The WTCR Race of Macau, previously Guia Race of Macau and WTCC Guia Race of Macau, is an international
touring car
Touring car and tourer are both terms for open cars (i.e. cars without a fixed roof).
"Touring car" is a style of open car built in the United States which seats four or more people. The style was popular from the early 1900s to the 1930s.
Th ...
race, and currently a round of the
World Touring Car Cup
The FIA World Touring Car Cup (abbreviated to WTCR, referring to the use of TCR regulations) was an international touring car championship promoted by Eurosport Events and sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). It ...
. It is held on the temporary 6.2 km Guia Circuit on the streets of
Macau
Macau or Macao (; ; ; ), officially the Macao Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (MSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China in the western Pearl River Delta by the South China Sea. With a pop ...
, the
Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China
The special administrative regions (SAR) of the People's Republic of China are one of the provincial-level administrative divisions of the People's Republic of China directly under the control of its Central People's Government (State ...
as part of the Macau Grand Prix weekend. Before 2005 when the World Touring Car Championship began, the Guia race had been run annually as a one-off international touring car race.
History
Since its first running in 1972, the race has been won by international touring car greats such as
Tom Walkinshaw
Thomas Dobbie Thomson Walkinshaw (14 August 1946 – 12 December 2010) was a British racing car driver from Scotland and the founder of the racing team Tom Walkinshaw Racing (TWR). He was also involved in professional rugby union, as owner of ...
Joachim Winkelhock
Joachim Winkelhock (born 24 October 1960) is a German motor racing driver.
The younger brother of the late Manfred Winkelhock, Winkelhock was born in Waiblingen, near Stuttgart. The youngest brother, Thomas Winkelhock, and Manfred's son Markus ...
and Andy Priaulx.
Historically it is also one of the most popular races of the weekend as it featured cars that are commonly seen on the Hong Kong and Macau roads.
World Touring Car Championship
The Guia Race of Macau has been the final round of the World Touring Car Championship since the series was relaunched in
2005
File:2005 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf of Mexico; the Funeral of Pope John Paul II is held in Vatican City; " Me at the zoo", the first video ever to be uploaded to YouTube; Eris was discover ...
. It often attracts local drivers competing alongside the series regulars, such as
André Couto
André Couto (; born 14 December 1976) is a MacaneseAo Chi Hong.
The championship has been decided in Macau every year since 2005.
Previous championship status
Prior to being a World Touring Car Championship round, the Guia Race had previously been an FIA Championship round. In 1994, it was a round of the Asia-Pacific Touring Car Championship. The race also acted as a point scoring round for the Asian Touring Car Championship from 2000 to 2003.
Technical regulation changes
The race has run to different touring car rules as European touring car championships went through their own changes. The race was run to European Group 5 regulations in the early eighties, then adopted FIA Group A rules between 1983 and 1990. It then ran to DTM rules from 1991 to 1993 before changing to Super Touring rules in 1994. From 2000, it started using Super Production regulations until 2004, when it sampled Super 2000 machinery before being upgraded to a round of the FIA WTCC.
Sporting regulation changes
The race has changed in format over the years, from the 30 lapper back in the Group A era to the current, double race format with each race lasting 9 laps. Prior to becoming a round of the WTCC in 2005, the race was staged over two legs, with the winner being declared as the driver with the best time aggregated from both legs.
Stanley Ho
Stanley Ho Hung-sun (; 25 November 192126 May 2020) was a Hong Kong- Macau billionaire businessman. His original patrilineal surname was Bosman, which was later sinicized to 何 (Ho). He was the founder and chairman of SJM Holdings, which ow ...
has presented the trophies to the race winners on the podium since the sponsorship began.
Results
: The car was in fact, a Porsche 911 Carrera RSR 3.0 with 935 bodykit.
Macau
Macau or Macao (; ; ; ), officially the Macao Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (MSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China in the western Pearl River Delta by the South China Sea. With a pop ...