In 2012, former driver and regular commentator for the Macau Grand Prix, Isaías do Rosário, set up the Facebook page, ‘Macau Grand Prix Memories’, with the aim of raising awareness of the event and sharing memories.
“I have always been passionate about the Macau Grand Prix. I have many memories myself, so I decided to share them,” says Isaías, who raced on the circuit from 1995 to 1999. “I put Zito Estorninho as administrator and he started to post photos. It got a little out of hand, but it is probably one of the most comprehensive Macau Grand Prix photo sites on the Internet at the moment. There are people who ask to join, and others who are invited through friends. What interests me is that people participate more and share their own memories.”
The Facebook group is private, but it’s easy to join for anyone who is interested, by simply making a request. As well as featuring a large collection of photos, there are also videos, recent and older, all serving to relive moments on and off the track. Sometimes Isaías even likes to test member’s knowledge of the history of the event by giving them little quizzes.
“The point of me asking questions is to get people involved. Sometimes the important thing is also to jog peoples’ memories. I think there are always so many interesting stories to tell. I have shared most of mine, and I think people always have other memories to recall,” says the founder of page.
Highlighted on the Facebook page is a photograph of Ayrton Senna, the driver who won his Formula 3 debut in Macau in 1983 in what is considered to be the ‘premier race’ in the history of the Macau Grand Prix.
“This photo was taken by me from the central stands at the time, which were a little bit before Mandarin Bend,” he recalls.
Isaías arrived in Macau in 1966, but he admits he has little recollection of the Grand Prix from that particular year. The following year however, was a different story.
“I remember standing on the terrace of the barracks of São Francisco and seeing a cloud of black smoke in the area around the old Nautical Club, the area after Mandarin Hotel, where Arsenio Laurel had the first fatal Grand Prix accident,” he recalls.
After a spell in Portugal to pursue a degree related to his passion for motorsport, Isaías returned to Macau in 1994 and made his debut as a driver on the Guia Circuit a year later, racing four years in a row in the ACP Trophy, finishing seventh in his best race.
“I was running third but then they gave me a ‘thumbs up’ and I went straight on at the Hotel Lisboa… I managed not to crash, but I lost a lot of time,” he laments.
Now living in Portugal, Isaías has continued to follow the Macau Grand Prix and has also been a television commentator for the event. However, the pandemic stopped him coming to Macau and commentating last year, and he was unable to make it this year too.
When asked about this year’s and last year’s events, both impacted by the coronavirus pandemic, Isaías admits that it is not quite the same, but assures that the different program does not detract from the level competition.
“I think there will be a lot of balance this year, the fact that there are no foreign drivers I think will make the races all balanced. What really matters is to have fights to see who can get to the front and recover places,” he concludes.
