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One of the most challenging race tracks on the planet awaits drivers from the FIA World Touring Car Championship when the wide-open title battle resumes on the streets of Macau from 16-19 November.

But as well as offering vital points, WTCC Race of Macau forms the legendary Suncity Group Macau Guia Race, run for the first time in 1972 and won a record eight times by 2012 WTCC champion Rob Huff.

Back on the WTCC roster for the first time since 2014, the 6.120-kilometre Circuito da Guia challenges and thrills in equal measure. Blending twisty turns and narrow blasts with long, wide-open straights and sweeping corners, the demanding layout also contains a plethora of gradient and surface changes.

“There are circuits as challenging but there aren’t any as unforgiving as Macau,” said Huff, who made his Macau Guia Race debut in 2005. “Those who push the boundaries on every corner can get rewarded but it can also be a disaster. However, I’m massively excited to be going back, it’s a magical place and to have eight victories is something special. I want to build on that.”

While Huff has dropped out of the overall title fight in his Münnich Motorsport Citroën, factory Honda star Norbert Michelisz is in the thick of the battle, 16.5 points behind Polestar Cyan Racing’s Thed Björk, a Macau rookie.

“I won my first WTCC race in Macau in 2010 so I have some special memories,” said Hungarian Michelisz, the winner of the last round in Japan. “It’s a really challenging circuit, a bit like Nürburgring Nordschleife and driving on circuits like this is unique and something a racing driver looks for. The closer the race gets the more excited I get.”

Despite his absence of Macau knowledge, Sweden’s world championship leader Björk is unfazed by what’s in store when the WTCC returns to the Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China next week. “New tracks have been going quite well for me and my progress was quite fast in learning tracks. I hope I can also learn Macau fast enough.”

Björk’s Volvo-driving team-mate Nicky Catsburg can count on some Macau knowledge having contested the FIA GT World Cup in 2016. The Dutchman is 2.5 points behind Michelisz in the title standings. “It was actually quite scary going to Macau for the first time. Mandarin corner is so fast, really exciting and you have to be comfortable being close to the walls. I don’t feel I really know Macau because we had a lot of red flags last year but maybe I have an advantage over my Polestar Cyan Racing team-mates.”

Like Catsburg, Esteban Guerrieri has one Macau visit under his belt from the Formula 3 Grand Prix in 2007 when he took on current Formula 1 drivers Brendan Hartley, Nico Hülkenberg and Romain Grosjean. With Tiago Monteiro, the erstwhile title leader, still recovering from injuries sustained in a high-speed testing crash in September, Honda has once again called up Guerrieri as Monteiro’s stand-in after the Argentine impressed with a podium in Japan last time out when he pulled off the save of the season following an on-track clash with Björk. (Click here to watch the action).

“Macau is such an intense single lap for concentration,” said Guerrieri. “You have to go between walls on full power at 100 per cent, you give everything and even more to get the maximum out of the car. I like street courses and Macau is top of the street courses.”

It’s not just the FIA World Touring Car Championship for Drivers that’s still up for grabs: the WTCC Trophy for independent racers is a three-way fight between Mehdi Bennani, Tom Chilton and Huff, while Volvo Polestar and Honda are bidding to win the FIA World Touring Car Championship for Manufacturers. After 16 races, Volvo Polestar is on top by 46.5 points with a maximum of 117 available in Macau.

WEEKEND HIGHLIGHTS
*WTCC JVCKENWOOD Race of Macau, the Suncity Group Macau Guia Race, will run to a new format with the Opening Race and Main Race taking place on separate days.
*The timetable adjustment will result in a more advantageous international broadcast slot for the Opening Race (due to begin at 14h10 local time, 07h10 CET).
*In order to give teams maximum opportunity to repair and ready their cars for Sunday’s Main Race, which is scheduled from 10h40 local time (03h40 CET), OSCARO Repair Time is unrestricted (it’s normally 20 minutes only with five of those minutes for refuelling).
*Nineteen-car entry is highest of 2017 and equals the previous TC1 record set in Japan last season.
*Double Guia Race winner Emanuele Pirro will be in attendance in his capacity as FIA WTCC driving advisor.

