Suncity Group Macau Motorcycle Grand Prix – 49th Edition
Four Macau Champions among Impressive International Entry
The impressive entry for November’s Suncity Group Macau Motorcycle Grand Prix – 49th Edition includes some remarkable statistics.
Amongst the field of 31 riders from 11 different countries and territories are no fewer than four previous winners of this event: Stuart Easton, Ian Hutchinson, Michael Rutter and John McGuinness. However, the most impressive statistic is the sheer number of riders entered capable of taming the Guia street circuit by winning this truly unique race.
Starting with the proven winners, Easton took the win in 2014 on a Paul Bird Kawasaki, bringing his tally to four victories after three consecutive wins in 2008, 2009 and 2010.
Easton’s team-mate, Ian Hutchinson, is another rider who made a spectacular return to racing at the Macau Grand Prix, ending two years on the injury list with a fairy tale comeback on the tricky and challenging track in 2013. The pair makes a combination the form-book says will be hard to beat.
However, equally hard to beat will be eight-time winner Michael Rutter, back again and this time on a Penzkofer BMW rather than the Yamaha he rode last year. BMW is still waiting for its maiden win at Macau, something Rutter would relish adding to his outstanding Macau CV.
Rutter is joined at Penzkofer by Gary Johnson, a seven-time Macau veteran who has finished in the top five on his last six visits, and Canadian Dan Kruger who made his Macau debut last year. He finished down the order, but look for a big improvement this year.
Also in the team is Swiss rider Hervé Gantner, who switched from circuit racing to road racing after six years, and has mixed the two since 2009.
Paul Shoesmith is also an extremely experienced rider, especially at Macau, and with Australia’s David Johnson on the second Ice Valley by Motorsave Trade BMW, the pair make an extremely capable outfit that will certainly be aiming for the top five this year.
Lee Johnston will also have his sights set high after three wins at the Ulster Grand Prix earlier this year, one of them on a Superstock version of the East Coast Construction BMW he’ll be riding in Macau. He turned a front-row start into a serious challenge for the lead in last year’s Macau Motorcycle Grand Prix – expect the same again only more so this time around.
Never to be ruled out is Martin Jessopp, this year on the Riders Motorcycles BMW, having finished third last year and looking to do better this time around, as well as Jimmy Storrar, another Macau regular and well acquainted with the BMW S1000RR.
Ninth of the BMW runners but by no means least or last is the irrepressible German Didier Grams. A hugely successful competitor on the growing European road racing scene, Grams has delivered a textbook campaign in Macau over the past three years and you would expect a top ten finish, even in a field as strong as this year’s.
The final BMW rider could easily scoop up a surprise win. Peter Hickman took victory in the second Superbike Race at the Ulster Grand Prix on the Briggs Equipment BMW earlier this year and he’s been to Macau before, so he knows his way around.
The last of previous Macau winners riding this year is the man dubbed ‘the racer’s racer’, McGuinness (Honda). Always smooth, always fast and – as he proved at the Isle of Man TT this year – still not finished with winning when he sees the slightest chance, and always capable of shocking his rivals with his speed.
Seven other Honda riders will be on the grid as well, a fascinating mix of newcomers, almost-newcomers and veterans. Conor Cummins still owes himself a win after his 2012 pole position start brought him only a sixth-place finish, while Brits Daniel Cooper (Space Centre Racing), Davy Morgan (Magic Bullet Racing) and Tom McHale (CF Racing Team 32) will also be ones to watch, along with McHale’s South African team-mate Allann-Jon Venter.
Newcomers include Russell Mountford (VRS Racing Honda) an experienced rider right on form after a strong showing at the Southern 100, though he’s never ridden at Macau before.
Americans Mark Miller (Splitlath EBR) and Brandon Cretu (Bimota Factory Racing) both know the Guia Circuit well, Miller especially so. Cretu renews an old association with Ben Wylie as the iconic Italian manufacturer Bimota launches a season-long campaign on the major road racing events, culminating here at the Suncity Group Macau Motorcycle Grand Prix.
Ireland is always well represented in road racing and Steve Heneghan (ReactiveParts.com Yamaha), Brian McCormack (TAG Racing Honda) and Michael Sweeney (MS Kawasaki) continue the tradition.
Austrian Horst Saiger continues his own Macau tradition with another Kawasaki entry; he’ll be riding under the Saiger-Heidger Macau Race Team umbrella alongside Grams, and though he ended last year’s race in sixth place, he was always a contender and is sure to be again.
The ties of history still bind Portugal and Macau, and once again Nuno Caetano (FMP Team Portugal Kawasaki) and Andre Pires (Team SBK/IncortCar # Yamaha) will be flying the red and green of their national colours.