Eight Aussies bound for 70th Macau Grand Prix

The 70th Macau Grand Prix is set to get underway over the weekends of November 11-12 and November 16-19, with eight Australians named on the provisional entry list across four categories.

Australians will be represented across the FIA Formula 3 World Cup, Formula 4, TCR World Tour, and the 55th Macau Motorcycle Grand Prix.

11 Categories are represented in Macau with the Formula 4 to be represented across the first weekend on November 11-12, whilst the other Aussie contested categories will take place across the second weekend.

AUSSIE ENTRIES

Formula 3

Tommy Smith

Christian Mansell

Formula 4

Jack Beeton

Peter Bouzelinos

Nicolas Stati

TCR World Tour

Ben Bargwanna

55th Macau Motorcycle Grand Prix

David Ian Johnson

Joshua Andrew Brookes

At the top of the tree is the FIA F3 World Cup, the first time the category has participated at the Macau Grand Prix since 2019.

There are two Aussies in the provisional list, Tommy Smith and Christian Mansell, both of whom are likely to still be on the FIA circuit next year, with both enjoying full seasons in 2023.

Mansell was the better performed of the two in the pointscore, as well as capturing two podiums at Silverstone, and season high finish of P2 at Spa Francorchamps for Campos Racing.

Mansell has also had a shift in teams, and after taking to the F3 preseason with ART Grand Prix, he’ll also be competing in Macau with the French team.

Smith’s year was underset by qualifying performances, but showed good promise and development in his debut year with Van Amersfoort Racing, with the Dutch team bringing him on for a second year.

The F3 field will have a 10 lap Qualifying race on the 18th, and a 15 lap as the headline act on the 19th.

Representing the Australian entries in the Formula 4 will be the country’s biggest F4 team and F4 focused training program – the Sydney based, AGI Sport – with three future prospects taking the wheels of the teams new F4 Tatuus machinery.

They’ll be taking over three young chargers in Jack Beeton, Peter Bouzelinos, and Nicolas Stati.

Whilst WA’s Stati is fresh out of Karting but has had experience in an F4 car through AGI’s training academy and the recent Ferrari Driver Academy course alongside Bouzelinos in Malaysia, Beeton is the most experienced of the three.

Bouzelinos is also a class race winner in the Australian Formula Open Series with AGI Sport, and Beeton has been racing in the Italian F4 Championship for Van Amersfoort Racing, as well as having contested the UAE F4 Championship at the beginning of the year. He was also one of the two regional finalists to head to Italy as part of the Ferrari Driver Academy world scouting finals.

Across the first weekend, the AGI Sport F4 boys will be on track for a single 12 lap race, the Macau Formula 4 Grand Prix, on November 12.

In the TCR World Tour, Ben Bargwanna will compete in his third international event for the French based Team Clairet Sport, with backing from his TCR Australia sponsors Burson Auto Parts Racing.

Bargwanna has raced on the TCR World Tour in Portugal and Spa, he had a high of P12 at the Algarve circuit and was placed as the highest Rookie in Race 2.

Bargwanna will be on track from November 16-19, with the 9 lap Race 1 on Saturday the 18th, and Race 2 on the Sunday.

The TCR World Tour field will enjoy two races on the 18th and 19th, both 9 lap affairs.

The last two Aussies in action in Macau are motorcycle riders Joshua Brookes and David Johnson, set to take part in the 55th Macau Motorcycle Grand Prix.

Brookes is a veteran of the world scene, having contested five Isle of Man TT events where he’s multiple a podium winner, and at this years event, completed a personal best lap of the worlds most harrowing motorcycle track.

Brookes also raced for five manufacturers in six seasons of the Superbike World Championship, and is a two time British Superbike champion where he’s still collecting wins for BMW.

Brookes will be representing the FHO Racing BMW Motorrad team (his British SBK squad) on a BMW M1000RR.

South Australian David Johnson is another veteran of the Isle of Man TT scene, and made his return to this year’s TT event after a year out with injury following a bad crash in the British Superbikes at Oulton, taking to the island on Honda CBR1000RR-R Fireblade.

Johnson has been going to the Isle of Man since 2010 in the Japanese machinery, and will now head to Macau with Dafabet Racing, switching to the Kawasaki ZX10RR.

The 12 lap 55th Macau Motorcycle Grand Prix will be on Saturday the 18th.

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