THU 13.11.2014SUPPLEMENT

Top bikers battle for GP crown

The mythical Michael Rutter, eight time winner and record holder for victories in Macau will be riding this year with Milwaukee Yamaha

II

INTERVIEW | IAN HUTCHINSON

Macau, ‘a different atmosphere that you get nowhere else’

IT took a total of three years and thirty operations for

Ian Hutchinson to recover from a serious leg fractu-re and re-injury caused by a crash and hit. Last year, the English motorcycle racer returned to the track at the Macau Grand Prix only six weeks after he removed the plaster cast from his left leg, eventually winning the race from eight-time Macau cham-pion Michael Rutter. Now the biker is back in Macau. He told the Times that he is fit-ter, stronger, and more confi-dent than ever.

MDT – Are you more pre-pared this time?

Ian Hutchinson – Not more, but I’m fitter and stron-ger than I was. The strength in my leg last year was very poor; it felt very fragile. This year it feels like a normal leg. Maybe [I’m] more confident knowing that I can win, whereas before I never won.

MDT – Do you envisage stronger competitors this time?

IH – Definitely. Stuart [Eas-ton] obviously. Can’t underes-timate Michel [Rutter] too. We don’t know why he didn’t win last year; only he knows that. So we definitely can’t take it for granted, as he’s been on the circuit for more than ei-ght years. He won more than anybody else, and he seems focused this year to try again.

MDT – Many of the bikers competing are veterans here. What factor do you think can determine the re-sult?

IH – I think you just have to

MACAU MOTORCYCLE GRAND PRIX | OVERVIEW

Triple winner Stuart Easton returns

MDT – Are there any spe-cial adjustments on your bike?

IH – The bike this year is the same; I’ve only ridden it once, but it seems a lot easier to ride. Just the gear shift is on the right hand side - the same as last year - so I can change gears with this [right] foot, because this [left] foot I can-

doing in the UK is not the same as racing around skyscrapers and ankle barriers here. The-re’s perhaps more excitement [here] from the noise and everything built up around, compared to country lands in England. [Are the roads here good?] Last year no, bumpy. But they tell us they’ve done a lot of surface work.

MDT – How do you feel about teaming up with strong opponents?

IH – It’s good to have two strong people at your side. If one of us is struggling and one isn’t, you know it’s not the bike. Either that, or there’s some-thing that can be done to fix the bike. Last year I was on my own, struggling with the bike. We tried to make changes, it got worse, worse, worse. If the-re’re two people, we’ll be both trying stuff and maybe come up with a better solution.

MDT – How about the weather here?

IH – For me, I always feel more confident here because it’s hot. When you have the cold back in UK, you always feel there’s no grip. For me, it’s good just to go out every time and know that the tra-ck is hot here; as soon as you begin the race, you can ride fast. BY

not lift. When the bone here [on the left leg] was infected, the tendon which could lift the foot got eaten by the infection.

MDT – How do you like ra-cing here?

IH – Good, it’s different, scary. It’s a different atmos-phere that you get nowhe-re else. The street race we’re

Renato Marques

NOW in its 48th year, the 2014 Grand Prix

will include thirty-one riders from ten coun-tries. The Brits are well- represented, and one of the most anticipated is Stuart Easton, triple winner of this race from 2008 to 2010 and absent from it on the last two outings.

This time Easton will be teaming up with another of the favorites and win-ner of last year’s race, Ian Hutchinson, racing this year with a Kawasaki.

Speaking of changing bikes, the already mythi-cal Michael Rutter, ei-ght-time winner and re-

cord holder for victories in Macau will be riding this year in the place left

by Ian Hutchison with Milwaukee Yamaha. Al-though he only counts

click into place, as the practi-ces and qualifying [sessions] go along for racing. You don’t really know until you get on the track. Just to keep going, keep pushing. Maybe by racing it, you can make some kind of plan, but it always changes. You have to work according to different plans so that you can only do it as it unfolds.

I know how close the margins for error can be, so you can never let yourself get too carried away

thu 13.11.2014

III

MACAU MOTORCYCLE GRAND PRIX | OVERVIEW

Triple winner Stuart Easton returnsone victory in Macau on his CV, we should never rule out the man that is probably the most suc-cessful road racer of his generation, John Mc-Guinness. A constant presence in Macau, he will also be back, focused and waiting for one chan-ce to get to the top.

