McLaren development driver Ugo Ugochukwu etches his name in the chronicles of formula racing history at the Macau Grand Prix, joining the ranks of legends like Ayrton Senna and Michael Schumacher.
The day started with the Macau Motorcycle Grand Prix being cancelled because of heavy rains. Despite the weather, prizes were awarded based on yesterday’s qualifying results. The top three qualifiers were Davey Todd, Erno Kostamo and Peter Hickman.
The 10-lap Macau Roadsport race ended after just five laps, again because of the weather conditions. The winners were Hong Kong’s Damon Chan in first, Macao’s Cheang Kin Sang in second and Hong Kong’s Ivan Szeto in third.
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Maro Engel wins FIA GT World Cup in dramatic fashion
Drama unfolded at the 2024 Macau GT Cup as German driver Maro Engel clinched victory in challenging conditions in the FIA GT World Cup. The rain-soaked track added an extra layer of drama to the competition, with Engel coming in first over Augusto Farfus and Sheldon Van Der Linde, who finished second and third, respectively.
After a cautious start behind the safety car, which led the field for five laps due to the wet conditions, the green flag waved and the racing resumed with 11 laps remaining. Last year’s champion, Raffaele Marciello, led the pack, followed by Laurens Vanthoor and Antonio Fuoco. Engel attempted to overtake Fuoco but was held behind.
Augusto Farfus, who finished fifth, set the fastest lap of the race. Meanwhile, Fuoco overtook Vanthoor, who later crashed into the barriers and fell back in the standings, allowing Engel and Farfus to gain positions.
With seven laps to go, the battle among Marciello, Fuoco and Engel was on. Fuoco then overtook Marciello, only for both to experience a dramatic collision at Lisboa Bend, forcing them to the escape road. This allowed Engel to take the lead.
Despite a 5-second penalty for an earlier collision with Vanthoor, Engel maintained a gap enough to secure victory, marking another win in Macao. The final standings saw Engel take victory, followed by Farfus and Van Der Linde completing the podium.
Ugo Ugochukwu makes history at the Macau Grand Prix
McLaren junior and American driver Ugo Ugochukwu won the inaugural Formula Regional race. Starting from pole, Ugochukwu maintained his lead throughout the 15-lap race which began under the safety car because of wet conditions.
The race kicked off as the sun was out and dried the track. Ugochukwu took a quick lead once the green flag was waved at Fisherman’s Bend. Meanwhile, Noel Léon defended his third-place position against Freddie Slater during the second lap.
The infamous Lisboa Bend proved challenging once again, with James Wharton crashing into the wall, causing a pile-up involving Evan Giltaire, Tiago Rodrigues, Kanato Le, Jet Bowling and Kai Daryanani. The race was temporarily stopped and Rintaro Sato also retired due to car issues.
Once the race was back on, it faced another interruption when Liu Ruiqi’s car stalled, forcing a safety car on the track. Ugochukwu managed the restart well with eight laps remaining, setting the fastest lap at 2:19.862 shortly after. Mari Boya impressively climbed from last to 13th place.
Another incident took place when Sota Ogawa’s car hit the barrier, bringing out the safety car again. In a tense finish, the race restarted with just two laps to go – Ugochukwu, Oliver Goethe, and Léon maintained their positions, closely followed by Slater. With one more lap to go, Slater tried to overtake Léon but ended in the barriers at Lisboa Bend.
Ugochukwu claimed victory at the Macau Grand Prix, as he crossed the finish line ahead of Goethe and Léon.
