FIM-UAM Asian Motocross Championships, Macau and the Asian Karting Open Championships, Macau mark the opening of the Motorsport Festival – Grand Prix

Organized jointly by the Macau Sports Development Board (MSDB), the Macau Government Tourist Office (MGTO)and the China-Macau Autosports Club (ACMC), the FIM-UAM Asian Motocross Championships, Macau and the Asian Karting Open Championships, Macau to be held in October and November will mark the opening of the Motorsport Festival – Grand Prix Carnival.

Macau hosted a round of the FIM-UAM Asian Motocross Championships for the first time in 2003, and it was acclaimed as a successful event by both spectators and competitors alike. This year, Macau will again organize a round of this important series, which also visits Indonesia, the Philippines, Guam and the United Arab Emirates.

To be held on October 29 and 30, the FIM-UAM Asian Motocross Championships, Macau will be televised globally on Star TV and ESPN to a projected audience of 400 million households, putting Macau in the international spotlight.

The FIM-UAM Asian Motocross Championships is organized by the world motorcycle sport governing body, the Federation Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM) and the Asian Motorcycling Union (UAM), with the Macau round organized by the MSDB, MGTO and the ACMC. Established in 1998, the UAM is the governing body for all motorcycle events held in Asia and is comprised of 18 member countries including Macau.

Macau will host the penultimate round of the 2004 Asian Karting Open Championships (AKOC) on November 13 and 14, as one of the highlights of the Motorsport Festival – Grand Prix Carnival. It was through the efforts of the MGTO, MSDB and the ACMC that Macau has secured the right to host the fourth round of the region’s leading karting series.

In addition to Macau, the Championships includes stops in Malaysia, the Philippines, India and Indonesia, and is recongnised as the most challenging karting series in the region.

AKOC has attracted some most talented youngsters from the region, and the Macau round has encouraged strong entry from China, Korea, Japan, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Macau for the series.

The event will be held at the Kartodromo in Coloane, Macau. The international B grade karting facility has a 1.25km circuit, with a grandstand which can seat up to 2,500 spectators, control tower, briefing room, restaurant, VIP rooms – and even has a children’s go-kart circuit.

First launched in 2002, the AKOC aims to promote the karting sport in Asia and to improve the drivers’ skill.

The FIM-UAM Asian Motocross Championships, Macau and the Asian Karting Open Championships, Macau will be live broadcast on Teledifusão De Macau (TDM).

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November 13-14, 2004
Venue: Karting Track Coloane, Macau
Organizers: Macau Sport Development Board, China-Macau Autosports Club, Macau Government Tourist Office

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Asian Karting Open Champions (AKOC) started on April, 2002 with three countries: Philippines, Malaysia and Indonesia, playing host to karters in the regions. The Series main objective was to develop karting as and to uplift the skills of Asian Karters to world standard level.

The AKOC, as it was called, became an instant success with participations coming from Malaysia, Indonesia, India, Philippines, China, Hong Kong, Brunei and Singapore. An average of 80 karters join loyal karting teams from the region supports in the series.

The entry of Macau on the AKOC has brought karters from the East Asian region particularly China, Korea, Japan, Hong Kong and Taiwan. For the first time in the history of the Asian Karting, a total of 13 countries and regions will compete side by side in the historic Asian Karting Open Championships in Macau.

Despite having graduated to the FIA F3000 Championship mid-season, Ernesto Viso is still hoping to feature in the end-of-season Formula Three events in Macau and Bahrain, and is currently talking to UK team Hitech.

As usual, the sticking point appears to be sponsorship and, despite having backing from long-time sponsors Cantv, Ultralub and IND, Viso is attempting to finalise extra funds to confirms a seat in the two events, which are expected to bring the cream of this year's international F3 crop together for the final time. Macau is already established as one of the blue riband F3 events, while Bahrain's new grand prix circuit replaces the former street event that was staged in Korea's Changwon district.

"We have a proposal from Hitech to run in Macau and Bahrain, but it will all depend on whether we manage to obtain the funds to do what are two costly events," Viso admitted, "For the time being, I am continuing to prepare in the gym and keeping my hand in as an instructor at the Formula Palmer Audi school.”

Viso raced in last year's Macau-Korea double-header with Promatecme, but was forced to retire from one leg of both events. He also contested the inaugural Sardinia F3 Masters with Carlin Motorsport, claiming fourth place in leg one before again being forced out of part two.

After Popeye Rubi, three other Cebuano motocrossers will try their luck in an international event in Macau on October 30.

They are Jon-Jon Adlawan, Renan Alquisola and Ian Reyes, all from PowerSports Racing (PSR), according to PSR main man Jonas Adlawan.

Adlawan will be representing the country in the juniors division, Alquisola in the peewee, and Reyes in the 125 class.

Adlawan and Alquisola earned slots to the RP team after the staging of the second leg of the 2004 Camel Motocross Series in Bacolod City last Saturday.

Adlawan bagged the juniors crown after beating eight other riders including teammate Ryan Alquisola, who came out second.

In the mini class, Renan Alquisola finished fourth, but it was enough for him to earn a ticket to the Macau tilt.

Two other PSR riders barged into the top five with Joshua Abellar finishing second and Edgar Alduane Canlas fourth in the novice 125 class.

SHENZHEN, South China, Oct. 17 (Xinhuanet) -- Singapore kept its unbeaten run at the Asian under-18 women's basketball championshiphere with a 77-16 victory over Macao of China on Sunday.

Singapore, who had defeated Malaysia and India in its previous Group B matches, now ranks atop in the group that also includes the Philippines.

The Singaporeans raced to a 22-0 lead in the first quarter and Macao of China didn't score a point until Sandra Chang hit a 2-pointer with 1:10 left to go.

Struggling with poor accuracy, Macao scored eight points in thesecond period. It was, however, the most they got in a single quarter during Sunday's match.

Holding a 28-point advantage at halftime, the Singaporean players looked sluggish in the following minutes. Even so, Macao couldn't make any improvement and had to settle for its third straight loss at the tournament.

Chery I Poon, who hit nine 3-pointers to score 31 points in Singapore's 89-46 victory over Malaysia on Saturday, was the leading scorer with 17 points.

Gwendalynn Koh had 12 points and 13 rebounds for Singapore. Sandra Chang and Ang Maybelline added 12 points apiece.

Leong I Wai led all Macao players with five points and eight rebounds.

Macao of China shot only 7-for-45, while their Singaporean opponents were 28-for-62 from the field.

The other Group B match for Sunday will later be contested between the Philippines and Malaysia. India has bye on Sunday.