WHAT’S NEW FOR 2017
*Revamped and compact calendar (10 events only to reduce costs) features return to iconic venues Monza and Macau, a new track in China, plus a mid-July date for WTCC Race of Argentina.
*More points are on offer to the top 10 in the Main Race as follows: 1=30 points; 2=23; 3=19; 4=16; 5=13; 6=10; 7=7; 8=4; 9=2; 10=1).
*WTCC MAC3, the Tour de France-inspired time trial, continues with two more points for winning.
*FIA World Rallycross-style ‘joker’ lap got its world premiere at WTCC Race of Portugal in late June.
*Use of 360-degree camera to give viewer the impression they are in-car with the driver.

LATEST DRIVER NEWS
*With Tiago Monteiro still recovering from injuries sustained in a high-speed testing crash in Spain back in September, Esteban Guerrieri has been called up to partner Norbert Michelisz and Ryo Michigami in the factory Honda line-up.
*Rob Huff will head to Macau fresh from contesting the penultimate round of the China Touring Car Championship at Wuhan where he will drive a SAIC V3 333Racing Lamando GTS.
*Zengő Motorsport, which guided Michelisz to a WTCC Race of Macau win in 2010, will enter track rookies Dániel Nagyand Zsolt Dávid Szabó, two rising stars from Hungary.
*Two Macau rookies also form part of the Polestar Cyan Racing works Volvo attack with Thed Björk and Néstor Girolamiracing in Macau for the first time.
*Macau-based Mak Ka Lok is back on WTCC duty for the first time since 2014. He completes the three-strong RC Motorsport attack alongside existing drivers Yann Ehrlacher and Kevin Gleason for his first taste of TC1 competition.
*Ehrlacher is the son of Cathy Muller, who was P12 in the Macau F3 Grand Prix in 1983, and nephew of Yvan Muller, a double WTCC Race of Macau winner and four-time WTCC champion.
*While Ehrlacher is a Macau novice, Gleason qualified second for the Macau Guia Race in 2015.
*Ma Qing Hua brings WTCC event-winning pedigree to Macau as the first Chinese driver to win an FIA world championship motor race. He will join Mehdi Bennani, Tom Chilton and John Filippi at Sébastien Loeb Racing in a fourth Citroën C-Elysée WTCC.
*Campos Racing has recruited WTCC newcomers Clerebold Chan Kin-Pong and Po Wah Wong to race its Chevrolet RML Cruze TC1s.

IT AIN’T HEAVY, IT’S A WTCC CITROËN!
The five Citroën C-Elysée WTCCs set to compete in Macau will run at the 1100-kilogram base weight. Designed to equalise car performance in the WTCC, the FIA’s compensation weight system uses a lap time-based calculation made following the previous two events, in this case China and Japan. After running at 40 kilograms in Japan, the French machines will carry zero compensation weight, which could prove advantageous on the challenging Circuito da Guia street track. Meanwhile, the five Honda Civic WTCCs will be 10 kilograms lighter than they were in Japan, going from the maximum 80kgs to 70. However, the three Volvo S60 Polestars driven by title leader Thed Björk and team-mates Nicky Catsburg and Néstor Girolami will be saddled with the full 80 kilograms. The Chevrolet RML Cruze TC1s will continue to carry 10 kilograms, while the LADA Vesta WTCCs will run without added weight. The full compensation weight listing follows: Chevrolet RML Cruze TC1: 10kg (no change); Citroën C-Elysée WTCC: 0kg (-40kg); Honda Civic WTCC: 70kg (-10kg); LADA Vesta WTCC: 0kg (no change); Volvo S60 Polestar: 80kg (+10kg).

