From Seoul to Sydney, the Macau Grand Prix Committee (MGPC) and the Macau Government Tourist Office (MGTO) are joining hands to promote the 60th Macau Grand Prix Diamond Jubilee celebrations across the world. Organized by MGTO, the 2013 Macau Festival was held from April 5-7 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and featured the 2001 Macau Grand Prix-winning Formula 3 car of former F1 driver Takuma Sato. At the 10th anniversary of the Formula 1 Chinese Grand Prix from April 10-12, MGPC and MGTO partnered to promote the Macau Grand Prix Diamond Jubilee celebrations at the Shanghai International Circuit to the more than 190,000 spectators who attended the three-day event. In Australia, the storied history of the Macau Grand Prix was celebrated at a Sydney exhibition organized by MGTO Australia which featured past drivers and winners as well as the inaugural 1954 Macau Grand Prix trophy. Among the special guests at the May 23-26 event was legendary Australian driver Brian Lewis, who raced for Eduardo de Carvalho's Macau Grand Prix team in the 1960s, while members of de Carvalho's family, who emigrated from Macau to Australia in 1965, visited the exhibition on the final day to fete the family heirloom. The launch of the exhibit brought out legends and past Macau Grand Prix winners Kevin Bartlett (1969), Vern Schuppan (1974 and 1976), who famously raced for Teddy Yip's eponymous Theodore Racing team, and Fernanda Ribeiro who won the ladies' race in 1956. A week-long 2013 Experience Macau Festival in Seoul featured Korean driver Im Che-won, who is now based in Spain and competing in the European F3 Open's Copa Class, among several VIPs, as well as the car that Spaniard Daniel Juncadella drove to victory in the 2011 Formula 3 Macau Grand Prix. Closer to home, for the first time in its 59-year history, a competition was held to find a theme song for the 60th Macau Grand Prix. The contest, open to all Macau residents, attracted more than 20 entries. The quality of all the entries highlighted the extraordinary depth of musical talent Macau possesses, as well as the inspiration the Grand Prix holds for the residents to whom it belongs. The appropriately-titled 'Number 1', a song composed by Mok Ka Hang and Filipe Tou, was declared the winner. Runners-up in the competition were "GP Racing" and "Racing for our Dreams", while the remaining seven finalists were presented with Merit Awards. As well as reaching out to individual travellers across the region, MGPC participated in a Mini Mart for the Southeast Asian Tourism trade organized by MGTO on April 16 at the Macau Tower Convention and Entertainment Centre. The event represented an opportunity to highlight the numerous unique opportunities the Grand Prix represents for the industry across the region. A focal point of both the promotions and the celebrations marking the diamond jubilee will be a book chronicling the fascinating history of the Macau Grand Prix. The publication, titled 'The Macau Grand Prix at 60. A Diamond Celebration', is published by Dr. Philip Newsome, a recognised Macau Grand Prix historian and author of several authoritative books on the subject over the last two decades, including 'Teddy Yip – from Macau to the world and back' published in 2012. The Grand Prix is also literally taking off after MGPC agreed a promotional campaign with Air Macau which will see information distributed at check-in counters at the airline's destinations, which include Mainland China, Taiwan, Japan, Korea and Thailand. Air Macau will also broadcast the official TV commercial on their inflight programming in July, while discussions are underway with TurboJet to show promotional videos to passengers. Closer to the event itself, a display of elegant and prestigious classic cars will be held from November 9 to 17 at the exhibition hall of the Venetian with free entry, providing visitors and residents alike with a chance to see the racing and road cars of yesteryear. As in previous years, the MGPC will work closely with a number of local associations and civic organisations to ensure all local residents have the opportunity to enjoy the 60th Grand Prix celebrations. Preparations to ensure the Grand Prix is run to the highest international standards continued with the start of a rigorous training programme for race officials and staff on May 4, marked by an opening ceremony held at the Tourism Activities Centre.
The Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture Mr. Cheong U officiated at the ceremony, and awarded the 20 training course instructors certificates of appointment. Nine hundred volunteers have signed up to be part of the historic event this year. The May 4 opening ceremony marked the start of a full schedule of training programmes run by the Automobile General Association Macao-China (AAMC), and courses will continue until July. The programmes include both theory and practical training for the volunteers, covering every aspect of the event to ensure a thorough understanding and high level of competence. Internship programs will be held in August.
The individuals undergoing training include Race Control personnel, track, flag and pitlane marshals, grid staff, track clearance teams and scrutineers. Recruitment of volunteers began in late March and more than half of the enrolment applications were from students, a fact which demonstrates the event's attraction amongst the young which bodes well for the future development of the Grand Prix. Safety remains a major priority and since June, the Rescue Teams, made up of personnel from the Fire Department and Macao health services, have been conducting Rescue driver training. In October, the FIA Medical Delegate will travel to Macau to conduct a training assessment. The AAMC has been working hard both on the training programmes as well as the organisation of the Macau Touring Car Series, which incorporates AAMC N2000, AAMC Road Sport and AAMC Challenge races, the top drivers in each qualifying for an entry in this year's Hotel Fortuna MAC/HKG Interport Race, Macau Touring Car Cup or the Suncity Group Macau Road Sport Challenge. Four Rounds of the Macau Touring Car Series were held at the Guangdong circuit in May and June. The MCGP continues to work tirelessly to ensure the Star River‧Windsor Arch 60th Macau Grand Prix will be a sparkling jewel in the history of both the event and the SAR.