According to the competition rules, teams in Group B compete for promotion to Group A, while those in Group A, including defending champion China, South Korea and Japan, vie for the title.

The biennial regional tournament kicked off on Friday and runs through next Thursday. Top two finishers of the event qualify fornext year's world championship in Tunisia. Enditem

SHENZHEN, South China, Oct. 16 (Xinhuanet) -- C. Rashmi scored a game-high 25 points to lead India past Macao of China 97-37 at the Asian under-18 women's basketball championship here on Saturday.

Singapore, who crushed Malaysia 89-46 earlier Saturday, now leads Group B with two straight victories, followed by the Philippines and India on one win.

The Philippines has bye on Saturday.

Rashmi got India off to the start they wanted, firing in eight points to steer her team to a 16-point lead and stretch it to 24 points at halftime.

Baffled with India's zone defence, Macao scored just five and six points respectively in the last two quarters.

Macao shot only 14-for-48 overall from the field, while India was 39-for-73.

Aashna scored 13 points and Bharti added 11 points for India.

Kun Sok Man was the top scorer of Macao with 15 points, and Cheong In Ian had eight points in 40 minutes.

Teams in Group B compete for promotion to Group A, while those in Group A, including defending champion China, South Korea and Japan, vie for the title.

The biennial regional tournament kicked off on Friday and runs through next Thursday. Top two finishers of the event qualify fornext year's world championship in Tunisia. Enditem

Briton Michael Rutter, who notched up his fourth Macau title in six years in 2003, is set for a return to one of the most unique and demanding road races on earth, the 38th Macau Motorcycle Grand Prix taking place during late November.

Rutter, fresh from a tremendous year in the British Superbike Championship, which saw him finish the season second on the leaderboard in the highly-competitive series, the 31-year-old will be aboard a 1000cc Honda Racing Team machine for this year's Macau Motorcycle Grand Prix as he continues his charge to break motorcycle legend Ron Haslam's unbeaten record of six Macau victories.

However, such is the quality of the entry this year, that Rutter will find it tough to repeat his dominance of the event last year.

On-track arch rival and off-track friend, John McGuinness, who won the event in 2001 and has been runner-up to Rutter for the last two years, will be aboard a 1000cc Monstermob Ducati and no doubt with the determination to break his adversary's run of wins. The 32-year-old fellow Briton has had a brilliant season, winning the Formula 1 and Junior events at the Isle of Man TT and also competing in the British Superbike Championship, finishing third in the Brands Hatch GP round. In the TT, McGuinness set a new outright lap record.

Britons, with their superior experience on street circuits, have won the Macau event for the last six years, and included in the strong UK contingent is multi-Isle of Man TT winner Ian Lougher and racing journalist Gus Scott who describes the Guia Circuit as “the most challenging and exciting track I have ever ridden on”.

Scott, who is making his sixth trip to the Far East Classic and has been competing in the British Superbike Cup this year finishing a creditable seventh, will ride the 1000cc Vodka Kick Slingshot Honda.

Macau regulars Iain Duffus and last year's third place finisher Brian Morrison have hung up their leathers but the lure of Macau has inspired them to form their own team and bring Macau newcomers Les Shand and Dean Ellison.

Other British newcomers include James McBride, Ian Armstrong and Roy Richardson who is mounted on the Fylde Superbikes 636cc Kawasaki.

Returning to Macau after a two-year absence is Scotsman Roger Bennett. Making his 14th visit, Bennett has always sworn to conquer the Guia Circuit, just missing out on a victory in 1996 when he finished second. Bennett won the Scottish Championship in 2002 and 2003 on a 1000cc Suzuki.

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Speculation has been rife of a Formula 3 debut and Asian Formula Renault Champion Rodolfo Avila has now confirmed his participation in the forthcoming FIA Formula 3 Intercontinental Cup at the 51st Macau Grand Prix. UK-based British F3 Championship-winning team Carlin Motorsport has been tagged, with which the young Macanese shall carry the cudgels for Macau in a Dallara Mugen-Honda.

"I consider this a golden opportunity I aim to use well. The inherent pressure of home ground competition is something I may have to contend with but the overwhelming support of my fellow-Macanese will surely keep me focused and inspired", says the 17-year-old about competing at an event many consider as the testing ground for future Formula 1 stars.

Previous testing at Pembrey throughout summer consistently produced positive results for the young driver and another set of tests at Croft, already under way, are all aimed to keep Avila up to par with the world's best. Carlin Motorsport is known to have played a critical role in the careers of winning drivers such as Takuma Sato, Kimi Raikonnen, Jenson Button, and fellow Macanese Andre Couto, among others.

"My motorsport management team and I have plotted my career and if all goes well in Macau, we may be looking into a full F3 series next season. As in all my previous races, my sights will be on getting a respectable finish position; of course, anything better than that would be magnificent", added Avila.

Direct from Croft, Avila returns to China in time for the penultimate round of the Asian Formula Renault Challenge at Zhuhai, where he currently trails the series leader by a single point.

As the Asia Formula Renault 2000 Championship unfolds by the third weekend of October, all eyes will then be on the 51st Macau Grand Prix, which is slated to be held from November 18 to 21.

The Macau Guia Race has attracted its most high-profile entry in years as the race gears up to become the final round of the new FIA World Touring Car Championship from next season.

In preparation for 2005, the Macau Grand Prix Committee (MGPC) has modified the regulations and format of the race this year to bring them closer to the FIA WTCC rules. This year, the SJM Guia Race will be run over two race of 8 laps each (approximately 50km each), with a 15 minute break in betweeb.

This year's event has also been opened up to the Super 2000 specification cars that compete in the ETCC, the Hong Kong Touring Car Championship (HKTCC), Macau competitors, and other national series which allow Super 2000 machinery.

As an a result, the entry list for the event is certainly healthy.

The entry list is dominated by BMW, which enjoyed a clean sweep of the drivers', manufacturers' and independents' titles in the ETCC this year.

Newly-crowned ETCC champion Andy Priaulx is confirmed for Macau in a Schnitzer-run Team BMW Germany 320i, with the squad also brings running regular drivers Jorg and Dirk Muller, who shared out five ETCC victories between them.

Also running a pair of BMWs are Carly Motors, winners of the past four touring car races at Macau. Duncan Huisman, who has claimed Guia honours for the last three years, drives one car, with ETCC Independents' champion Tom Coronel.

Another BMW is entered by the British Edenbridge Racing team. Former British Touring Car champion, and 1989 Macau winner, Tim Harvey will be behind the wheel.