GET SET FOR BIG ESPORTS WTCC TITLE SHOWDOWN
The inaugural eSports WTCC multiplayer championship reaches its climax at a virtual Macau on Sunday evening (12 November). And just like the FIA World Touring Car Championship, the eSports WTCC title battle is wide open with four online racers in contention for glory. Germany’s Alexander Dornieden tops the standings by 18 points but languishes in P15 on the qualifying leaderboard, two places ahead of Hungary’s Gergo Baldi but two behind compatriot Jan Stange and five adrift of Márk Nándori, who was inspired to take up simracing by fellow Hungarian Norbert Michelisz, the online racer turned factory Honda WTCC driver. While the title contenders all failed to hit high notes in qualifying, the Slovakian Citroën driver Bence Bánki was on rapid form, setting a hugely impressive 2m18.9s to top the time sheets by almost three-tenths of a second ahead of Juan Manuel Gomez, who is returning to the championship in his Honda following a lengthy absence. Austrian Kevin Siggy Rebernak placed his Wauters Automotive Volvo in third ahead of team-mate Daniel Cziranku (Hungary), who was also the leading newcomer. Poland’s Nikodem Wisniewski was fifth, a result that gave him the Leaderboard Champion title as the fastest driver over one lap in all 10 rounds. Yann Ehrlacher, a race winner in the World Touring Car Championship with RC Motorsport, was making his eSports WTCC return but narrowly missed out on qualifying for Sunday’s races, which will be streamed live on the WTCC’s official Facebook and YouTube channels from 18h00 CET on 12 November when James Kirk and Robert Wiesenmüller will provide their usual expert commentary. Meanwhile, Hong Kong’s Alan Chan was fastest in Division 2.

MA ON A MISSION: CHINESE STAR RETURNS TO WTCC IN MACAU
Ma Qing Hua will return to the FIA World Touring Car Championship at WTCC Race of Macau in a Sébastien Loeb Racing Citroën. In doing so, he will revive a partnership that netted two victories including what was the first for a Chinese driver in an FIA world championship motor race. After making a winning start to his WTCC career in a Citroën C-Elysée midway through 2014, the 29-year-old tackled the full 2015 season, finishing fourth in the standings and adding a second win on the streets of Vila Real to his debut triumph at the Moscow Raceway the previous year. While he was entered under the Citroën Total WTCC banner, Sébastien Loeb Racing provided full technical support. And despite not having driven a World Touring Car in anger since November 2015, Ma will be raring to go in Macau, the penultimate event of the WTCC season. “I’m very positive about this opportunity and really pleased to come back to this championship,” said the Chinese racer. “I have no downside on street circuits. When I raced in 2015 I won in Vila Real. Macau is a legendary place, an amazing city and I really appreciate the chance to do it again this year. It will take a little while for sure to get back into the rhythm but it should be fine and I still have a strong memory from those cars and I still have the feeling.” Ma will form part of an expanded Sébastien Loeb Racing line-up in Macau that will feature title chasers Mehdi Bennani and Tom Chilton, plus young Frenchman John Filippi. And Ma is braced for the strong competition he will face as one of the most wide-open WTCC seasons for nearly a decade draws to a close on one of the most challenging race tracks in the world. “I have been watching the WTCC races this season and the competition is very close with the Volvo cars and the fact Honda has improved a lot,” said Ma. “We have seen this year the Citroën can still be at the front and I believe in the team. I’ve worked with them before, they’re more experienced with these cars and they always give me good confidence. The WTCC is a championship where you fight to the end and everything can happen in the races. There is no question I would like to do the full championship again.”

THEY SAID WHAT?
Nicky Catsburg (Polestar Cyan Racing): 
“It was actually quite scary going to Macau for the first time last year even though you’re never really scared as a driver. But Macau is something special, especially Mandarin, the second corner. It’s so fast, maybe a short lift but maybe flat out and really exciting. At Macau you just have to be close to the walls and be comfortable being close to the walls. I don’t feel I really know Macau because we had a lot of red flags last year but maybe I have an advantage over my Polestar Cyan Racing team-mates Thed Björk and Néstor Girolami, who have never been there. I’m not the biggest fan of street circuits but I like the challenge of Macau although it punishes you when you push too much.”

