62nd MACAU GRAND PRIX Saturday Report

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Formula3 Macau Grand Prix

The Suncity Group Formula3 Macau Grand Prix is the grand final of the F3 World Championship this season. We had two qualifications during the past two days and Felix ROSENQVIST, former champion last year, obtained the pole position for the second year in a row. The fierce battle to obtain the better grid for tomorrow’s final race in the qualifying race started from 1:45 pm.

The qualifying race was battled with 10 laps and the formation lap started on time at 1:45 pm with 28 machines. The course’s condition remained cloudy with a few raindrops here and there. However Kenta YAMASHITA’s machine stalled on the grid and ended up in the pit start.

Right after when the red signal changed to green at 1:49 pm, all machines dashed out and Felix ROSENQVIST stayed in top position and passed the Lisboa Bend. As Daniel JUNCADELLA and Antonio GIOVANAZZI fought to be second, they hit each other and Daniel JUNCADELLA crashed into the guardrail between Lisboa Bend and San Francisco Bend. Then Callum ILOTT and other machines crashed into his car and multiple crashes occured.

The safety car came to the scene during this opening lap and the race restarted when the racers ended the second lap. Then Felix ROSENQVIST who was at the top was passed by Antonio GIOVANAZZI by taking advantage of his slip stream in front of Lisboa Bend. This forced Felix ROSENQVIST to move down to second place.

Charles LECLERC, Sam MACLEOD, and Alexander SIMS followed them and Alexander SIMS overtook Sam MACLEOD by the sea side in the forth lap and went up to forth place. Also behind that scene, Markus POMMER went up to the sixth position in the fifth lap.

In the last scene of the race, Antonio GIOVANAZZI was at the top and Felix ROSENQVIST was in second maintaining the top positions. They kept their pace in the 2’10” time zone as the qualification continued but their ranks stayed as they were.

As a result, Antonio GIOVANAZZI received the chequered flag and Felix ROSENQVIST finished in second place and Charles LECLERC finished in third place.

However after the race, Antonio GIOVANAZZI got penalized for the event of causing the crash at the Lisboa Bend during the opening lap so twenty seconds were added into his time. As a result, this put Felix ROSENQVIST in first place, Charles LESCLERC in second place, Alexander SIMS in third place, and Antonio GIOVANAZZI was dropped down to tenth place.

Macau Road Sport Challenge

Under the obscurred sky, the Macau Road Sport Challenge Final’s formation lap started at 9 o’clock in the morning after the other category’s qualifying session with a red-flagged delay.

The Macau Road Sport Challenge held entries of Japanese and European sports cars such as Mitsubishi Lancer, Nissan GT-R, Toyota 86, Lotus and Citroen. In the grid of this 10 lap Final race, 34 machines were set and 17 machines chose to use YOKOHAMA tires.

After finishing the extra formation lap, the red signal changed to green at 9:20 am and 33 machines all started at once. But right after the signal changed to green, CHOI Kei Lei, driving a Mitsubishi Lancer EVO9, had a crash on the grid line and smashed into the wall on the home straight.

During this incident, LO Kai Fung, driving a Mitsubishi Lancer EVO7, went up to the third position making the top group. Also WONG Ka Hong, driving a Mitsubishi Lancer EVO10, obtained the forth position and the YOKOHAMA users got an excellent start. However CHOI Kei Lei who had a crash at the start scene couldn’t get out from his machine on his own so a safety car came into the race to control the scene.

While the medical staff were trying to rescue CHOI Kei Lei, the safety car continued to control the scene and the race restarted after the end of forth lap. LO Kai Fung in the third position tried to steal the second position from behind, and WONG Ka Hong kept his position in forth while other machines blew out their engines and switched positions.

After the fifth lap, YOKOHAMA tire user LO Kai Fung was in third place, WONG Ka Hong rose up to forth place, and Alex HUI, driving a Citroen C-ELYSEE rose up to seventh place. LIO Kin Chong, driving a Subaru Impreza STI, obtained the tenth position and 4 machines using YOKOHAMA tires showed their highly-trained driving abilities within the top ten racers.

Then the race entered the last stage as Alex HUI rose up to sixth place during the eighth lap and the final lap started. LO Kai Fung who stayed in second place couldn’t overtake the position to be in first place and ended with a 3 second difference. YOKOHAMA tire users ended up in the third place as a result.

On the other hand, WONG Ka Hong finished in forth place followed by LO Kai Fung, Alex HUI finished in sixth place, LIO Kin Chong finished in nineth place, and CHAN Chi Ha, driving a Mitsubishi Lancer EVO8, finished in tenth place. As a result, five machines using YOKOHAMA tires ranked in the top 10.