Another surprise is the return of the “man of the moment” of road racing, Northern Ireland’s Mi-chael Dunlop, after a two- year absence. On just his second visit to Macau af-ter two major victories at the NorthWest 200 this year, and four wins at the Isle of Man, he will be riding the winning bike from Frohburg, a Rico Penzkofer BMW.

Always on the front line will be a couple of names that have become fami-liar to race fans in Macau: Gary Johnson (Quattro

INTERVIEW | STUART EASTON

‘You have to be inch-perfect’

AFTER a four-year absen-ce from the Macau Grand

Prix, Scottish motorcycle ra-cer Stuart Easton is back at the Guia Circuit with the latest champion, Ian Hutchinson on his team. Besides holding three consecutive Macau GP victories from 2008 to 2010, Easton still holds the lap re-cord. The Scotsman also has a trio of British Superbike Championship race successes to his name. The Times spoke to the former champion about his comeback.

Macau Daily Times – Are you ready for your come-back to Macau GP?

Stuart Easton – It feels like it’s been two years, but it’s ac-tually been four. We are ready for the comeback; a little bit nervous, which is probably qui-te normal. But the bike has been racing all year, so I’m comforta-ble with the bike and the team.

MDT – You’ve won at the MGP three times, why do you still feel nervous?

SE – Probably the danger.

have to be inch-perfect. I can gauge the speed going into the turns; it’s more of a natural feeling, from the vision and the field. Normally I’m quite con-sistent and accurate, I think that’s what you need here more than anywhere.

MDT - Have you set a goal in the race?

SE- I want to win, for sure. I won the last three times I was here in 2008, 9, 10. I have the lap record; it’s still the lap re-cord now. Ultimately I like to win, and improve the lap record. But it’s a big job, a tough job.

MDT – Do you need spe-cial changes of the motor-bike for MGP?

SE – I’ll be using the same en-gine and all the same tires I used in the British Championship. Essentially it’s all the same; just maybe to change the suspension slightly for the Circuit.

MDT – Why are you in this

game despite the dangers?SE - I have a five-year old son,

sometimes when you have bad days, you ask yourself why you even bother, but the feeling you remember from the wins is what makes you participate again.

MDT – How do you feel about the atmosphere around the GP here?

SE - It’s always good to be here. It’s a special place, a lot different from home. The at-mosphere is special because of the nightlife and all the lights. (…) All the days we have been here have been quite pleasant. There have been years that have been really hot for me. But this year it seems just nice. BY

The risk factor is obviously high. But I’ve won here before, many times, I know what to do and how to do it. But doing it is just another thing.

MDT – How do you like the street tracks in Macau, especially the Guia Circuit?

SE – It’s very unique for sure; there’s no circuit like it in the world anywhere else. It’s all barriers and stone walls for the whole lap. However, the danger and the risk is high, so when you do win, it makes the feeling even better.

MDT – Do you have any strategy to defeat your opponents?

SE- No, there’s no secret. Just you have to be faster than everybody else. You have to be confident in yourself. I think the bottom line is if I did my best and the bike is ok, we should be able to win. And if we don’t, we’ll come back next year. (...) Because it’s so dan-gerous, I don’t want to say I’m going to win and push more than anybody else. I know how close the margins for error can be, so you can never let yourself get too carried away; you need to be sensible.

MDT – What are your strongest aspects?

SE- For me, consistency and accuracy, which you need here; and, touch wood (03:25), I don’t make any mistakes. You can’t make mistakes here, you

Plant Honda) was third last year and wanting to do the same this year, as well as Martin Jesso-pp (Riders Motorcycles BMW), another podium seeker.

Also looking for spots in the elusive top ten are another two returning ri-ders, this year racing on the recently created local Team CF Racing Team 32. The South African Allann-Jon Venter will be partnering last year’s best rookie, Portugal’s Andre Pires, both riding well- prepared Macao Team Yamahas.

With such a large num-ber of talented competi-tors and great two-wheel machines on track, pre-dictions are close to im-possible; but one thing is certain - there will be a thrilling racing action on display on the Guia circuit! Extrication teams at the Macau Grand Prix practice their techniques and skills

IN THE GP PADDOCK

The season finale is always a joyful event

thu 13.11.2014

IV

NOVEMBER 13 - 1613th of November (Thursday)

