The Greater Bay Area GT Cup (GT4) opened Sunday’s running at the Macau Grand Prix with a messy, stop-start race that never settled into a rhythm, eventually finishing under the safety car after a series of incidents across the nine laps.
Pole-sitter Han Lichao and veteran Darryl O’Young lined up on the front row, but both were caught out by a rapid getaway from Lu Wenlong, who surged from third to first on the run through Mandarin Bend. Han slipped to third while O’Young held second, setting up what looked like a close fight at the front.
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That hope quickly faded. Three cars – Brian Lai, Liu Qiren and Kenny Chung – came to grief at the opening corner, scattering debris and forcing the first safety-car period almost immediately. Lai’s Ginetta lost its bonnet in the chaos, while the other two cars also needed recovery, leaving the field crawling by the end of the opening lap.
Racing resumed with six laps remaining, but the green-flag running barely lasted. Lei Kit Mei was hit from behind and fired into the barriers, triggering another caution. Moments later came the defining moment of the race: O’Young, competing in the final race of his career, was nudged from the rear at San Francisco. His Mercedes shot straight on into the barriers, ending his farewell drive on a sombre note after running in a strong second place.
With Lu leading from Han and local favourite Leong Ian Veng now up to third, the field circulated behind the safety car again until three laps remained. But any chance of a clean sprint to the finish vanished almost immediately. Chen Chun Hua lost control on cold tyres at the restart and hit the wall, while a separate impact at Lisboa collected Tsai Chang Ta. With marshals still working trackside, the decision was made to keep the safety car out to the chequered flag.
In the Greater Bay Area GT Cup (GT4), Lu took the win in his Lotus, with Han finishing second and Liu completing the podium, also in a Lotus. Behind them, many drivers were left frustrated after a race that offered almost no uninterrupted green-flag running, featuring three safety-car periods and barely a full lap of proper racing.
[See more: Hong Kong’s Darryl O’Young to bow out at the Macau Grand Prix]
For O’Young, it was an emotional ending to a long career in Macao. A fairytale finish wasn’t to be, but his presence on the grid – and the reaction from local fans – ensured his final outing was still one of the day’s defining stories.