Esteban Guerrieri (Castrol Honda World Touring Car Team): “I raced there in 2007 in Formula 3. Before I went to the Nürburgring Nordschleife this year I always said Macau was the most intense single lap for concentration. The Nürburgring Nordschleife is double that but at Macau you have to go between walls on full power at 100 per cent, you give everything and even more to get the maximum out of the car. I like street courses and Macau is top of the street courses. You never know where is the limit or when you are close to the limit. You don’t realise you’ve gone too much until you hit the wall. In a normal race track you go off the track and you realised you’ve gone too far. At Macau you never realise how hard you are pushing. When I went there in 2007 I was top-five in first qualifying but my second qualifying was not good, P12 or P13 or something. Then I was a victim of Mandarin corner at the start and it was not a good weekend. But I enjoyed it.”

Tom Coronel (ROAL Motorsport): “If you ask a driver what would be the coolest race track on planet earth the Nordschleife and Macau are in big competition. Macau is a circuit where you need to build your confidence and I’m always a bit over-confident. I was leading the Formula 3 race once when I crashed at Mandarin because I was looking in my mirrors. And once you have a little scratch your confidence is cracked. This is why I tell the young guys to build up your speed and get in the flow of Macau, which is like Monaco with the glamour, the casinos and all the impressive hotels. It’s special vibe but it’s not a holiday because you’re at work although you need a little party on the Sunday night because after stress you need relaxation and Macau is one of those stressful places. I was very happy when Macau was back on the calendar because it belongs to the WTCC and I’ve always been quick there. The hardest corner for me has always been Mandarin because you are always holding your breath. I did it twice flat with a WTCC car, one time it worked out with new tyres and the second time I tried it I crashed my car. But it was flat. You have the posts on the left side and the car starts to move, always once, twice, you turn in but the wobble is a little bit different and if you’re not on the right moment you just miss the apex and you have a big shunt. It’s one of those big corners that makes it cool for a race car driver but also the most challenging.”

Rob Huff (Münnich Motorsport): “I’m massively excited to be going back, probably much more than anyone else. Macau has always been a magical place for me from the first moment I went there. I’ve always been quick and confident there but I don’t know the answer why. It’s always been a place that’s clicked with me. To have eight victories is something special and I want to build on that. I went there for the first time with no apprehension, no idea really. I hadn’t really heard of the place if I’m honest. The first year my good friend [and fellow WTCC racer] Tom Coronel helped me out. He’d been there many times before and we spent two hours from 2am on the Monday and Tuesday before the race going around in a taxi. Although you can’t do a full lap of Macau in a taxi it was a big help. For whatever reason we’ve got the lap record in a Lada Granta but don’t ask me how. We were quicker than José María López in a Citroën C-Elysée and no one could touch him in 2014. Okay, I got lucky because Tiago [Monteiro] lost the powersteering when he was leading, but I beat Yvan Muller in another Citroën and he was behind me the whole time. At Macau you don’t get away with any mistakes. There are circuits that are as challenging but there aren’t any that are as unforgiving as Macau. There is no room for error. Those who push the boundaries on every corner can get rewarded but it can also be a disaster. There’s no such thing as a small amount of damage at Macau.”

WHAT HAPPENED IN 2014?
Having secured his maiden world title at the previous event in Japan, the pressure was off Citroën’s José María López, who converted pole into a dominant Race 1 victory at Macau on 16 November 2014 ahead of Norbert Michelisz and Gabriele Tarquini. A rapid start enabled Michelisz to demote Yvan Muller and Sébastien Loeb with Muller dropping down to sixth. Loeb attempted to pass Michelisz around the outside of Lisboa on lap three but the move was never on and the Frenchman dropped behind Tarquini, Tiago Monteiro and his Citroën team-mate Muller. Franz Engstler took the Yokohoma Trophy honours but Mehdi Bennani’s raced ended following a clash with Henry Kwong on lap nine with damage to the Moroccan’s Honda meaning he was a non-starter for Race 2. Monteiro rocketed into the Race 2 lead from the second row of the grid. Pole-sitter Hugo Valente tried to fight back at Lisboa but out-braked himself and dropped back leaving his Honda-driving rival leading Rob Huff (LADA) and Muller. After Gianni Morbidelli crashed his Chevrolet at Fisherman’s Bend on lap four, Ma Qing Hua also went out, crashing at R Bend on lap seven, which resulted in the safety car being deployed and the race extended from nine to 11 laps. This would ultimately prove Monteiro’s undoing with the Portuguese driver’s Civic developing powersteering issues on the final lap and handing Huff an eighth WTCC win in Macau. Muller and fellow Frenchman Valente joined him on the podium with Michelisz, López and Loeb next up. Engstler was once again victorious in the Yokohama Trophy but Tarquini was ruled out of the second race through illness.

