Mortara First Overseas GT Driver at Macau Since Pandemic

Edoardo Mortara will participate in the Macau GT Cup later this month, becoming the first overseas-based driver to take part in the race since the coronavirus pandemic started.

Multiple Formula E race winner Mortara will pilot an Audi R8 LMS GT3 Evo II run by Absolute Racing under the Audi Sport Asia Team Absolute banner.

The Swiss-Italian is the most successful driver in the GT element of the Macau Grand Prix with four victories at the 3.9-mile Guia street circuit to date.

Three of his wins came in Audi machinery, while his fourth with Mercedes-AMG occurred during the event’s five-year stint under the FIA GT World Cup banner.

The 69th edition of the Macau Grand Prix is scheduled to take place on Nov. 17-20.

“After our customers in Asia have remained loyal to the Macau Grand Prix in previous years, we are now delighted to see the comeback of Edoardo Mortara,” said Chris Reinke, head of Audi Sport customer racing.

“It’s great to see him back at the wheel of an Audi at the famous city race. A warm welcome back to Edo.”

Alexander Blackie, manager of Audi Sport customer racing Asia, added: “The Macau Grand Prix is a truly legendary race meeting, so it’s fitting that we bring Audi legend Edo Mortara to the city streets to compete for Audi’s fifth GT Cup title.

“We thank Audi Sport customer racing HQ for their strong support to bring this over the line, and now we cannot wait to go racing alongside our customers and teams.”

Macau’s entry restrictions during the coronavirus pandemic, which started in early 2020, prevented international drivers and teams from attending the last two editions of the Grand Prix.

But Macau has eased some of its border measures in recent months, with citizens from selected nations including the U.S. and several in Europe now permitted to enter provided that they test negative for COVID-19 and observe a seven-day quarantine period.

Sportscar365 understands that 2019 FIA GT World Cup winner Raffaele Marciello could join Mortara as an international competitor at Macau this year.

Switzerland’s Alexandre Imperatori has been the only European driver able to contest the Macau GT Cup during the pandemic, courtesy of his residence in China.