France’s Théophile Naël of KCMG ENYA PINNACLE MOTORSPORT won yesterday’s action-packed Macau Grand Prix – FIA FR World Cup of the 72nd Macau Grand Prix (MGP).
Finishing in second and third places were Mari Boya from Spain, who is also from KCMG ENYA PINNACLE MOTORSPORT, and Shanghai-born Enzo Deligny of R-ACE GP from France.
Much of the race was a closely fought battle between Boya and the UK’s Freddie Slater from SJM Theodore PREMA Racing, who performed well during the qualifying races and started yesterday’s final in pole position.
Following a safety car period for a five-car crash during the first lap, Slater regained the lead on lap four. He built a three-second lead before another safety car was deployed on lap nine due to a crash at Lisboa Bend.
During the 11th lap, when Boya retook the lead, Slater clipped the barrier after making a mistake, removing him from the race. Boya was then ahead of Deligny and Naël on lap 14. During Boya’s attempt to slow Deligny, Naël found an opportunity and went from third to first place.
A final safety car was called due to incidents involving Abu Dhabi’s Rashid Al Dhaheri, local racer Charles Leong Hon Chio, and Tokiya Suzuki from Japan, preventing a restart.
During the post-race press conference, Saint-Étienne-born Naël said that it felt “really, really good” to win the race and highlighted the importance of patience. “I know that we are racing in Macau, so anything can happen” until the chequered flag is waved
Moreover, speaking with reporters after the press conference, Naël said that he felt that it was an overall “really good” weekend for his team. “I’m really happy. It was an up-and-down weekend to be honest”, noting that the qualifying race did not go as planned. “We had a bad start on my side, but I think I recovered well today. It was tricky to overtake, the safety car helped a lot, but I managed to do some really good restarts and to stay close to the car ahead”.
Naël also told reporters that the win was unexpected, adding that he had just come to race and finish the season well. He said he had also not driven the car for a year. “For me, it was just a race to feel the car, to stay confident for the next year”.
When asked if he would be coming back for next year, Naël said that he did not know yet. “Let’s see”.
The FIA FR World Cup debuted in Macau last year and was won by New-York born Ugo Ugochukwu, the first US racer to win the Macau Grand Prix since 1981.
- Additional reporting by MGPOC
France’s Théophile Naël (No.6) of KCMG ENYA PINNACLE MOTORSPORT fights off teammate Mari Boya (No.7) from Spain for the top spot. – Photos: Rui Pastorin
Naël holds up his MGP and team trophies after winning yesterday’s 72nd Macau Grand Prix (MGP).