BMW is also represented by a trio of teams from the German DMSB-Produktionswagen-Meisterschaft (DPM) series.

Team Engstler Racing and Team Wiechers have been frontrunners in their domestic championship with Franz Engstler and Marc Hennerici respectively. Both will be looking to improve on their podium finishes from last year's Guia race. Guia regular Ratanakul Prutirat has been drafted into the Engstler squad along with newcomer Jody Coseteng of the Philippines.

Schubert was last year's DPM title winner and its three-car BMW squad is led by team boss Torsten Schubert, another driver familiar with the streets of Macau.

Spanish manufacturer SEAT's in-house factory team is bringing two of its Toledo Cupra R contenders to Macau. Former Macau F3 GP winner Rickard Rydell, who gave SEAT its first ETCC victory at Oschersleben in September, drives one, while Jordi Gene will be behind the wheel of the other.

Jan Nilsson represents Volvo with a solo S60, a car originally developed by race and rally specialist Prodrive Engineering – the people who run the Subaru WRC team. Another front-line Swedish team, Tomas Engstrom Racing, has entered a Honda Civic Type-R for BTCC regular James Kaye.

GR Asia also represents Honda. The team that starred in last year's Guia race with Simon Harrison is back - with Simon Harrison and Toni Ruokonen driving the the two Civics the team has run in this year's ETCC.

The region's leading touring car experts join the international field from the Asian Touring Car Series (ATCS) and the HKTCC, and there is also a strong contingent of eight Macau drivers.

ATCS Division one points leader going into the final round of the 2004 season, Lo Ka Fai, will be at the wheel of his 778 Autosport Honda Integra, and is joined by series regulars Lo Ka Chun, Chen Jun San, and 2003 champion Gary Sham.

From the HKTCC, championship leader Kenneth Look drives a Honda Integra DC5, while Paul Poon and Samson Fung are in the pair of China Dragon Racing Team Honda Civic EP3s. Rolly Sham and Lau Keung Tak make up the remainder of the HKTCC contingent also in EP3s for the Cheong's Speed Limited team.

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The sons of former world champions Alan Jones, Nelson Piquet and Keke Rosberg will all race in next month's prestigious Macau F3 grand prix.

The famous fathers won the Formula One title, respectively, in 1980, 1981 and 1982, although Piquet also did the winning deed in 1983 and 1987.

Alan Jones' little known Australian son, Christian, will compete against teenagers Nico Rosberg and Nelson Piquet Jnr at Macau on November 21.

MACAO, (Xinhuanet) -- Chief Executive of the Macao SpecialAdministrative Region (SAR) Edmund Ho Hau Wah will light the flamefor the Macao 2005 East Asian Games (EAG) to start the torch-relayfor the event on October 29.

Manuel Silverio, Chairman of the Organizing Committee of the fourth EAG, said Wednesday that the flame-lighting ceremony and the ensuing torch relay activity for the EAG will take a scene in front of Macao's most historical landmark, the A-Ma Temple Square,which will start the one-year countdown of the biggest sports event to be held in Macao next year.

Silverio said that the flame-lighting ceremony will be followedby the Drunken Dragon Dance performance by the Macao Fish Sellers'Association.

Famous athletes from East Asian countries and regions, including two Athens Olympic champions from China, female judoka Xian Dongmei and female diver Lao Lishi, will participate in the torch relay.

The Organizing Committee of the 4th EAG will stage a grand ceremony to launch the Countdown Clock of the EAG at the Golden Lotus Square, which will be the end-point of the torch relay. Enditem

Many Asian newspapers from Macao, China and Hong Kong published the scandalous news about the "bankrupt" betting parlor "Lisbon Sport" who lost US$ 4.1 Million on the Andorra-Macedonia duel. A day after the qualifying match which ended with surprising victory for Andorra, employees of this betting company sent an official complaint to FIFA, claiming that the match was fixed.

Makedonski sport could not get confirmation from FIFA about this matter, because they did not work today. [The article was written on Sunday and appeared in the Monday edition.]

Asian newspapers claim that the Austrian betting parlor "Interveten" placed a bet of Euros 110.000 in the Hong Kong betting parlor "Joker Sport," which managed to react swiftly and place a defensive bet of US$ 210.000 in Macao where the winning coefficient of 20 was second highest in the world (the highest was in Greece - 25).

Macao of China finished its outing at the Asian under-18 women's basketball championship after losing 86-37 to Malaysia in its last Group B match here on Monday.

Macao led Malaysia 4-2, 6-5 and 8-7 in the opening quarter, butSim Ming Huey hit two baskets to help Malaysia overtake the lead at 12-10 at the end of this period.

The Malaysians went on a 10-1 run to pull away at 22-11 with 5:41 remaining in the second quarter and 29-18 at halftime.

The match turned lopsided after the break as Macao players struggled with their poor shooting accuracy and had to settle for its fourth defeat in a row at the tournament that began on Friday.

Nur Lzzati led Malaysian players with 15 points, and Law Wen Nee added 14. Lee Siew Fun had six points and 10 rebounds.

Chan Hong was the top scorer for Macao with eight points.

Malaysia was 33-for-70 from the field, while Macao went just 13-for-47. The Malaysians also outnumbered their opponents 19-4 in rebounding.

Earlier, India routed the Philippines 81-33 in another Group B match.

Singapore now remains at the top of Group B with three straightvictories. India and Malaysia are in joint second place, both on two victories against one loss. The Philippines is fourth, with Macao at the bottom.

According to the competition rules, teams in Group B compete for promotion to Group A, while those in Group A, including defending champion China, South Korea and Japan, vie for the title.

The biennial regional tournament kicked off on Friday and will run through Thursday. Top two finishers of the event qualify for next year's world championship in Tunisia. Enditem

NO RAIN, NO VINNIE ROE

# VINNIE ROE's Down Under plans may come underdone.

Irish trainer Dermot Weld's four-time Irish St Leger winner is already in Sandown, Australia, but could well be on the next plane back to Ireland without seeing a racetrack.

Connections have threatened to withdraw the Melbourne Cup entry from next Tuesday's 3,200m nation-stopper unless it rains.

Said Mark Weld, the trainer's son: 'Everything hinges on what falls from above. If there is not a considerable ease in the ground he won't partake.'

Flemington's rock-hard surface was largely blamed for Vinnie Roe's fourth in the 2002 Melbourne Cup. But Weld still holds one ace in Media Puzzle who won the same edition, with Australian top hoop Damien Oliver up.

Weld said the final decision on Vinnie Roe would not be made until race day.

Oliver will reunite with Media Puzzle after weeks of being linked to the other foreign entry Distinction.

