Get up to speed with the 63rd Macau Grand Prix
Gearing up for its 63rd year, the Macau Grand Prix has come a long way from its humble beginnings as a treasure hunt and shows no signs of slowing down
Every year in November, the focus in Macau shifts from the casino strip to the race track as the city welcomes back its biggest annual sporting event, the Macau Grand Prix.
In 2013, the event celebrated its 60-year Diamond Jubilee, and it continues to attract thousands of tourists and motor racing enthusiasts to Macau to watch the classic Guia Race and the Formula 3 Grand Prix.
All the action takes place on the Guia Circuit, which winds its way around the hills of Macau and is regarded as one of the world’s greatest street racing courses. It is the stage for one of the leading international races for up-and-coming Formula 3 drivers – an important stepping stone for those aiming to reach the Formula One level, with past winners including top names such as David Coulthard, Michael Schumacher, Ayrton Senna and Takuma Sato.
“It is no accident that so many great names have raced at Macau early on in their careers,” says João Manuel Costa Antunes, coordinator of the Macau Grand Prix committee. “Only the very best junior single-seaters are selected to race here. If you look at the highest levels of international car competition – F1, Le Mans, DTM – the leading drivers have all raced at Macau.”
