Resort and gaming operator SJM Resorts said in a statement yesterday that Theodore Racing returns for the 69th Macau Grand Prix in pursuit of its 10th victory, partnering with SJM and Blackjack Racing.
The statement noted that the Theodore team claimed success in Macau as early as 1983 with the late Brazilian driver Ayrton Senna. The team welcomes SJM Resorts’ continued support, returning as their promotional partner this year, the statement pointed out.
According to the statement, with this year’s Grand Prix again featuring Formula 4, the team will have 21-year-old local driver Charles Leong Hon Chio, who claimed the team’s ninth Macau victory last season. Leong joined their back-to-back Grand Prix winners such as former Theodore Racing drivers Geoff Lees (1979-80) and Felix Rosenqvist (2014-15), the statement underlined.
Leong, the statement added, has recently turned his hand successfully to GT racing for Harmony Racing this year in CEC and the China GT series. The statement said that he returns “in a bid to become the first three-time winner of the Macau Grand Prix,” entering the race event for the fifth time.
Moreover, Leong will be partnered by former Pacific F2000 champion Li Sicheng from the mainland, who, the statement noted, is a podium regular in Macau. Li raced in the United States F4 Championship before returning to contest the Chinese Endurance Championship.
The statement added that he joined Leong on the Macau podium last year at the Shell Helix FIA F4 Chinese Championship. His season-long entrant, Blackjack Racing, is teaming up with Theodore for the first time at the Grand Prix under the Theodore Blackjack Racing banner, the statement said.
SJM Managing Director Daisy Ho Chiu-fung was quoted in the statement as saying: “We are proud to extend our sponsorship of Theodore Racing, reflecting our longstanding support for the Macau Grand Prix and our historical ties with Theodore.”
She also said that “SJM is also the title sponsor of the SJM Macau Roadsport Challenge this year. We believe that the cross-integration of sports and tourism will bring substantial benefits to Macau as a world centre of tourism and leisure.”
The Grand Prix will take place from Thursday to Sunday.
This undated handout photo provided yesterday by SJM Resorts shows
Theodore Racing driver Charles Leong Hon Chio.
This undated handout photo provided yesterday by SJM Resorts shows Theodore Racing driver Li Sicheng.