The two Irish runners are currently listed as the second and third favourites behind last year's winner Makybe Diva.

THWAITES PLANS KRANJI ROCK

# TRAINER Malcolm Thwaites hopes to be back at Kranji come May next year.

No, the former Kranji champion is not planning to move his Macau operations here.

Rather, he is hoping his stable flagship Rock N Roll Kid will get a crack at the glamour $3 million Singapore Airlines International Cup on May 15.

The Group 1 2,000m event, a race which he won with Ouzo in 2000, is one of two international races the 59-year-old is considering for his promising charge.

Last Sunday at Taipa, Rock N Roll Kid capped his fourth feature-race success in the Japan Racing Association Trophy. His other big wins were the Macau Cup, Macau Guineas and Macau Gold Cup.

The other race which Thwaites has in mind is the Selangor Turf Club's inaugural international race which is expected to be staged during the second half of the year.

The Macao East Asian Games Organizing Committee (MEAGOC) signed a TV signal production and transmission contract with China Central TV (CCTV) Macao on October 29 to sell the host broadcasting right of the event.

The 29.3 million yuan (3.6 million US dollars) contract was linked by Fernando Chui Sai On, Secretary of Social and Cultural Affairs of the Macao Special Administrative Region government, and CCTV director Zhao Huayong.

Under the contract, CCTV will use its production and global broadcasting coverage network to produce and relay promotional programs, opening and closing ceremony, torch relay, semi-finals and finals of 15 sports of the Fourth East Asian Games (EAG) to be held from October 29 to November 6 next year in Macao.

Another 1 million yuan (125,000 US dollars) contract was also signed here by MEAGOC on Friday to sell to CCTV the EAG broadcast rights in China's mainland.

The Fourth EAG will be the largest sports event to be held in Macao. MEAGOC intended to seek cooperation with other interested broadcasters with the assistance of CCTV, which include ESPN, Star Sports, Phoenix TV, TVB and ATV.

Inside line

Piquet v Jones v Rosberg. It sounds like a scene from formula one a quarter of a century ago. But in the Macau Grand Prix on November 21, the sons of three consecutive world F1 champs will go head-to-head, as the classic race runs for the 51st time. Nelson Piquet jnr, Christian Jones and Nico Rosberg are part of an entry bringing together champions from all three major formula three championships in an unofficial world championship on the mean streets of Macau. Piquet recently clinched the British F3 title and Jones is a runaway leader in the equivalent Asian series. Rosberg was a contender for the Euroseries crown before losing out to Britain's Jamie Green. The old Macau GP two-race format has been changed. Now there's a 10-lap qualification race on Saturday afternoon, setting the grid for a 15-lap GP on Sunday.

Jordan gets jitters

Retired basketball legend Michael Jordan rode four laps at Valencia at the weekend on the Ducati Desmosedici MotoGP bike. A keen motorcyclist since the age of five, Jordan is a racetrack regular in the US, where he runs a team in AMA supersport and superstock. He has a substantial stable of road bikes. Jordan flew to Spain in his private jet, with the idea of watching the Valencia GP. But he was talked into taking a ride on Ducati's 230-plus-horsepower V4. Sete Gibernau, Colin Edwards, Kenny Roberts jnr and Kurtis Roberts kept him company. "That was fun but I only got it up to fourth gear," Jordan said. "I can't imagine what these things are like wide open in sixth. The straightaways were no problem but I was trying to find the markers for the corners, then I had these other guys riding alongside tapping me on the leg. These things have so much power, I was trying to pull a wheelie, but in the end I was a bit too afraid, so I just started waving." Jordan's heartbeat jumped a little higher when he unwisely accepted the offer of a lap or so around the track in a BMW with Valentino Rossi driving.

Diffey back in box

Nomadic Australian motor sports commentator Leigh Diffey, who made a surprise return to Channel Ten's microphone at the Surfers telecast, will be back here permanently next year to host the network's V8 supercar coverage. Diffey, who has been working in the UK and US for the past five years, replaces Bill Woods, who is returning to general news and sporting duties, but will continue to host RPM on Sundays.

Skoda secret is out

Former world champion Colin McRae tested a Skoda before the Rally of Catalunya, heightening speculation that he may be close to a deal that will lead to him returning to the World Rally Championship in 2005. The Scot has been dallying with major endurance events like the Paris-Dakar and the Le Mans 24 Hour, but still harbours a strong desire to play on the world rally stage again. The Skoda team confirmed that McRae spent a couple of hours secretly testing a Fabia WRC but said that nothing further should be assumed. He has not gone away with a contract, the Skoda man said. McRae's agent confirmed that the former world champ was considering a return to the series in some form in 2005. His preferred option is a partial return.

Crump going wild

New world speedway champion Jason Crump will race as a wildcard in the final round of the 2004 long track world championship in New Zealand on Saturday. It will mark a return to the championship in which he twice finished in the top 10 - in 1995 and 1996 - before the shorter version of the sport became his focus. Crump has indicated he won't contest the four-round Australian championship series but has agreed to ride in the Mick Poole Open at Gosford on Wednesday, January 12, likely to be the only time he competes in Australia this summer.

Rooklyn coasts to win

The former Sydney to Hobart ocean classic winner, Warwick Rooklyn, has added the East Coast Targa rally to his list of successes. Driving a 2001 Mitsubishi Evo VII, Rooklyn and navigator Linda Long led throughout the four days. The event was marred by a high-speed crash resulting in the death of Victorian Doug Briese, 32.

Corser jumps on Suzuki

Australian Troy Corser has confirmed speculation that he will join Alstare Corona Suzuki to ride in the World Superbike Championship next season. After a sometimes frustrating year, Corser left the FPR team headed by former world champion Carl Fogarty at the end of the just-concluded season. And in V8 supercars, Steve Owen, who impressed in the second Kmart Commodore at Bathurst last month, seems set to drive for Jason Bright's new Ford team in 2005. Greg Ritter looks set to join Bright at Ford Performance Racing. Minardi, never far from the brink in survival terms, is planning a mega-test in the coming weeks, with up to 11 drivers under scrutiny. Tim Edwards, who has been Jordan's team manager for the past four years, is heading home to Australia after 14 years in Europe. He will bob up next year with a local V8 supercar team.

Marchy Lee Returns to the Macau Grand Prix

Chinese racing sensation Marchy LEE Yin-Kin (HKG) returns to Macau for the 51st edition of the gruelling street race, but this time he will be in the headlining Formula 3 race, where the best F3 drivers in the world come together for a world final. The winner of the Macau GP almost always steps up into Formula 1 within 2 years, and past winners have included Ayrton Senna, Michael and Ralf Schumacher and David Coulthard.