TRACK GUIDE IN 100 WORDS
Macau’s Circuito da Guia blends twisty turns and narrow blasts with long, wide-open straights and sweeping corners, plus gradient changes, to create one of the most challenging and spectacular street circuits on the planet. After two years away, the world’s fastest international touring car series returns to the Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China, restoring the famous Guia Race to its former glory in the process. Previously forming the closing event of the WTCC season, Macau will now host the penultimate weekend of the campaign when Rob Huff will be bidding for a record-extending ninth Macau win.

TRACK ESSENTIALS
Name: 
Circuito da Guia
Location: Macau Peninsula, Macau, China
Length: 6.120 kilometres
Opening Race distance: 8 laps (48.960km)
Main Race distance: 11 laps (67.320km)
Lap record (qualifying): José María López (Citroën C-Elysée) 2m24.294s (152.68kph), 14/11/14
Lap record (race): Rob Huff (LADA Granta) 2m27.009s (149.86kph), 16/11/14
WTCC appearances: 10
Time zone: GMT +8 hours
Sunrise/sunset: 06h40/17h41 (19 November)
Average temperature: 18°C-23°C (November)

PREVIOUS WTCC RACE OF MACAU WINNERS
2014:
 R1: José María López (Citroën C-Elysée); R2: Rob Huff (LADA Granta)
2013: R1: Yvan Muller (Chevrolet Cruze); R2: Rob Huff (SEAT León)
2012: R1: Yvan Muller (Chevrolet Cruze); R2: Alain Menu (Chevrolet Cruze)
2011: R1: Rob Huff (Chevrolet Cruze); R2: Rob Huff (Chevrolet Cruze)
2010: R1: Rob Huff (Chevrolet Cruze); R2: Norbert Michelisz (SEAT León)
2009: R1: Rob Huff (Chevrolet Cruze); R2: Augusto Farfus (BMW 320si)
2008: R1: Alain Menu (Chevrolet Lacetti); R2: Rob Huff (Chevrolet Lacetti)
2007: R1: Alain Menu (Chevrolet Lacetti); R2: Andy Priaulx (BMW 320si)
2006: R1: Andy Priaulx (BMW 320si); R2: Jörg Müller (BMW 320si)
2005: R1: Augusto Farfus (Alfa Romeo 156); R2: Duncan Huisman (BMW 320i)

FIVE FACTS
1: 
Located 64 kilometres east of Hong Kong across the Pearl River delta, Macau has hosted the FIA World Touring Car Championship on 10 previous occasions with the WTCC last visiting in 2014.
2: The Circuito da Guia began life as the route of a treasure hunt back in 1954 with the Guia Race taking place for the first time in 1972 over the same layout.
3: At seven metres wide, the Melco Hairpin is deemed too narrow for drivers to attempt passing moves so a yellow flag is permanently displayed to discourage any overtakes.
4: Conversely, the run to the Mandarin Oriental Bend is the widest part of the track at 14 metres.
5: Rob Huff holds the record of eight Guia Race wins. BMW is the most winningest make on 21.

