2001 Macau Grand Prix - Lap of the Circuit
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2001 Macau Grand Prix Results
A lap of the circuit with Roger
On a flying lap on the Reve Red Bull Ducati, I cross the finish line in third, hooking 4th just before rolling off for the left hander at Reservoir Bend. A quick exit here is vital as the following straight is the fastest part of the circuit, up to 6th and slightly over 180mph, before dabbing the brakes, hooking 5th, and flying through the Mandarin corner. Flat out again into 6th and down to the first tight corner, Lisboa, for which you hit the brakes at the 200 yd marker and come back to 1st on the Ducati. Out of Lisboa and up to 2nd, before going right, under the bridge, and up the San Francisco Hill. Full throttle up here into 4th, flicking right - left - right again, then back to 1st gear for the first tight left hander. There follows a sequence of 10 corners, left, right, left etc, but all are slightly different even though all are taken in 2nd gear. All are blind, too, so confidence and circuit knowledge is everything.
At the end of this sequence, the track goes through a right hander which has changed this year, as the buildings on either side have been knocked down and the road re-aligned and resurfaced. This is a 1st gear corner, Moorish Hill, and is followed by another 1st gear right, then out into the open and round the left handed Donna Maria Bend, again in 1st. Up to 2nd for the short blast downhill to the infamous Melco hairpin. This is one of my favourite sections, and a great place to pass provided your bike behaves on the brakes over the bumps. squeeze round here, clutch in, in 1st gear, then short shift into 2nd for the following left, then full throttle as you hurtle down the hill and into third then 4th through the right and left kinks as you head for the sea. Hard braking at the 100yd marker and back to 2nd for Fishermans Bend, which is very bumpy, so again better to sacrifice corner speed for a good exit onto the seafront straights. Full throttle again as you hook 4th, then back to 2nd for the final corner "R" Bend (which this year has a huge paint spill mid-corner!), and as soon as you dare, wind it on to full throttle and tuck in as you cross the line to begin another lap...
Map of Guia Circuit