PICCA Round 11 - Macau Grand Prix
(17-20th November 2005)


The Great Race!

 

The final round of the 2005 Porsche Carrera Cup Asia was hailed as the most exciting race at the 52nd Macau Grand Prix.

 


Matthew was ultimately disappointed to finish third behind C. Nattavude and race winner Darryl O’Young: “It is an honour to have been part of such a great race – a clean and hard fought race,” said Matthew. “But I wanted to win here more than I have anywhere else, ever. I’ll spend the winter thinking about how I lost on my favourite circuit…”

The event seemed to be a duel between Matthew and his Hong Kong Le Mans team co-driver Darryl O’Young. Matthew took first blood by finishing ahead of Darryl in free practice – then Darryl took pole position in a closely fought qualifying session. “On Thursday and Friday it was all about Darryl and me; there was no one else close,” said Matthew.

When the Hong Kong duo lined-up on the front row of the grid on Sunday both cars showed scratches and dents from the walls of the Guia circuit. “Someone told me the fastest way around is to rub the walls,” said Matthew. “Darryl and I seem to have taken that advice!”

As expected, Darryl and Matthew fought hard from the off – running side-by-side through the first two, very fast, turns before Darryl took the advantage on the run down to the infamous Lisboa corner. It was here that Matthew made an error which was to cost him any hope of victory. “I was so focussed on Darryl – so convinced the race was only about me and him – that I forgot about anyone behind us!” Braking a little early, Matthew was passed by both Nattavude and Nigel Albon.
 

The top four cars circulated covered by less than two seconds with O’Young and Albon fighting for the lead and Marsh and Nattavude for third. Albon briefly passed O’Young before hitting the wall heavily in the mountain section of the 6.2 kilometre track. Somehow the closely following trio were able to avoid the Briton’s damaged car.
 



Thus it was Darryl who won the race from Nattavude and Matthew. Jonathan Cocker finished fifth – behind guest driver Marchy Lee – and thus took the 2005 championship by one point from Nattavude.
 

This is how it feels to lose at Macau!
 

Matthew with race engineer Stuart Parker - whose team won the Carrera Cup GB championship in 2003 and 2005.

Famous driver coach Rob Wilson (here with his pupil Bruno Senna) was popular at Macau as the guest driver in Noble Group's Carrera Cup car.
 

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