German driver Maro Engel came first in the Galaxy Entertainment Macau GT Cup final at yesterday’s 69th Macau Grand Prix, claiming his third Macau GT Cup victory.
Engel, who also won Saturday’s first Macau GT Cup race, drove a Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO and raced for the Hong-Kong based Craft-Bamboo Racing team. Swiss-Italian-French driver Edoardo Mortara, 35, from the Audi Sport Asia Team Absolute team finished second, followed by Toro Racing’s Hong Kong-based Swiss driver, 34-year-old Alexandre Imperatori.
Speaking with reporters after the post-race press conference, the 37-year-old German remarked that it felt “amazing” to win after coming close in previous years. “It feels great to get one back today, to get one back this weekend”.
After a close battle at the start of the race, Engel took the lead position from 27-year-old Swiss-born Italian driver Raffaele Marciello, who also drove a Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO, in the second lap.
“It was exciting and tight with Raffaele. After that, I had to push as hard as possible to put pressure and stay close. In the end, I’m not sure what happened with him, but obviously he out-braked himself at the [Melco] hairpin [and ran off the circuit] and that was the chance for me to go past him”, Engel noted.
“I’m just so happy for the whole team. Craft-Bamboo Racing, they did an amazing job, so big thank you to them”, Engel said. He also extended his gratitude to everyone who helped in getting the best performance this weekend, such as those involved in remote engineering.
Engel added that it was a “fantastic win. It is really a boost in my season. We came close, we had lots of success, but we’re missing a big win, so really glad to deliver this big win today for Craft-Bamboo racing and for Mercedes AMG”, said Engel, who was on his 8th visit to the Macau Grand Prix. He won the local GT Cup in 2015 and 2016.
Galaxy Entertainment Macau GT Cup final winner driver Maro Engel speaks with reporters after yesterday’s post-race press conference. – Photo: Rui Pastorin
