Competitors from the three headline races at next week’s Star River‧Windsor Arch 57th Macau grand Prix will step outside their usual comfort zone of motorsport to face a set of unusual challenges on Wednesday, November 17th at Macau Fisherman’s Wharf as they go head-to-head in the Macau Grand Prix Challenge.

The world’s leading single seater drivers, who will do battle in the Formula 3 Macau Grand Prix, ‘tin top’ racers from the FIA World Touring Car Championship, and riders from the Macau Motorcycle Grand Prix, will be given three tasks to perform, each of which reflects a different aspect of the Macau SAR.

The first challenge will be a Chinese calligraphy competition to see which of the competitors, many of whom are visiting China for the first time, can master the complex art of writing characters. Their efforts will be judged both for accuracy and style, and they will be asked to copy characters onto a scroll using traditional calligraphy brushes and ink.

The second task is to identify the differences between two seemingly identical pictures of Historic Center of Macau UNESCO World Heritage sites, and test just how eagle-eyed the drivers and riders are. The first team to identify all the differences will win the round.

Finally, as a symbolic welcome to the two Giant Pandas – Kai Kai and Xin Xin – a gift to Macau from China’s Central, the competitors will be asked to ‘limbo dance’ under a bamboo pole held by two ‘Pandas’. The pole will be lowered round-by-round, with the most agile contestants winning the challenge.


The pre-Grand Prix Wednesday event has become popular with competitors, teams, supporters and the public, and provides an unusual opportunity to see some of the world’s leading motorsport professionals taking part in non-motorsport event. The Macau Grand Prix Challenge will be followed by an autograph signing session, giving the public a chance to meet the competitors and take home a signed Macau Grand Prix poster.

The Macau Grand Prix Challenge will get underway at 2:45pm at Legends Boulevard, Macau Fisherman’s Wharf.

MSS Colchester Kawasaki prepare for Macau

MSS Colchester Kawasaki swap circuit for road racing this weekend as the team prepare for the annual Macau Grand Prix with Simon Andrews returning for his second appearance at the event alongside Northern Irish road race specialist Stephen Thompson.

Andrews debuted at the event last year, scoring a seventh place and was the fastest newcomer on the daunting circuit. Thompson meanwhile returns with the team following an appearance earlier in the year at the NW200 and is looking to improve on his best finish of fifth at the event.

Kawasaki's official World Superbike racing team will also be present at the Macau GP with MSS Colchester Kawasaki's new signing for the 2011 BSB season Stuart Easton aboard. Easton has a remarkable record at the Macau GP having won the event for the previous two years.

Andrews said:

"Last year went far better than we anticipated for my debut on the road circuit and being the fastest newcomer was a real result. So we're looking to build upon that this time now that we know what to expect but I won't get too worked-up, I'm just going to concentrate on doing the best we can for the team and finishing our year well."

Team owner Nick Morgan added:

"I'm proud to be going to the Macau event again this year. I said last year that Simon did a mega job for us with great progress for someone not used to the road courses, especially this unique circuit. We're hopeful we can build on his strong performance this time around. As this is my 17th year at the Macau GP I'm hoping our regular number 17 rider can put us on the podium! Stephen too has a good record at Macau so we're looking to get ourselves and Kawasaki up there in the thick of it!"

Rutter takes provisional pole in Macau

Michael Rutter, the King of Macau, and Stuart Easton, the Young Pretender, locked swords on the opening day of qualifying for Saturday’s Macau Motorcycle Grand Prix – 44th Edition.

Rutter, the 38-year-old British racer looking for a record-breaking seventh victory in the Far East classic, topped the 45-minute timed qualifying session, but by just a fifth of a second, ahead of Easton, the 27-year-old Scot who is aiming to win his third Macau Motorcycle Grand Prix in a row.

Both men lapped under the existing qualifying lap record of 2:25.476, set last year by Easton.

Rutter, on the Team of Paris – AXA Ducati 1098 went round the 6.2km Guia street circuit in 2:25.245 seconds, with Easton making his debut on the Kawasaki Racing Team bike a fraction slower.

Big surprise was the performance of American Jeremy Toye (Lee’s Cycles Racing BMW 1000) making his seventh appearance at the event, who qualified third fastest, but over two seconds slower than Rutter and Easton.

