Record Macau Motorcycle Grand Prix winner Michael Rutter said the disruption to this year’s race was unprecedented throughout his 30-year career at the iconic event in the Far East.
Rutter made his Macau debut in 1994 and had won nine times around the challenging Guia course before last night’s race, which was due to get underway at midnight UK time after being moved from its original starting time on Saturday following weather disruption and delays.
The 52-year-old qualified fourth fastest for the 56th edition of the race, with his FHO Racing BMW team-mate Davey Todd taking pole yesterday ahead of Finland’s Erno Kostamo and last year’s winner Peter Hickman (FHO Racing BMW).
A tropical storm brought rare wet and windy weather to Macau, unusual for this time of year, with riders only completing their first laps yesterday after two days of no action.
Thursday’s practice was wiped out by the rain while Friday’s motorcycling schedule was lost after seven red-flag stoppages in the FIA FR cars qualifying session, leaving no time for practice for the bike riders with light beginning to fade in the late afternoon.
Further rain caused more delays yesterday and veteran star Rutter said the wet weather was unlike anything he has ever encountered while racing at the event over the past three decades.
“I’ve been coming here 30 years and I’ve never seen anything like it,” said Rutter.
“We’ve had rain and missed a session before but that’s it; we’ve had races delayed by the weather but only one or two in the whole 30 years.
“I’m in a lucky position because I’ve been coming here forever but for people who are learning, the track is so complicated and there’s no real reference points – it’s all Armco barriers, it all looks the same and one corner can catch you out.
“They need lots and lots of laps to familiarise themselves with the surroundings and the track surface and things like that.
“There’s lots of new tarmac down which is really wet in places as well so you go from dry parts of the tarmac which has been down for years to the parts that have been resurfaced, and the water is just sitting on top of it.”
North West 200 race supremo Mervyn Whyte was acting in a liaison role between the teams and riders on behalf of the race organisers in Macau and said there was a ‘strong working relationship’ between the events.
“The NW200 and the Macau Grand Prix have enjoyed a strong working relationship over many years,” said Whyte.
“This week we have been liaising between the teams and riders on behalf of the Macau organisers.
“The relationship we share is strong and well established and provides us with an opportunity to engage with leading international teams and riders as we seek to attract the finest road racers in the world to the north coast each May.”
Kostamo and International Road Racing Championship (IRRC) riders Laurent Hoffman and Luca Gottardi, who were competing in Macau, are set to race at the North West next May following discussions with Whyte during the past week.
The 2025 NW200 will take place from May 7-10.