06:00 Circuit Closed06:30 - 07:00 Circuit Inspection07:15 - 07:40 FIA WTCC - Guia Race of Macau – Presented by Suncity Group - Testing08:00 - 09:00 Suncity Group Macau Motorcycle Grand Prix - 48th Edition - Practice09:15 - 09:45 Chinese Racing Cup - Practice10:00 - 10:40 Macau Road Sport Challenge - Practice10:55 - 11:35 Suncity Group Formula 3 Macau Grand Prix - Practice12:05 - 12:35 Macau GT Cup - Practice12:55 - 13:35 CTM Macau Touring Car Cup - Practice13:55 - 14:25 FIA WTCC - Guia Race of Macau – Presented by Suncity Group - Practice14:45 - 15:25 Suncity Group Formula 3 Macau Grand Prix - Qualifying15:55 - 16:40 Suncity Group Macau Motorcycle Grand Prix - 48th Edition - Qualifying18:30 - 18:30 Circuit Opened

15th of November (Saturday)

06:00 Circuit Closed06:30 - 07:00 Circuit Inspection07:30 - 07:50 Suncity Group Macau Motorcycle Grand Prix - 48th Edition - Warm Up08:20 - 09:20 Chinese Racing Cup - 10 laps09:50 - 10:50 Macau Road Sport Challenge - 10 laps11:20 - 12:20 CTM Macau Touring Car Cup - 12 laps12:50 - 13:20 Macau GT Cup - Qualifying13:45 - 14:35 Suncity Group Formula 3 Macau Grand Prix - Qualification Race - 10 laps15:30 - 16:30 Suncity Group Macau Motorcycle Grand Prix - 48th Edition - 12 laps18:30 - 18:30 Circuit Opened

14th of November (Friday)

06:00 Circuit Closed06:30 - 07:00 Circuit Inspection07:30 - 08:15 Suncity Group Macau Motorcycle Grand Prix - 48th Edition - Qualifying08:35 - 09:05 Chinese Racing Cup - Qualifying09:25 - 09:55 FIA WTCC - Guia Race of Macau – Presented by Suncity Group - Practice10:15 - 10:45 Macau Road Sport Challenge - Qualifying11:10 - 11:50 Suncity Group Formula 3 Macau Grand Prix - Practice12:15 - 12:45 CTM Macau Touring Car Cup - Qualifying13:10 - 13:40 Macau GT Cup - Qualifying14:05 - 14:45 Suncity Group Formula 3 Macau Grand Prix - Qualifying15:10 - 16:40 FIA WTCC - Guia Race of Macau – Presented by Suncity Group - Qualifying18:30 - 18:30 Circuit Opened

16th of November (Sunday)

06:00 Circuit Closed06:30 - 07:00 Circuit Inspection 07:00 - 08:30 Special Event09:00 - 10:00 Macau GT Cup - 12 laps10:30 - 13:00 FIA WTCC - Guia Race of Macau – Presented by Suncity Group –2 Races of 10 laps each with 15 minutes break between Races13:45 - 14:35 Special Event15:10 - 15:25 Lion Dance15:30 - 16:30 Suncity Group Formula 3 Macau Grand Prix - 15 laps18:30 - 18:30 Circuit Opened

Renato Marques

SINCE 2005, the best touring car drivers of the world have met in Ma-cau for the final decisive

rounds of the championship. Aside from this very important event, the Guia Race is also an ideal opportunity for the best local drivers to join a World Series competition alongside international champions.

The season finale of 2014 is an exciting and unique event, having welcomed a new ma-nufacturer, Citroen, a French brand. With a long tradition in motorsports, the company’s new C-Elysée WTCC ascended the ranks with their three dri-vers occupying the top three positions in the standings. It will no doubt be a year to re-member for Citroën, as they will experience victory in Ma-cau despite only being in their first year. This will also be a successful tournament for Ar-gentinian José María López, who has already achieved the

FIA WTCC | OVERVIEW

A year to remember for Citroën

title of champion well before the Macau Round. Fighting for the remaining points will be the Portuguese racer Tiago Monteiro, the Hungarian Nor-bert Michelisz and the Italian Gabriele Tarquini, followed

closely by the Chevrolet Cruze of the Dutchman Tom Coro-nel, one of the most experien-ced drivers of the pack.

Keep an eye out for these men and their machines. In addition, FIA WTCC has crea-

ted a special “Asia Trophy” that includes the 4 last rounds of the season (China – Bei-jing, China – Shanghai, Japan – Suzuka and Macau – Guia). It will prove another interes-ting competition to follow,

especially in regards to Asian drivers. However, there is currently a limited number of drivers competing for this tro-phy, among them Macanese driver Filipe Souza and Henry Kwong from Hong Kong.

López was crowned champion before the Macau Round Portuguese driver Tiago Monteiro places fourth in the championship