After finishing first runner-up in last year's Asian Formula Renault Challenge in Macau, Lee had an extremely successful season in Formula BMW Asia, winning 12 of the 14 races, breaking the previous record of 10 wins. This prompted Lee to step up to the F3 event this year, where he will be racing with the Monarch Lubricants Red Bull Meritus team - the same team that helped him win the F-BMW Asia championship. Lee's car will be managed by British F3 outfit Promatecme, who have had great success in Macau including Jenson Button's runner-up finish in 1999.

"I am thrilled to be racing in the F3 event this year. Although I have not had any running in an F3 car this year, I am still confident because the Formula BMW Asia series was very competitive, and I also know the Macau circuit quite well because I have raced it many times before," said Lee.

Besides last year's F-Renault race, Lee also raced in the Porsche Carrera Cup event the same year, as well as the F3 event in 2000 and 2001. This experience will be very useful for Lee, as the Macau street circuit is very unforgiving, with the only run-off areas being the paint on the walls surrounding the track.

Lee has been very busy in the build up to the event, both in race preparation as well as sponsor commitments. Lee was chosen as an Oris Watch ambassador for their 100th year celebrations in Hong Kong, where he was presented with an Oris Williams F1 chronograph watch and took part in a conference call with another Oris racer, Ralf Schumacher. Later this week Lee will be heading to the UK for some testing, then back to Beijing for a press conference and TV advert shoot for his sponsor Monarch Lubricants. The advert will be shown on CCTV in China over the next few months.

"I have been quite busy, but that is because I have found good support for this event, so all this hard work will help me in the race in a few weeks time. We have been talking to some major teams for next year, and so a good result in Macau will give me a huge boost and hopefully secure a good drive," said Lee.

"We have a few interested parties in formulae between F3 and F1 for next year, so we are confident that we will find a good package to further Marchy's career. As Marchy moves into higher championships, the level of support required increases, so we hope that more companies will see the value of supporting probably the best Chinese driver around today," said Peter Thompson, Lee's manager and Founder & President of Meritus Racing.

As the 2004 season draws to a close, Meritus Racing has once again stamped its domination on Asian Formula racing, clinching its 15th and 16th titles (Driver and Team champion) since setting up in Asia in 1996. Meritus has already begun looking to next year, and is searching for the next Marchy Lee, Tung Ho-Pin and Takuma Sato. The team will be holding driver evaluation sessions at Sepang Circuit, Malaysia, starting at the end of October, which gives young hopefuls the chance to try the Formula BMW racing car and develop their race craft. The 2005 driver line-up will be selected during these sessions, and interested parties should visit www.MeritusRacing.com or write to Driver@MeritusRacing.com

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Chinese racing sensation Marchy Lee returns to Macau for the 51st edition of the gruelling street race later this month, but this time he will be in the headlining Formula 3 race, where the best F3 drivers in the world come together for a world final.

After finishing first runner-up in last year's Asian Formula Renault Challenge in Macau, Lee had an successful season in Formula BMW Asia, winning 12 of the 14 races, breaking the previous record of ten wins.

This prompted Lee to step up to the F3 event this year, where he will be racing with the Monarch Lubricants Red Bull Meritus team - the same team that helped him win the F-BMW Asia championship. Lee's car will be managed by British F3 outfit Promatecme, who have had great success in Macau including Jenson Button's runner-up finish in 1999.

"I am thrilled to be racing in the F3 event this year,” Lee said. “Although I have not had any running in an F3 car this year, I am still confident because the Formula BMW Asia series was very competitive, and I also know the Macau circuit quite well because I have raced it many times before.”

Lee has already been busy in the build up to the event, both in race preparation as well as sponsor commitments. Lee was chosen as an Oris Watch ambassador for their 100th year celebrations in Hong Kong, where he was presented with an Oris Williams F1 chronograph watch and took part in a conference call with another Oris racer, Ralf Schumacher.

Lee will also be heading to the UK for some testing, then back to Beijing for a press conference and TV advert shoot for his sponsor Monarch Lubricants. The advert will be shown on CCTV in China over the next few months.

"I have been quite busy, but that is because I have found good support for this event, so all this hard work will help me in the race in a few weeks time,” he said. “We have been talking to some major teams for next year, and so a good result in Macau will give me a huge boost and hopefully secure a good drive.”

Peter Thompson, founder and president of Meritus Racing, hopes that Lee will be able to impress enough people to help him move up the motorsport ladder.

"We have a few interested parties in formulae between F3 and F1 for next year, so we are confident that we will find a good package to further Marchy's career,” he said. “As Marchy moves into higher championships, the level of support required increases, so we hope that more companies will see the value of supporting probably the best Chinese driver around today."

Twelve-year-old Calvin Wong has a talent not everyone possess on the go-kart track. Apart from being fast on the track, he knows how to tinker with his go-kart.

And the knowledge is helping Calvin to create a storm in the junior category of the Asian Karting Open Championship.

Calvin stands a good chance of winning the title in his debut season if he wins both races in the fourth round of AKOC in Macao on Sunday.

CALVIN: Raw talent
Calvin has amassed 92 points after six races in three previously legs (Malaysia, Philippines and India).

He is in second place, trailing 16-year-old Gianmatteo Guidicelli of Philippines by 10 points.

A win the championship is worth 20 points while the runner-up secures 15 points.

Calvin, who has won three out of the six races so far, has set his sights on a strong finish in the last two rounds.

“I have to finish ahead of Guidicelli in Macao. If I can do that, I will take the overall lead and it will put me in a good position for the final round in Indonesia next month.”

Calvin picked up his second successive title in the cadet category of AKOC last yea

The cadet category is for those aged 8-12 while the junior is for those from 12-16. The senior category is go karters above the age of 16.

After retaining his title in the cadet category with a 100% record, Calvin took on a gamble.

He decided to ask for special exemption to move up to the junior category. Calvin and fellow Malaysian Jazeman Firhan were given exemptions eventhough both were underaged.

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Seventeen year old Rodolfo Avila is all geared up for a sensational Formula 3 debut, where he will compete against the world's best F3 drivers in the FIA F3 - Intercontinental Cup at the 51st Macau Grand Prix.

The young Macanese had been intensively testing with crack British team Carlin Motorsport and is ready to take on this new challenge at the notoriously-renowned Chinese' enclave street circuit.

"I'm quite anxious to make my debut. The training has been extensive through the amount of testing I've made and I learned a lot with my team. The level of competition in Europe is very different from the more familiar Asian environment but I'm ready to carry the colours of Macau for this prestigious event," says Avila, the youngest driver in the F3 field.