PROVISIONAL ENTRY LIST

#

Team

Driver (Nationality)

Car

3

Sébastien Loeb Racing

Tom Chilton (GBR) T

Citroën C-Elysée WTCC 

4

RC Motorsport**

Mak Ka Lok (MAC) T

LADA Vesta WTCC

5

Castrol Honda World Touring Car Team

Norbert Michelisz (HUN)

Honda Civic WTCC

9

ROAL Motorsport

Tom Coronel (NLD) T

Chevrolet RML Cruze TC1

12

Münnich Motorsport

Rob Huff (GBR) T

Citroën C-Elysée WTCC 

24

RC Motorsport

Kevin Gleason (USA) T

LADA Vesta WTCC

25

Sébastien Loeb Racing

Mehdi Bennani (MAR) T

Citroën C-Elysée WTCC 

27

Sébastien Loeb Racing

John Filippi (FRA) T

Citroën C-Elysée WTCC 

30

Sébastien Loeb Racing**

Ma Qing Hua (CHN) T

Citroën C-Elysée WTCC 

34

Honda Racing Team JAS

Ryo Michigami (JPN)

Honda Civic WTCC

44

Campos Racing**

Po Wah Wong (HKG) T

Chevrolet RML Cruze TC1

61

Polestar Cyan Racing

Néstor Girolami (ARG)

Volvo S60 Polestar

62

Polestar Cyan Racing

Thed Björk (SWE)

Volvo S60 Polestar

63

Polestar Cyan Racing

Nicky Catsburg (NLD)

Volvo S60 Polestar

66

Zengő Motorsport

Zsolt Dávid Szabó (HUN) T

Honda Civic WTCC

68

RC Motorsport

Yann Ehrlacher (FRA) T

LADA Vesta WTCC

86

Castrol Honda World Touring Car Team

Esteban Guerrieri (ARG)

Honda Civic WTCC

88

Campos Racing**

Kin Pong Clerebold Chan (HKG) T

Chevrolet RML Cruze TC1

99

Zengő Motorsport

Dániel Nagy (HUN) T

Honda Civic WTCC

T = WTCC Trophy contender; *= Provisional, subject to FIA approval; *= Race-by-race entry

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Norbert Michelisz bagged a vital home win for Honda at WTCC  Race of Japan today to remain firmly in contention for the FIA World Touring Car Championship crown.

With four races left and a maximum of 120 points up for grabs, the Castrol Honda World Touring Car Team driver trails Polestar Cyan Racing’s Thed Björk by 16.5 points with Nicky Catsburg, Björk’s Volvo team-mate just 2.5 points behind Michelisz in third after two rain-hit races at Twin Ring Motegi.

Tom Chilton maintained his advantage at the top of the WTCC Trophy table – plus an outside shot at the overall crown – by winning the Opening Race outright for Sébastien Loeb’s team. Yann Ehrlacher and Esteban Guerrieri – Tiago Monteiro’s stand-in at Honda – completed the Opening Race podium, as Catsburg and Néstor Girolami joined Michelisz in the Main Race top three.

While the rain made for difficult driving conditions, it contributed to an action-packed Opening Race, which marked Kevin Gleason’s first reverse-grid pole. Although the American led away from the front, he couldn’t make it stick, sliding wide at the first turn and allowing Chilton into a lead he wouldn’t lose as Björk and Guerrieri engaged in a thrilling battle for third.

Catsburg and Girolami were penalised with drive-through penalties for contact with Ryo Michgiami and Michelisz respectively and finished down the order as a result. But having started at the back of the grid due to a pre-event engine change, Michigami’s capture of the final Opening Race point was the least he deserved.

And although the Main Race ended in retirement for the Japanese driver when he skated into a gravel trap following a brake issue, he was at least able to celebrate a career-high fifth in qualifying, as well as joining team-mates Guerrieri and Michelisz in giving Honda victory in WTCC MAC3 for the second time in 2017 earlier in the day.

Mehdi Bennani hit back from a frustrating WTCC Race of China weekend by winning the WTCC Trophy in the Main Race ahead of Ehrlacher and Gleason. The Moroccan had earlier claimed third in class in fifth overall in the Opening Race. Ex-WTCC champion Rob Huff, had to settle for a best result of eighth in the Opening Race after he was eliminated in the first phase of qualifying. John Filippi was ninth in the Opening Race while Tom Coronel, Filipe de Souza, Dániel Nagy and Zsolt Dávid Szabó finished both counters. Kris Richard, competing as his prize for winning the 2016 FIA European Touring Car Cup, impressed on his debut by scoring twice in the WTCC Trophy.

