Ugo Ugochukwu claimed victory at yesterday’s Macau Grand Prix – FIA FR (Formula Regional) World Cup, with the 17-year-old being the first US racer to win the Macau Grand Prix (MGP) since 1981.
The New-York born McLaren junior, who races for the R-ace GP team, is the first to win the MGP’s inaugural FR race, which has replaced the Formula 3 races that he had also competed in last year.
Ugochukwu maintained dominance throughout yesterday’s 15-lap race, which saw four safety cars. Germany’s Oliver Goethe from the MP Motorport team, who according to the MGP website had the best time overall at 02:19.599, came in a close second, followed by KCMG IXO by Pinnacle Motorsport team’s Noel León from Mexico.
The race started off behind a safety car due to the circuit’s damp conditions, picking up in lap 2, with Ugochukwu having a 0.8 second advantage over Goethe. However, a red flag was shown after Australia’s James Wharton from the ART Grand Prix team crashed into the barriers at Lisboa Bend, with the race experiencing a short delay to clear the track.
Ugochukwu had a decisive advantage for the restart on lap four, but after one lap, another Safety Car was called after Liu Ruiqi crashed at Post 15 Bend. Ugochukwu again pulled off the perfect restart for the third time at the start of lap eight, though Goethe started to close the gap as the race went on, but another Safety Car was out on lap 11 after Japan’s Sota Ogawa’s car stopped on the track just after Turn 1.
The race restarted for lap 14, but a safety car would be called yet again in the final lap after Italy’s Mattia Colnaghi from MP Motorsport hit the wall at Fishermen’s Bend, with the race finishing under caution.
Speaking with reporters after the post-race press conference, Ugochukwu said that it was “an amazing feeling coming into the weekend”, which went “really smoothly” for the young racer and his team, having emerged victorious in qualification races over the weekend. “But, of course, there was one more job to do, which is the main race. It’s the important one, so super happy to come home with the win”, Ugochukwu said.
He added that the team knew that the circuit would be tricky in Macau to “get up to speed, to push the limits, of course without making mistakes”. Adding to this was the adverse weather, with Ugochukwu pointing out: “I think the change in conditions throughout the weekend made it extremely challenging as we saw all the red flags and safety cars... It made it really tricky with a lot of drivers, of course, I had to avoid making mistakes and just get to the end”.
Asked by reporters if he was planning to come back to race in Macau, Ugochukwu said “We’ll see”, adding that the circuit was exceptional and that he enjoyed racing in the city.
Meanwhile, in a separate interview with the Post after the press conference, Ugochukwu said on maintaining the lead that “the speed was really good most of the weekend”, which gave him “confidence to push a lot”. He added that his push during restarts was also good, allowing him to have a gap. Moreover, according to Ugochukwu, focusing on the safety car restarts and pulling away as much as possible in the narrow sector of the 6.12 kilometre Guia Circuit, gave him some gap between turn three, the main overtaking spot, allowing him to maintain the lead.
Moreover, on racing a Formula Regional car on the Guia Circuit for the first time, Ugochukwu told the Post: “Everyone had to adapt to the new car, no one had the references. I think it’s just about adapting, feeling the limit. And I think we were able to get on top of everything quite quickly”.
With additional reporting by MGPOC
Ugochukwu holds up his trophy after winning yesterday’s Macau Grand Prix – FIA FR (Formula Regional).
R-ace GP team Ugo Ugochukwu from New York speeds ahead of Germany’s Oliver Goethe from the MP Motorport team during yesterday’s Macau Grand Prix – FIA FR (Formula Regional) World Cup at the 71st Macau Grand Prix (MGP). – Photos: Rui Pastorin