The only driver without any F3 race experience, Avila admits that the added pressure of racing in home ground can easily break one's focus. "I've been dwelling on this opportunity and the career rewards it can bring me or anyone who succeeds in Macau. To say the least, I am bent on keeping my focus as I aim to achieve the best possible finish position as can be. This, by far, is the most important race event in my career"

Through the years, the Macau Grand Prix has been equally known as a vital testing ground for future Formula 1 stars.

Thirty-two other drivers from all over the world are expected to battle it out at streets of Macau as the 51st Macau Grand Prix F3 Intercontinental Cup goes underway on the third weekend of this month.

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One of the more fun drivers in the British F3 scene is Rob Austin. This season he wasn't in the series full-time, but he certainly made a few interesting comebacks. Other than that there was a move to the SEAT Cupra championship that ended early, some fantastic Ginetta racing and a season where he hasn't managed to injure himself away from the race track.

Rob, who's off to Macau to race with Menu Motorsports this coming weekend, tells Crash.net all about it, and he's on a promise if he does well...

Crash.net
2004 has been an interesting year, a last minute drive in the SEAT Cupras, getting sacked by the old man, an F3 return and so on.

Rob Austin
Interesting to say the least, it was a bad start to the year but even when things aren't going well you're always learning. The SEAT thing was such a shame, it could have and should have been so good but unfortunately we weren't given a fair crack at the whip and rather than fight with one arm tied behind our backs we decided to pull out of the series, but as I said always learning, I've never driven a car with no down force, front wheel drive or a saloon car so it was good to learn it all, and we topped a few tests so we showed pace, it just wasn't meant to be.

The Ginetta thing was great, once again learning a lot, but also I've never had so much fun! I don't think there was a moment that I was driving that car without a smile on my face, and the team are a great bunch of guys I owe “Back to the Future Motorsport” a big thank you, and especially Doc Brown who let me drink his beer! (He is actually coming out to Macau with us to help bolt on new wishbones).

Then there are the F3 outings! Loved them, It just felt so good to show how good the car and team are; Menu Motorsport are as good if not better than any other team out there and I loved proving that to everyone! They have done so much for me over the years I felt like I was able to give something back. Though we still had our same luck, it dried out at Silverstone, which cost us a potential win and a definite second, a couple of bad starts at Thruxton, which I am putting down to trying to drive to many cars in one day, but still if it had gone our way both times we were in a position where we could have won.

Then Brands, well the one time I make the right call on the tyres I get taken off! My luck I guess!

Crash.net
After being spun by Will Power in the last round of the British F3 championship you kinda had the red mist down and flew in the car, what was that like from inside the car?

Rob Austin
God I was angry with him at the time! But it's just one of those things he made a mistake and apologised, nothing you can do. When I finally got off the grass and got going I was just wondering if I could still win it (I knew I had the right tyres) so just had to try to stay calm and wait for the pack to come back to me, that was a long wait. But I couldn't have been as calm as I thought because I was about two seconds a lap faster than anyone and I wasn't the only one on wets! I pulled in about 20seconds on Dirani on wets but then got stuck behind one of the kids, you know, the ones who don't understand that if they don't give you racing room at some point that they are going to start getting shoved around... So after a bit of wheel banging we ended up sixth.

Crash.net
An F3 car round Macau next – sounds like fun?

Rob Austin
You're right it is, it's also terrifying the first time there! Being flat in fourth sideways on the bumpiest and narrowest track I have ever driven on in between two concrete walls! And when you first drive round there you thing 'bloody hell it's going to hurt if I get it wrong here!' and you're right, it really hurts, but that's what head restraints are there for!

But seriously words can't describe how awesome the place is, and on TV only gives you half an idea, the only way anyone would understand what I'm trying to say is if they drove an F3 car round there on a hot lap, otherwise accept that it is awesome and that you will never understand.

Crash.net
Macau's not just about the racing… is it fair to say there'll be a fair amount of fun going on away from the track?

Rob Austin
Err well there are a lot of distractions in Macau, for about £30 you can buy yourself a really nice distraction! But I don't think it was helping me last year so I will be wearing blinkers until after the race... But [team boss] Mike [Baker] said that if I did well he would buy me three distractions at once, so I'm highly motivated for this event!

Crash.net
What's next for Roberto Austini, racing driver?

Rob Austin
He will be working behind the bar in his local pub (The Anchor Inn, Fladbury) over Christmas because he's broke! But that's as far ahead as I've planned! Sure I would love to be racing next year but we don't have much funding (it limits your options a bit) otherwise I will be looking after Steve Jelley again, which is a job I enjoy and we hope to get him going well in A class next year. Otherwise you would have to speak to Mr Baker, he may have a few tricks up his sleeve. Maybe Crash.net would like to sponsor me? If not, do you have any jobs going in the office?

Crash.net
Coffee, white, no sugar, please Rob. And make it snappy...

Keep tuned to www.crash.net/f3 to see what Menu Motorsports team boss Mike Baker has to say on the new-look championship formerly known as the British F3 championship. He doesn't usually hold back.

If you could drive any car from a TV show/film what would it be?

Fed up with the usual array of cars available in the local showrooms or something a little more exclusive than the average Ferrari? Then why not indulge deeper into the realms of fantasy and ask for one of the stars of film and television?

Young karter Muhammad Nabil Jan Al-Jefri spent the first day of Hari Raya in racing overalls and away from home.

But his endeavours on a cold Sunday morning in Macau paid off when he sealed the cadet overall title in the fourth leg of the Asian Karting Open Championships (AKOC).

Nabil finished second behind another Malaysian, Naqiyuddin Nor, in the first race. The 11-year-old Nabil secured another podium finish after fighting his way from ninth place to finish third in an accident interrupted second race.

His total of 27 points from the round was enough to give him the overall title with one round to spare. Nabil, who started from pole position in both races in Macau, now has a total of 139 points in the championship standings. Naqiyuddin is in second place with 99 points.

Nabil’s dad Jefri Rashid said that the title would still go to his son even if he were to draw a zero in the final round, which will be held in Indonesia from Dec 16-18.

“The title is decided on the best four of five rounds and no one can overtake Nabil in the standings. He needed to finish on the podium in the two races in Macau to take the title and I am delighted that he achieved it,” said Jefri in a telephone interview from Macau.

Nabil won five out of the six races in the three previous rounds in Malaysia, the Philippines and India.

Nabil said that he was glad to have won his first international title in karting.

