Britain’s own Peter Hickman triumphed today, seizing victory at the 55th Macau Motorcycle Grand Prix astride a BMW M1000RR.
The race kicked off with three-time Macau MotoGP winner Peter Hickman at the helm chased closely by Erna Kostamo and David Datzer.
Davey Todd, originally slated to start in second position, withdrew from the race due to an unforeseen bike issue. This forced the remaining 22 riders into a second formation lap.
Although the race commenced about nine minutes behind schedule, Hickman shot off the line, maintaining a slim lead over the pack. Both Michael Rutter and Josh Brookes executed strong opening laps, securing second and fifth places respectively, despite their initial positions in the second and fifth rows.
A red flag was pulled out in the first lap after Nadieh Schoots slid and slammed into the back of Brian Mc Cormac, whose bike was already down. Both riders were confirmed to be conscious by the medical team before the race was restarted.
The race’s resumption saw the return of Davey Todd, who was previously declared out. His team had managed to fix the issues plaguing his bike during the break.
[See more: These are the Macau Grand Prix races you shouldn’t miss]
The Hickman versus Todd battle was back on. After regaining his second place following the restart, Todd was back in the game. With the riders lined up on the grid after the warm-up lap, the stage was primed for the 12-lap race.
The race took an unexpected turn when Michael Rutter, the nine-time Macau MotoGP winner who was performing well, suddenly had to bow out due to bike issues. Another shock came when last year’s champion, Erna Kostamo, retired from the race, leaving room for newcomer Josh Brookes to seize third place.
Seven laps in, the race was heating up with fierce battles between Hickman and Todd for the lead, and Brookes and Robert Hodson for the third spot. The top four riders managed to maintain a comfortable gap.
In the end, Hickman triumphed, finishing more than 20 seconds ahead of Todd, with Brookes trailing by four seconds from third-placed Datzer.
With this victory, Hickman cements his legacy as a four-time champion of the Macau Macau Motorcycle Grand Prix, clocking the fastest lap of 2.24.4 seconds. Following him in the second and third places were the resilient Todd and Datzer.
