Safety-Related Circuit Upgrades Announced for Macau

Photo: Porsche

A series of circuit upgrades have been announced for the Guia Circuit ahead of November’s Macau Grand Prix, which will again include the FIA GT World Cup.

Announced in a press conference on Thursday, the 3.85-mile circuit will be upgraded to FIA Grade 2 status in order to accommodate a switch to the more powerful FIA Formula 3 cars that will take part in the FIA F3 World Cup for the first time.

The upgraded safety standards also come in the wake of Sophia Floersch’s massive accident in last year’s race that made international headlines.

Additional “buffer zones”, impact protection foam and barriers will be installed at Reservoir, Mandarin Oriental Bend, Lisboa Bend, Guia Hill areas and ‘R’ Bend, following the recommendations of the FIA, which were in part carried out via extensive computer simulations. 

This year’s FIA GT World Cup will again feature GT3 machinery but with the re-introduction of Silver-rated drivers in an effort to boost car counts.

A total of 15 cars took part last year, with upwards of 20 entries expected. including multiple Asian-based teams returning to the event, which is promoted in part by the SRO Motorsports Group.

John Dagys

John Dagys is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Sportscar365. Dagys spent eight years as a motorsports correspondent for FOXSports.com and SPEED Channel and has contributed to numerous other motorsports publications worldwide. Contact John