Macau Motorcycle Grand Prix in major doubt for second year
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Macau Motorcycle Grand Prix in major doubt for second year
[Image: RutteratMacau.jpg]
Michael Rutter won the Macau Motorcycle Grand Prix on the Aspire-Ho Bathams Honda RC213V-S in 2019.

The 2021 Macau Motorcycle Grand Prix is serious doubt once again with only a few riders willing to undergo a gruelling 21-day quarantine period as part of strict Covid-19 protocols.

The 54th edition of the famous race in southern China was called off in 2020, when the majority riders were unwilling to sign up to a 14-day quarantine in a designated hotel.

With that requirement now extended by an additional week, the likelihood of the iconic motorcycle race taking place in November appears remote.

Republic of Ireland racer Michael Sweeney, who made his debut around the 3.8-mile Guia street course for John Burrows’ team in 2014, told the News Letter the race is a non-starter again in 2021.

“We have Macau cancelled now as well – we got the email through the other day,” Sweeney said.

“There’s only a couple of competitors who decided they would do the quarantine for 21 days in a hotel.

“Three weeks in a hotel room? It’s just asking too much and that has even changed from last year, when they were asking for a 14-day quarantine.

“It’s just not possible. Some of us had suggested that we could be tested when we landed, then quarantine in a hotel for five days, test us again and if we’re clear, then we could be allowed free-flow after that,” added the Skerries man.

“It’s been another year of very little road racing but I do think we’ll be back to a full return in 2022.”


Sweeney is among the favourites for the Cookstown 100 from September 10-11, which is the last Irish national road race of the season. The only other event to go ahead was Armoy at the end of July, with all Irish road races cancelled once more due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

This week, it was confirmed that the headline FIA Formula 3 and GT World Cup races at Macau have been cancelled for the second consecutive year because of the restrictions.

It had been hoped the event would return to its normal format from November 17-21 after a scaled down version of the Grand Prix was staged last year - headlined by a China Formula 4 Championship race - which featured competitors mostly from China, Hong Kong and Macau.

An FIA statement said:

“With the majority of competitors taking part in the FIA events coming from outside the region, this presents the drivers, teams and suppliers with conditions that are difficult to comply with.

“As a result, the FIA Formula 3 World Cup and FIA GT World Cup will not take place in 2021, with the aim of returning next year.”


Although the Macau Grand Prix was first held in 1954, the first running of the motorcycle event did not take place until 1967.

In 2019, Michael Rutter won the race for a record ninth time under controversial circumstances after two red-flag stoppages, with the final result taken based on positions after just one lap.



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28-08-2021, 09:55 AM
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