After being declared winner in last year’s rain-soaked Macau Motorcycle Grand Prix for setting the fastest lap in qualifying before the race was cancelled, the UK’s Davey Todd, riding a Zeeco 8TEN Racing BMW, won Saturday’s Macau Motorcycle Grand Prix – 57th Edition 10.021 seconds ahead of British team mate and co-owner Peter Hickman and 24.706 seconds ahead of Finland’s Emo Kostamo, riding another BMW for Racing for Inclusion by RVS, in third.
This year’s Motorcycle Grand Prix was also blighted by the weather as Friday’s qualifying session was cancelled due to overnight rain leaving the circuit wet, so the qualifying was held at 7 a.m. on Saturday morning, followed by the race at 9:10 a.m.
Pole sitter Todd roared off and led the race from start to finish while Hickman,who had qualified in third, and Kostamo, who qualified in second, initially battled it out for second. Hickman, also astride a BMW, got a fast start and led the Finn at the start but Kostamo reclaimed second place at the Mandarin Bend. The two battled for second place for a few laps until Kostamo made a mistake on Mandarin Bend and dropped to fifth when re-joining the race eventually finishing third.
During the press conference at the Media Centre above the Paddock Todd said, “the race was great. It is a fantastic feeling to win the Macau Grand Prix over race distance, and I was looking forward to a battle with my team mate, [Hickman] but I just got away on the first lap and stayed there. I expected the battle with my teammate as he usually closes the gap”.
Todd was also disappointed that he had not broken the circuit’s lap record set by Briton Stuart Easton in 2010 of 2.23.616 minutes. Todd’s fastest lap was 2. 23.702 minutes. He said, “I was hoping for the lap record, I felt I had a little more push and could definitely do 2.22.”
Hickman said, “It’s a great end to a difficult year for me, in the first two laps I was making mistakes and I was a bit scared, but I got my head down and then really enjoyed the race”.
Hickman spoke about his 140 mph (225 kmh) crash at the Isle of Man TT races in May, in which he suffered chest, back, shoulder, nerve and facial injuries, “I have got my strength back but not my stamina so I am going to do a lot of work on myself over the winter”.
He went on to say, “I am very happy to have a 1-2 for the team. At Lisboa [Bend] I thought he [Todd] was a few seconds ahead but he was a long way up the road”.
Kostamo said, “Despite qualifying well, I was very nervous on the opening lap which is why I made a big mistake braking into the Lisboa [Bend] and losing second place. From then on it was all about damage limitation so I am happy with my lap, and very happy to finish in third”.
Todd said, “I can’t wait to get back out there [on the circuit] and be a few seconds faster. We shall be back next year. Peter [Hickman] is probably looking for redemption so we’ll definitely be back next year”.
Todd spoke the Post after the press conference and said they had been worried about the weather after the cancellation of Friday’s qualifying and the fact that Macau had had so many typhoons in the last couple of months but “the weather was perfect today, beautiful sunshine, a great day for racing”.
He added, “I am so glad to win today, especially as I technically won last year but to do it so emphatically is brilliant. I could go out there again now and try to break the lap record. I’ll be back next year to do that”.
Irishman Michael Sweeny who crashed on Dona Maria Bend in Thursday’s practice session started the race but pitted after 7 laps. Other non-finishers were the UK’s Sam West on lap 3 and compatriot Paul Jordan on lap 6.
The motorcycle manufacturers competing in Saturday’s race featured Germany’s BMW and Japan’s Honda, Suzuki, and Yamaha.
Second-placed Peter Hickman (left) and winner Davey Todd, both from the UK, and third placed Erno Kostamo (right) of Finland pose in the Media Room of the Macau Grand Prix Complex on Saturday morning. – Photo: Lesley Wells
