This article first appeared in the May/Jun 2013 issue of World Gaming magazine.
Macau and the Isle of Man are both small islands and both are known for their love affairs with motor sports. While an affinity with two-wheeled racing is common to both, nothing on the planet can quite compare to the annual Isle of Man TT.
When you talk about crazy sportsmen, you don’t have to go any further than motor sport. And as crazy goes it’s hard to top the riders that take to the track at the Isle of Man TT (Tourist Trophy). There appears to be no shortage of lunatics out there willing to risk life and limb judging by the fact numbers for the 2013 TT, fuelled by Monster Energy, are up and many of the classes have a logjam of entries.
It has been reported that many of the world’s best riders refuse to race their bikes around the Isle of Man and you can understand why considering how dangerous it really is. Most of the riders who saddle up for this street circuit aren’t household names – there are no Casey Stoners, Valentino Rossis or Max Biaggis here – they are just ordinary people who like to go fast. They don’t have multi-million dollar contracts or sponsors like some of their fellow motor sport compatriots but no one could argue the riders and their entourage are not a massive part of the fabric of what motor sport is all about.
The Isle of Man has seen motorbikes tear around its streets since 1905 and the race first became a fixture in 1907. Between 1907 and 2009 a total of 239 riders have died on the Isle of Man – the combination of narrow streets, roads and lanes flanked by stone walls and buildings means there are considerable risks involved. The race was once the most prestigious bike race in the world but this was back in the days when it was part of the FIM Motorcycle Grand Prix World Championship between 1949 and 1976. Those days are long gone and it is now run as a stand-alone event much like the Macau Grand Prix.
The race is run on a time trial format – one rider at a time racing the clock – on closed public roads. Can you imagine how many deaths there would have been over the years if the riders actually raced each other side by side or if they let cars on the road at the same time? It is refreshing, however, that the race continues despite some public pressure. If people want to push their bikes to the limit they should be allowed to do so. Even the fans have to be somewhat fearless as there is only so much safety you can expect when standing on the edge of the road!
This year the series of events run from 25 May to 7 June. Motor sports enthusiasts love to make the pilgrimage to the Isle of Man to see the boys go around. The event is attracting some nice corporate sponsorship, has a great website and looks to be growing rather than diminishing. It is nice to see an event like this grow through adversity and offer something unique to the world of sport. Long live the race, the dreams of those who stage it, and the riders who dream of winning.
Check out the event at www.iomtt.com and put this on your bucket list of must see events, especially if you are a Macau street racing fanatic.
Formula 1
When amateur sport ruled the world, the boys from Formula 1 were the original sporting playboys. Fast cars, stunning women and a life spent travelling the world. No wonder Formula 1 still sits in the minds of many as the world’s fastest and sexiest sport
Even though the season is underway it was interesting to see who burned up the track in Spain during the traditional testing period. Mercedes will be desperate to be the big movers this year with Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton swapping some quick times. Mercedes clocked the fastest time on four of the 12 testing days.
Ferrari will be putting everything behind their superstar Fernando Alonso who went “oh so close” last year – finishing just three points behind champion Sebastian Vettel. Ferrari hasn’t enjoyed the success it craves since the halcyon days of Michael Schumacher but they are rarely out of the limelight for too long.
Red Bull Racing and triple world champion Vettel will remain a force as will his teammate Mark Webber, who also looked particularly quick in pre-season testing.
McLaren and Lotus are also worth watching this year with Kimi Räikkönen’s win in Melbourne suggesting this will be one of the most competitive seasons in a long time. Formula 1 racing is at its best when there isn’t one single dominant team. Wouldn’t it be great to see a dozen drivers still in the hunt at the halfway mark of the year?
Moto GP
These guys might not have the brazenness of the street-racing boys but they go faster than anyone else and do it week after week on the most highly tuned of machines.
The sport has lost one of its champions in Australian Casey Stoner, who walked away to try his hand at V8 racing at the end of last season. Stoner appears to be a fairly level-headed guy so there is no doubt some credence to his frustration with how Moto GP is being run.
All eyes will be on seven-time championship winner Valentino Rossi who joins reigning champion Jorge Lorenzo at Yamaha after a disappointing 2012 with Ducati. He will be looking to further cement his standing as the greatest rider of all time. However, the Yamahas will face stern opposition from Honda and their number one Dani Pedrosa who pushed Lorenzo all the way in 2012. The other major manufacturer that will stand out is Ducati, with Nicky Hayden and Andrea Dovizioso riding for the Italians this year.
The season has already kicked off and you will find many local Macau bars packed to the rafters with fans during MotoGP events. For a great place to watch MotoGP, head to the Irish Bar. They will be showing all of this year’s 18 MotoGP events that take place during their opening hours (09:00 to 03:00). Another great spot in Macau to get your two-wheeled racing fix is the Roadhouse, another bar where they love their bike racing.
Images: Ray Davies