While the Opening Race ran to its scheduled 11 laps, worsening weather and track conditions meant part of the Main Race ran behind the Volvo V60 Polestar safety car with the race stopped after the leader had completed 10 laps, the amount required for full points to be awarded.

Tom Chilton (Opening Race winner): “The Opening Race was fantastic. We did a couple of tweaks to the car after qualifying and the circuit came to us perfectly. I was saying on the radio to the boys what a great job we’ve done with the chassis because I was so consistent, I can do the same tenth of a second every single lap because it’s so easy to drive and that's all credit to the team and the engineer. I really enjoyed driving the car. I kept thinking I should start lifting a bit but then I though I quite fancied a watch [for winning the TAG Heuer Best Lap Trophy]!”

Norbert Michelisz (Main Race winner): “It was quite tough. The intensity of the rain increased for the Main Race and there was some aquaplaning. But to be honest it was not that bad. Of course if you are sitting in a good car, maybe the best car for these conditions, you underrate the problems others are having. For me, of course, I’m happy because I scored the maximum points possible. I would have loved to have the race continue [without the safety car] because I was able to manage the gap to Nicky. There were some tricky places on the circuit but I was happy with the points. Of course you always want to see the chequered flag but it is how it is sometimes.”

 

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The entry list for WTCC JVCKENWOOD Race of Macau, the Suncity Group Macau Guia Race, will feature several additions when the FIA World Touring Car Championship returns to the street spectacular following a three-year gap from 16-19 November.

Ma Qing Hua brings WTCC event-winning pedigree as the first Chinese driver to win an FIA world championship motor race and will compete in a fourth Sébastien Loeb Racing Citroën C-Elysée as previously announced.

Mak Ka Lok, from Macau, has made 12 starts in the WTCC and completes the three-strong RC Motorsport attack alongside existing drivers Yann Ehrlacher and Kevin Gleason for his first taste of TC1 competition. Mak Ka Lok takes over the RC entry used by fellow Macanese racer Filipe de Souza at the WTCC races in China and Japan recently. De Souza had hoped to include his home event on his WTCC comeback schedule. However, regulations prevent drivers from taking part in two different events during the Macau Grand Prix week and with the CTM Macau Touring Car Cup his focus for 2017, WTCC starts 25 and 26 will have to wait for de Souza for the time being.

Campos Racing has recruited Clerebold Chan Kin-Pong and Po Wah Wong for its Chevrolet RML Cruze TC1s. The Barcelona-based outfit has a strong reputation in providing WTCC rookies with crucial guidance and the Hong Kong racers will benefit from the team’s expertise in this field as they adapt to driving a TC1 World Touring Car for the first time.

With Tiago Monteiro continuing his recovery from injuries sustained in a high-speed testing crash in September, Esteban Guerrieri is once again his stand-in at Castrol Honda World Touring Car Team following his podium finish at WTCC JVCKENWOOD Race of Japan last month.

François Ribeiro, Head of Eurosport Events, the WTCC promoter, said: “We are glad to see that Macau will have the record number of cars for the 2017 season. We could have gone up to 21 cars with fourth factory cars from our manufacturers, but that was no longer an option after the accident during Honda’s Barcelona test. While Ma Qing Hua and Mak Ka Lok are no strangers to the WTCC, Po Wah Wong and Clerebold Chan Kin-Pong will be building their experience and knowledge on every lap of the Guia Circuit and we look forward to welcoming them to the championship and watching their progression. Regarding Tiago, he knows he has the full support of the WTCC family behind him and we know Esteban will once again be a very good stand-in.”

WTCC JVCKENWOOD Race of Macau, the Suncity Group Macau Guia Race, will run to a new format with the Opening Race and Main Race taking place on separate days. While the timetable adjustment will result in a more advantageous international broadcast slot for the Opening Race (due to begin at 14h10 local time, 07h10 CET), the extended opening of parc ferme between the two counters will give teams maximum opportunity to repair and ready their cars for Sunday’s Main Race, which is scheduled from 10h40 local time (03h40 CET). Usually, OSCARO Repair Time is restricted to 20 minutes with five minutes for refuelling only.

