The FIA World Touring Car Championship (WTCC) is now officially included in the Macau Grand Prix program, the Sports Bureau (ID) president Pun Weng Kun confirmed on Thursday during a press conference.
According to local newspaper Macau Daily Times, the announcement follows doubts that the WTCC race would be included in the 64th edition of the Grand Prix. In May, during the first press conference introducing the event, Pun said that the inclusion of the WTCC “was not confirmed” and that it was “just one of the many races that want to be included [in the local event].” Pun’s statement was received with surprise since the event was included on the Automobile International Federation (FIA) calendar at the time.
Pun didn’t clearly explain why the WTCC race was not confirmed before. “There are several racing series that take part in this event. As the Organizing Committee, we need to analyze which races bring more advantages. Lately we have been in touch with WTCC and we reached a consensus during the negotiations,” he said.
At the press conference, the Macau Grand Prix Organizing Committee released details about the event’s program, which will be held from November 16 to 19.
The Formula 3 Macau Grand Prix has been once again designated as the official FIA F3 World Cup. The Macau GT Cup will feature in the FIA GT World Cup for the third consecutive year. The 51st Macau Motorcycle Grand Prix is also one of the four headliners on the six-race program.
This year’s highlights will also feature cultural elements. A representative from the organizing committee said that Macau will continue to add recreational aspects and entertainment elements to the competition, which will create a multi-cultural carnival atmosphere for the races.