“This was the first time I raced in cold conditions. I am happy to keep the title in Malaysian hands,” said the current national champion.

In the previous two cadet championships, Calvin Wong was the winner. Calvin is now competing in the junior category for racers between the ages of 12 and 16.

The 12-year-old Calvin also sizzled on the track in Macau on Sunday, winning both races to take over the lead in the standings from 16-year-old Filipino Gianmatteo Guidecelli.

Calvin now has 132 points while Guidicelli, who secured a second and third placing in Macau, is in second place with 129 points.

YANGON, Nov. 27 (Xinhuanet) -- The 6th Asian Wushu Championship, which ended here Saturday evening, produced 45 gold medals with China winning 21, Vietnam and Myanmar 5 each.

The four-day Asian championships were attended by more than 500athletes, coaches and sports officials from 25 countries and regions.

It was the largest ever event in scale with highest technical standard since the first championship in Japan.

China won 11 golds in Taolu events and 10 golds in Sanshou events.

Meanwhile Vietnam stands second with 10 silvers and 14 bronzes and Myanmar third scoring 8 silvers and 9 bronzes in the competition.

Besides, China's Macau and the Philippines won 3 golds each, Iran, Singapore and Malaysia got 2 golds each and China's Hong Kong and South Korea shared one gold each.

Out of 29 members of Wushu Federation of Asia (WFA), 25 countries and regions -- Bangladesh, Brunei, China, China's Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Iran, Japan, Kazakhstan, South Korea, China's Macau, Malaysia, Mongolia, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Chinese Taipei, Thailand, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Vietnam, Yemen and host Myanmar -- joint the event.

Macau's government on Thursday disputed FIFA's reasons for suspending the Chinese territory from the sport.

Soccer's governing body Tuesday cited "serious interference" from the local government. Macau sports officials said the suspension stemmed from a dispute over dueling boards of directors for the Macau Football Association.

Macau Sport Development Board head Alex Wong told The Associated Press the government did not intervene in the association's internal matters.

Macau is ranked 190th of 205 national teams. The territory is hosting the East Asian Games in October, with nine nations or territories participating. If the FIFA suspension remains, the event will be without soccer, Macau Football Association General Secretary Alexander Rego said.

Macau, a former Portuguese colony, was returned to China in 1999. It fields separate teams from the mainland in international sports competitions.

Macau Olympic Committee to be intermediate between FIFA and AFM 18/2/2005 15:19

Macau Olympic Committee would take up the role of intermediation in solving a dispute between FIFA and the Macau Football Association (AFM), which caused FIFA's recent suspension of AFM's membership.
Friday's Macau Post quoted Manuel Silverio, vice president of the Macau Olympic Committee as saying that the dispute was derived from an unnecessary misunderstanding.
Disgruntled by the Macau Special Administrative Region (SAR) government's interference with AFM's election of a new president last year, the world soccer governing body decided to suspend all of Macau's international football activities until further notice. The sanction announced on FIFA's official website on Wednesday.
Silverio said that he has got some important documents to prove the AFM's election held democratically and without governmental interference, and got in touch with several leaders of FIFA and the Asian Football Confederation to clarify the misunderstanding.
Silverio, who is also president of the Macau Sports Development Board and chairman of the organizing committee of the 4th East Asian Games (EAG), said that FIFA can not unilaterally cancel the football contests in the EAG to be held from Oct. 29 to Nov. 6 this year, which will be the first comprehensive sports event held in the city.
Concerning worries generated from FIFA's sanction, Silverio said earlier this week that if participating countries and regions approved to send their teams, EAG's football matches would hopefully go on, despite FIFA's order.
He said recently that the event would cost a total budget of 300 million patacas (US$37.5 million), about half of which would be covered by event-generated revenue.
Based on the organizer's tally, the games' sponsorships contribution could reach between 50 to 60 million patacas (6.25 to US$7.5 million), and an equal sum hopefully from ticket sales, while broadcasting and application fees may go up to 25 million patacas (US$3 million).
The Macau East Asian Games Domes and the Macau Stadium, both of which are main venues for the games, were scheduled for completion by April.

Allegations of blatant government interference in a bitter leadership dispute within its football association has led to Macau being banned from international competition. It also faces the embarassment of being barred from competing in its own East Asian Games scheduled for October.

In a statement released early Wednesday morning, football's world governing body, FIFA, said it was suspending the Macau Football Association from the sport because of "political interference'' in Macau.

"Blatant governmental interference in local football affairs in contravention of FIFA principles cannot be accepted,'' FIFA said.

Previous warnings to Macau were ignored, FIFA added. All of FIFA's financial assistance has been frozen, and Macau may not vote at sessions held by international soccer bodies.

The suspension means Macau cannot play in or host any international football matches, including at the East Asian Games it is hosting in October. The charges by FIFA came as a result of a disputed election last October over who would head the local football association.

FIFA's charges were denied by Macau Football Association president Victor Cheng, who said the allegations were unfounded.

``We will not beg FIFA for mercy over the suspension,'' Cheng told reporters in Macau. ``But we will try our best to communicate with FIFA to resolve the misunderstanding.''

FIFA recognizes former president Andy Chui as president of the association and communicated the suspension to him directly with no mention of Cheng.

A senior Macau Football Association official, who requested anonymity because he said he feared for his safety, said that the Macau Sports Development Board had been instrumental in the election of Cheng.

Vong Iao Lek, acting president of the Macau Sport Development Board, told reporters in Macau that the body had no connection with the Macau Football Association and had only tried to mediate the dispute. For the time being, Vong said, the matter rests with FIFA and the local football association.

Cheng defended his election, saying that 55 of the 63 member clubs in the association had voted for him.

The anonymous source, however, claimed that three quarters of the proxy forms used for the election were forged and that members were not fully informed about the election.

The Macau Sports Development Board recognizes the new president, the source said, while FIFA considers the election illegitimate. According to the source, a rival office has even been established by the new leadership of the association, meaning that in effect two associations with the same name are competing to represent Macau football.

The source said that a FIFA-super-vised election for a new president may be needed to resolve the matter.

A FIFA spokesman said the suspension came because FIFA recognizes only one body from each region or country.

``There was an election in June 2004 that set up a mandate for an executive committee to run the affairs of football in Macau,'' the FIFA spokesman said from Zurich. ``There was a further extraordinary congress which basically put an end to the mandate which had already been laid out through the duly elected congress.''

The result was that the Macau association violated FIFA's rules since the independence of the election was in dispute.

The FIFA spokesman said rules for a statutory organization could not be changed on a whim. The suspension was not meant to punish Macau, but FIFA had to abide by its statutory standards and those of its members.