FIA WTCC JVCKENWOOD RACE OF MACAU ENTRY LIST*

#

Team

Driver (Nationality)

Car

3

Sébastien Loeb Racing

Tom Chilton (GBR) T

Citroën C-Elysée WTCC 

4

RC Motorsport**

Mak Ka Lok (MAC) T

LADA Vesta WTCC

5

Castrol Honda World Touring Car Team

Norbert Michelisz (HUN)

Honda Civic WTCC

9

ROAL Motorsport

Tom Coronel (NLD) T

Chevrolet RML Cruze TC1

12

ALL-INKL.COM Münnich Motorsport

Rob Huff (GBR) T

Citroën C-Elysée WTCC 

24

RC Motorsport

Kevin Gleason (USA) T

LADA Vesta WTCC

25

Sébastien Loeb Racing

Mehdi Bennani (MAR) T

Citroën C-Elysée WTCC 

27

Sébastien Loeb Racing

John Filippi (FRA) T

Citroën C-Elysée WTCC 

30

Sébastien Loeb Racing**

Ma Qing Hua (CHN) T

Citroën C-Elysée WTCC 

34

Honda Racing Team JAS

Ryo Michigami (JPN)

Honda Civic WTCC

44

Campos Racing**

Po Wah Wong (HKG) T

Chevrolet RML Cruze TC1

61

Polestar Cyan Racing

Néstor Girolami (ARG)

Volvo S60 Polestar

62

Polestar Cyan Racing

Thed Björk (SWE)

Volvo S60 Polestar

63

Polestar Cyan Racing

Nicky Catsburg (NLD)

Volvo S60 Polestar

66

Zengő Motorsport

Zsolt Dávid Szabó (HUN) T

Honda Civic WTCC

68

RC Motorsport

Yann Ehrlacher (FRA) T

LADA Vesta WTCC

86

Castrol Honda World Touring Car Team

Esteban Guerrieri (ARG)

Honda Civic WTCC

88

Campos Racing**

Kin Pong Clerebold Chan (HKG) T

Chevrolet RML Cruze TC1

99

Zengő Motorsport

Dániel Nagy (HUN) T

Honda Civic WTCC

T = WTCC Trophy contender; *= Provisional, subject to FIA approval; *= Race-by-race entry

Star InactiveStar InactiveStar InactiveStar InactiveStar Inactive

Honda’s successful start to its home round of the FIA World Touring Car Championship continued with the Japanese make’s trio of factory drivers – Esteban Guerrieri, Norbert Michelisz and  – claiming victory in the Manufacturers Against the Clock team time trial.

They set set a two-lap target of 4m25.354s around the 4.801-kilometre Twin Ring Motegi in heavy rain with Team Volvo unable to to find an answer to Honda’s effort.

With Guerrieri – Tiago Monteiro’s temporary stand-in at Castrol Honda World Touring Car Team – taking part in WTCC MAC3 for the first time, the performance was particularly impressive.

“Congratulations to the Honda team,” the Argentine said. “I’m getting up to pace in the car and there was a good pace set by Norbi [Michelisz] ahead of me. But it’s tough to follow in the spray, it’s difficult to see anything. It will be challenging in the races later on.”

Honda’s triumph means it scores 12 points towards the FIA World Touring Car Championship for Manufacturers with Volvo Polestar adding eight points to its leading total.

Team Volvo Polestar’s Nicky Catsburg, Néstor Girolami and Thed Björk were off the Honda pace from the beginning of WTCC MAC3. The trio’s two-lap time was 2.5s down on Honda’s threesome following a no-risk approach in the difficult conditions.

The on-track action continues later today with the 11-lap Opening Race due to get underway at 14h15 local time followed by the Main Race, which is scheduled for 13 laps, beginning at 15h30.

 

         

 

 

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