Simon Andrews, the 24-year-old British racer, was four quickest on his MSS Colchester Kawasaki, less than a quarter of a second slower than Toye.

John McGuinness, on the IGT/sorrymate.com Honda, winner of the race in 2001, was fifth fastest, over a second slower than Andrews.

Final qualifying session for Saturday’s 44th running of the event takes place tomorrow (Friday).

A few pics from qualifying

Rutter Triumphant in Record-Breaking Macau Qualifying

Michael Rutter, the six-times winner of the Macau Motorcycle Grand Prix, claimed a dramatic pole position on the grid for tomorrow’s (Saturday) 44th running of the Far East classic on the very last lap of the second and final qualifying session.

The 38-year-old British rider on the Team of Paris – AXA Ducati 1098 looked certain to have to settle for second place on the grid after his young rival, Stuart Easton, had put in a record-breaking lap moments earlier to top the leaderboard.

But using all his experience and knowledge of the 6.2km Guia Circuit, Rutter put in a storming final lap to go round in 2:23.714 seconds, less than one tenth of a second quicker than Easton’s earlier 2:23.798 seconds.

Both men were well inside the existing qualifying lap record set by Easton last year of 2:25.476 seconds, and both riders were much quicker than Easton’s race lap record of 2:25.170 seconds set in 2009.

Easton, the 27-year-old Scot, was riding the Paul Bird Kawasaki Racing Team machine for the first time after switching from the Shaun Muir Swan Honda squad. He is looking to win the race for the third time in succession.

Rutter, back at his best, is equally determined to stop his younger rival’s ambitions and take a seventh record-breaking victory himself.


Another British rider, John McGuinness, was third fastest on the IGT/sorrymate.com Honda, over two seconds slower than Rutter and Easton. The 39-year-old American Jeremy Toye, on the Lee’s Cycles Racing BMW 1000, slipped from provisional third to fourth place on the grid, lapping two fifths of a second slower than McGuinness.

Simon Andrews, the 26-year-old British racer making a return visit to Macau, was fifth fastest on the MSS Colchester Kawasaki, a fifth of a second a lap slower than Toye.

Chris Peris, the 24-year-old Canadian on the Iron Horse BMW, was the fastest newcomer to the event, setting 12th quickest time out of the 26 qualifiers. The 15-lap race will be held on Saturday.


Pic courtesy of Macau GP website.

Easton Makes It Three in a Row in Macau

Stuart Easton, the 27-year-old Scottish racer won his third successive Macau Motorcycle Grand Prix with victory in the 44th running of the Far East classic today (Saturday).

Easton, on the Paul Bird Kawasaki Racing Team machine, had to do it the hard way though, beating off a strong challenge from King of Macau, Michael Rutter, on board the Team of Paris AXA Ducati. Rutter, fastest in qualifying, chased his young rival in the first part of the race until it was red flagged after six laps following a crash involving Canadian Chris Peris.

Then, in the restart, Easton made another attempt to open up a gap over his older rival and at one stage, had got a lead of almost two seconds, but Rutter, the 38-year-old British star, closed the gap again and threatened to catch and pass the Kawasaki man.

Easton responded by quickening his pace, setting a brand new lap record of 2:23.616 seconds on the seventh of the nine-lap race, breaking Rutter’s spirit.

“When I saw that Rutter had caught me, I was devastated after trying so hard to break free. I thought if he could catch me after all that, there was no way I could beat him. But I tried again and managed to open a gap once more,” said Easton. At the chequered flag Easton’s winning margin was almost 11 seconds over Rutter.

“I tried to catch Stuart mid-way through the race but then I hit the trackside Armco and said to myself, once is enough. I’m not doing that any more,” said Rutter, who eased off the pace and settled for a safe second place. Rutter must now wait at least one more year before he can win his record-breaking seventh Macau GP.

Jeremy Toye, the 39-year-old American on the Lee’s Cycles Racing BMW grabbed a dramatic third place within sight of the finishing line after Britain’s Simon Andrews (MSS Colchester Kawasaki) had struck mechanical problems on the final lap.

Gary Johnson (MOCHA/IGT Suzuki), another British rider, was fifth home and John McGuinness (IGT/sorrymate.com), the 2001 race winner, was sixth over the line.

Peris was detained in hospital suffering from a mild right lung contusion and concussion.