Motorsport street circuit in Macau
The
Guia Circuit
, or
Circuito da Guia
, is a 6.120 km (3.803 mi)
street circuit
located at the southeast region of the
Macau Peninsula
in
Macau
. It is the venue of the
Macau Grand Prix
and
Guia Race of Macau
. The circuit consists of long straights and tight corners, and features the characteristics of a typical street circuit - narrow, bumpy and limited overtaking opportunities. However, there are two special features that can rarely be found in other street circuits - variation in altitude (over 30 m (100 ft) between highest and lowest point of the circuit) and an ultra long main straight that allows top speed of 260 km/h (160 mph) on
Formula Three
cars. As a result, the circuit is recognised as one of the most challenging circuits in the world in terms of both driving and tuning, as cars have to maintain competitive speed to overcome hill-climbing, twisty corners and long straights in a single lap.
History
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Architectural model of the Guia Circuit at the
Grand Prix Museum
The Guia Circuit was originally conceived in 1954 as the route for a treasure hunt around the streets of the city,
[1]
but shortly after the event it was suggested that the hunt's track could host an amateur racing event for local motor enthusiasts. Since 1967, with the introduction of a
motorcycle race
, the track has become a venue for both motorcycle and
car racing
events.
Layout
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The Hotel Lisboa Curve
Unlike other regular racing tracks in the world, the layout of the Guia Circuit has not been modified since 1957 (the
pit
and
paddock
complex has been relocated to the present location since 1993, but the layout of the circuit has not been changed). The narrowest part of the track has a width of merely 7 m (23 ft), which is located at the Melco
Hairpin
. The whole length of the circuit is safely bounded by
Armco barriers
painted in black and yellow stripes. There used to be a
gravel trap
near the Reservoir Bend but since the pit and paddock complex was moved to the present location, this feature has been removed.
Grandstands
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Grandstand at the Guia Circuit
There are two major grandstands around the circuit for spectators to watch live racing - the main grandstand along the pit straight and the other one at the Lisboa Bend. The Lisboa Bend is the most famous spot of excitement as it offers the only possible overtaking opportunity at the end of the main straight. On the other hand, it is also notorious for massive pile-ups on opening laps due to its 90-degree turn configuration and its significant reduction in track width. As a result, the ticket price for a seat at the Lisboa Bend is much higher than that of a seat at the main grandstand. But as with most street circuits there are many people who stand or sit next to the track or on bridges and fly overs.
Racing events
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The circuit is unique for its combination of motorcycle and car racing events within the same race weekend. The Macau Motorcycle GP, the
Guia Race
(
WTCC
final rounds from 2005 to 2014) and the Macau Formula 3 GP are the highlights of the race weekend. In addition, various kind of racing events are organised for competition between local and regional (
Hong Kong
,
Taiwan
,
Japan
,
South East Asia
, etc.) enthusiasts.
Current events
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]
- November:
FIA F3 World Cup
,
FIA GT World Cup
,
TCR World Tour
Guia Race of Macau
,
Macau Motorcycle Grand Prix
,
TCR China Touring Car Championship
,
Chinese Touring Car Championship
,
Formula 4 South East Asia Championship
Macau Asia Formula 4
, TCR Asia Challenge, Macau 70th Anniversary Challenge, Greater Bay Area GT Cup, Macau Roadsport Challenge
Former events
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Lap records
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]
Italics
indicate discontinued class. As of November 2023, the fastest official race lap records at the Guia Circuit are listed as:
[2]
In 2003,
Ralph Firman
, winner of the 1996 F3 race, set a lap time of 1min 59.4sec during a demonstration event as part of the Macau Grand Prix's 50th anniversary celebrations in a
Jordan
EJ13
Formula 1
car.
[26]
Appearances in video games
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See also
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Notes
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- ^
a
b
The start line was moved backwards in 1993.
References
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External links
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Current (
2024
)
| TCR Asia
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TCR Asia Endurance
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Former
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