Serbian racing driver Dušan Borković won the Kumho FIA TCR World Tour Event on the Guia Circuit yesterday at the 71st Macau Grand Prix (MGP) after a dramatic fight for the lead, which was his first international win in more than seven years and the first victory for a Serbian driver in the Guia Race.
The second was Argentina’s Esteban Guerrieri, while Italy’s Marco Butti came in third, making a 1-2-3 for the GOAT Racing Honda squad.
Hungary’s Norbert Michelisz finished the Kumho FIA TCR World Tour in fifth-place, clinching this tour’s title.
The race, originally scheduled for 10:55 a.m., was delayed due to heavy rain and started at 1:10 p.m. under a safety car.
Due to the rain, the track surface was still not completely dry. After the safety car left the track, the cars immediately engaged in a fierce battle.
In the first few laps, Andy Yan Cheuk-wai from Hong Kong, mainland China’s Cao Hongwei, and fellow mainlander Ma Qinghua occupied the top three positions, with Cao subsequently moving into first place. Borković was in fourth, and Michelisz was fifth.
By the fifth lap, Yan had dropped to fourth place, allowing Ma and Borković to advance one position each.
Entering the sixth lap, the standings changed dramatically, with Borković surging to first place, followed by Cao in second and Ma in third, while Michelisz was fourth. Ma seized the opportunity to overtake Cao and moved up to second place.
With four laps remaining, Guerrieri caught up to third place and then overtook Ma to move into second, while Butti closed in to take third.
The race was then interrupted by a vehicle glitch that triggered a safety car.
When the race restarted, only the final lap remained, and the rankings did not change. Borković, Guerrieri, and Butti finished in the top three positions.
In a post-race media interview, Michelisz expressed his gratitude to the team for their support throughout the season, adding that achieving such results would have been difficult without their assistance.
Michelisz also mentioned that 14 years ago, he participated in a race in Macau and won his first championship, and this year he clinched the Kumho FIA World Tour title in Macau, which was very significant for him. The 40-year-old, whose racing highlights go back to 2009 said he understood that success is not guaranteed and said that he would continue to maintain a calm mindset to face future races.
Borković told reporters that this season has been very challenging for him, but winning the Kumho FIA TCR World Tour Event in Macau was one of the brightest moments of his life. He expressed great satisfaction with the result and said he hoped to compete in better conditions next year.
Guerrieri thanked the team for supporting him during the race and pointed out that after discussions with the team, as well as considering the track conditions and his experience, they decided to change the tyres for the race, due to the circuit’s insufficient traction.
Butti remarked that his performance this past weekend was “average”, affected by the rain which slowed down the race pace. However, he said that he enjoyed the event very much and said he hoped to do better next season.
Serbia’s Dušan Borković (centre) proudly holds up his nation’s flag as he stands on the podium. – Photos: Rui Pastorin
Norbert Michelisz (first from right) celebrates his victory with his team after yesterday’s Macau Guia Race - Kumho FIA TCR World Tour Event
