Briton Peter Hickman riding a FHO BMW Motorrad BMW M1000RR1 started on pole position and led from start to finish to win his fourth Macau Motorcycle Grand Prix on Saturday.
The race was full of the usual thrills and spills that come with the race on the Guia Circuit for the motorbike riders.
Englishman Davy Todd riding a Burrow Engineering RK racing BMW M1000RR, sitting second on the grid had to leave the race after the warm-up lap with a problem with a split oil pipe after Hickman had told him there were puffs of smoke coming from his bike.
However, the race had to be restarted after Brian McCormack, from Ireland, crashed on a bend and was then hit by the Netherland’s Nadieh Schoots on the first lap. Both were taken to hospital with minor injuries.
The race was restarted at 9:43 a.m. after an almost hour delay and the whole 12 laps were to be raced, allowing Todd to retake his place on the grid with Germany’s David Datzer in third position.
Peter Hickman looks on the press conference in the Macau Grand Prix media centre on Saturday after winning his4th Macau Motorcycle Grand Prix.Photo: Lesley Wells
Hickman got off to a flying start with Todd close on his tail pipe for four laps until Hickman started to pull away finally winning the race 28.969 seconds ahead of Todd and Datzer, who was in third place.
Hickman said he enjoyed being back in Macau, as 4 years is a long time to be away.
Hickman told The Macau Post Daily, when asked if the bike was faster than previous years as he won by such a big margin, “It is a little faster but not much, it is a great bike and the team had a plan and we tried to stick to it which was to keep the pace up, so we did what we needed to do.”
Hickman also said that “people seem to forget that qualifying is really only about one lap and on lap 8 I did 24.08, which is probably the fasted lap time ever on this circuit, I was using race tyres instead of qualifying tyres for that.”
He also said that the track was much bumpier than when they were last here in 2019.
Todd told The Macau Post Daily, “I was so frustrated with the mechanical issue at the start of the race so it was fortunate that the race had to be restarted so that I could get back on the grid. This is my third visit to Macau and my first podium so I am delighted.”
Todd also said, “I had to nurse my bike round after the fourth lap as my tyres were going. When I was right up behind Peter [Hickman] I looked down at my instruments and was surprised at the lap times, so I had to back down on lap five.”
“I am looking forward to coming back next year,” he added.
This was Datzer’s second trip to Macau and his second podium after a poor start and having to work his way through the field to finish third.
The Macau Post Daily also asked Hickman about his Australian team mate Josh Brookes’ fourth place finish on his debut appearance after finishing in the bottom half of the field in the practice and qualifying races.
Hickman said, “Josh had said he didn’t realise how hard the circuit was, but he [Brookes] really stepped it up in the race”.
West’s 30 second grid penalty
After finishing 8th in the race on his 6th visit to Macau, Briton Sam West riding a Moto-Hub.Co.UK BMW S1000RR was given a 30 second penalty for being out of the grid box at the restart.
The Macau Post Daily spoke to West after the race. West said he had been aiming for a top 10 place this year and after coming 8th was really pleased until the 30 second penalty dropped him to 10th, which he thought was unfair as the infraction was marginal.
West said, “I have been suffering from food poisoning all week and have hardly been able to get out of bed, I have lost two and a half kilos in weight, but when I woke up this morning [Saturday] I felt much better.”
West said, “I had decided to stay back on the first two laps as it is usually dangerous as people crash out. Then I started to work my way through the field and pick people off one at a time”.
He said that he didn’t think the circuit was particularly bumpy but he did find it more slippery than usual. He added, “This is a road race and the track is much better than the road race in Northern Ireland where there are pot holes and other stuff”.
Nine-time Macau Motorcycle Grand Prix British winner Micheal Rutter retired early with brake problems which he said was just one of those things.
Last year’s winner Erno Kostamo, from Finland, had maintained third position in the first half of the race but also had to retire with an electrical problem.
Kamil Holán of the Czech Republic crashed on the final lap and was taken to hospital with minor injuries.
