Macau. The motorsport world focused on Macau last weekend as the 55th edition of the Macau Motorcycle Grand Prix unfolded as part of the 70th Macau Grand Prix. The race on the Guia Circuit street course resulted in a remarkable top-four lockout for the BMW Racers. Leading the pack was Peter Hickman (GBR), who clinched his fourth Macau victory riding his BMW M 1000 RR for FHO Racing BMW Motorrad Team. In second and third places on the podium were Davey Todd (GBR / Burrows Engineering / RK Racing) and David Datzer (GER / MTP Racing by ZERO UP Penz 13). Hickman’s teammate Josh Brookes (GBR) completed the success for the BMW M 1000 RR with a fourth-place finish.
Uwe Geyer, Head of BMW Motorrad Customer Racing, commended the BMW riders for their outstanding performance in Macau, emphasizing the sensational result of a BMW M 1000 RR top-four lockout. Hickman’s exceptional victory, Todd’s impressive comeback to the BMW racing family, Datzer’s podium finish in his second Macau appearance, and Brookes’ excellent debut in this challenging race were all celebrated as a testament to the successful representation of BMW’s colors in Macau.
Hickman returned to Macau for the first time since 2019, and it marked the first appearance on the Guia Circuit for the FHO Racing BMW Motorrad Team. Amidst this setting, Hickman showcased his prowess by claiming the fastest times in practices and securing pole position.
Hickman led at the start of the race before a red flag prompted a restart. He maintained his lead, eventually finishing with a 28.969-second lead over Todd after twelve laps, securing a convincing victory.
Expressing his joy, Hickman shared, “We’ve had a fantastic result. We’re at Faye’s home event and it’s her proper home track, it’s her city and it’s just fantastic to be first in every single session and winning the race, so I couldn’t really ask for more than that – I’m super happy. The boys have worked absolutely mega, the BMW M 1000 RR has been superb to be honest. The track was a bit bumpier than it used to be, which makes it hard to ride. But the FHO Racing team have got the bike pretty much bang on and I felt really comfortable. Davey obviously gave us a bit of a push to start with, but we could really keep the pace and he couldn’t, so we managed to break away and disappeared up the road and just managed it from there.”
Todd, who experienced a rollercoaster of emotions on race day, overcame a technical issue to secure second place on the podium after a persistent effort from him and his team.
Reflecting on his experience, Todd said, “I wasn’t expecting a day like that at all. It was just one of those so unlucky things at the first start. The guys pushed the bike back to the garage and I felt as if my world had come apart walking back down pit lane. But the team kept going and worked flat out just in case the race was stopped and we could jump in the re-run. And we got back out there. I managed to take it up with Pete for four laps, trying to sit in behind him. I knew that the tyres would come into play and tried to save them as much as I can. I just did not have the tyre to compete at the end. Hat’s off to Pete, he had a great race and thanks to the team for an awesome job.”
Datzer also expressed his excitement after securing his second podium finish in Macau, attributing it to his perseverance and the exceptional support from his team.
“It’s amazing, just amazing”, Datzer enthused on the podium. “After my bad start I thought, oh no, the fast guys are gone. However, I’m blessed to have a great bike which has been prepared by a great team. I worked my way through and to be on the podium again at Macao is a great way to end the event.”
Paul Jordan (GBR / ZERO UP Racing Team by Penz 13) and Sam West (GBR / moto-hub.co.uk) also delivered strong performances, finishing seventh and tenth, respectively, and securing places in the top ten.