Hong Kong Football Association General Secretary Martin Lam said he had ``no idea'' why Macau was suspended.

Macau was to play in the East Asian championship in Taipei next month alongside Hong Kong, Chinese Taipei, Guam, Mongolia and North Korea.

The March 5-13 tournament is organized by the Japan-based East Asian Football Federation (EAFF).

``We will wait for the instructions from the EAFF,'' Lam said, adding that Macau's presence is up to FIFA.

Macau will host nine countries and regions for the East Asian Games this October, which includes football.

BEIJING (AFP) - Crisis-hit Macau sports authorities have snubbed a request to attend a FIFA meeting to explain claims of political interference in a recent leadership election of the Macau Football Association (MFA).

No one has taken up FIFA's invitation to its meeting in Switzerland on Wednesday, China's Xinhua news agency said.

Manuel Silverio, vice-president of the Macau Olympic Committee, said in a statement that he was unable to make the trip due to work commitments.

"I was expected (by FIFA) to make a presentation about the suspension and clarify misunderstandings in the issue as an independent and impartial entity," he was quoted as saying by Xinhua.

"However, I could not attend the meeting due to the short notice and my work commitments."

FIFA suspended the MFA last week, citing "serious interference by the political authorities" in the October election, which followed a leadership row in which half the MFA members resigned.

MFA president Victor Cheong Lup Kuan has denied the government of the former Portuguese colony, which is now part of China, interfered with his election.

The suspension means Macau are disqualified from playing or hosting any international football matches, including at the East Asian Games it is holding in October. FIFA financial assistance packages have also been frozen.

Silverio said he has compiled a portfolio of hundreds of pages of documents concerning the matter and had sent it to FIFA by fax and mail.

"I am confident that the forceful support of the documents can clear FIFA's doubts and meet the objective of facilitating communication between MFA and FIFA," he said.

MACAO, Feb. 23 (Xinhuanet) -- No official from the Macao Sports Development Board accepted FIFA's invitation to its meeting in Switzerland on Wednesday.

The Board has confirmed to have received the invitation last Friday, saying it signified FIFA's gesture of its effort in clarifying the misunderstanding in solving a dispute between FIFA and the Macao Football Association (AFM). The dispute had caused FIFA's recent suspension of AFM's membership.

Macao Sports Development Board acting president Vong Iao Lek said that he did not consider the meeting was FIFA's "time limit" to Macao in addressing the issue. The board would continue its engagement in communicating with FIFA through all possible channels.

Meanwhile, Manuel Silverio, vice-president of the Macao OlympicCommittee, made a personal statement saying that he couldn't make the trip.

"I was expected (by FIFA) to make a presentation about the suspension and clarify misunderstandings in the issue as an independent and impartial entity. However, I could not attend themeeting due to the short notice and my work commitments," he said in the statement.

However, Silverio added that he has gone through appropriate procedures and gathered a large number of documents relating to the election of the board members of the AFM, which was blamed by FIFA to have been seriously interfered by the Macao Special Administrative Region government.

Silverio said he has compiled the documents into a portfolio ofhundreds of pages and sent it to FIFA by fax and mail. He considered the documents amply prove that the new AFM leadership was elected in a fair, just, open and democratic way.

"I am confident that the forceful support of the documents can clear FIFA's doubts and meet the objective of facilitating communication between AFM and FIFA," he added.

Posted 11:47pm (Mla time) Mar 02, 2005
By Roy Luarca
Inquirer News Service



Editor's Note: Published on page A23 of the Mar. 3, 2005 issue of the Philippine Daily Inquirer


GAMES TODAY (San Carlos Gym)

5 p.m. -- Macau vs Tonga

7 p.m. -- Chinese Taipei vs RP

CEBU CITY, Cebu -- A good warm-up for a tough grind ahead. That's what the Philippines got yesterday as it blasted Macau, 25-13, 25-17, 25-19, in the opener of the FIVB World Men's Volleyball Championship qualifier at the packed University of San Carlos Gym here.

The Filipinos, powered by military men Dante Alinsunurin and Herminio Gallo Jr., needed only 70 minutes to down their rivals to the delight of the more than 4,000 fans who watched the inaugural of the five-nation tournament being held to select Asia-Pacific's Group C representatives to the second round of the worldwide eliminations.

"The boys' morale is high, this is a good start," said Philippine team coach Vip Isada. "But there's still much room for improvement. We need to jell a little more."

Formed only last January, more than half of the local players here will form
the core of the Philippine team for the Southeast Asian Games this November.

Based on their performance against the Chinese, the 6-foot-2 Alinsunurin of the Philippine Air Force and the 5-foot-10 Gallo of the Philippine Army should make the grade.

Alinsunurin accounted for 16 hits while Gallo added 13 as the Filipinos routed their less-skilled opponents both in offense and in defense.

With Gino Macailan joining Alinsunurin up front, the Filipinos pulled off 15 blocks. In contrast, Macau, despite the presence of 6-foot-3 Too Chuen ki could only reject two.

The Filipinos will next face the powerhouse Taiwanese at 7 p.m. today.

Football
AFP
Wednesday, March 09, 2005

ZURICH (AFP) - The ban on the Macau Football Association (MFA) was provisionally lifted by the Executive Committee of FIFA here yesterday. FIFA suspended the MFA last month, citing "serious interference by the political authorities" in the October election, which followed a leadership row in which half the MFA members resigned.

MFA president Victor Cheong Lup Kuan denied the government of the former Portuguese colony, which is now part of China, interfered with his election.

However, in a statement yesterday FIFA said the ban had been lifted provided the MFA honoured several recommendations.
The Executive Committee definitively lifted the suspension imposed on the Kenya Football Federation (KFF), but threatened the Venezuela Football Association with suspension if they did not hold elections originally planned for March 5 and then rescheduled for March 12 by March 19.

Powerful women's volleyball teams from China, Brazil, Germany and Poland will contend in the Macao leg of the Women's Volleyball World Grand Prix, which is to open in Macao on July 1.

The Macao contest authorized by the International Federation of Volleyball (FIVB) and co-organized here by the Macao Sport Development Board and China Macao Volleyball Association comes to Macao every other two years.

As the Athens Olympic gold winner, the Chinese team will meet its Brizilian counterpart, which was last year's champion of the Grand Prix, at the final group match in the preliminary round on July 3.

Winner from the Macao round will qualify for the final round of the Grand Prix to be held in Sendai, Japan on July 13.

Altogether four karate trainees from Sports Authority of India centres in Arunachal Pradesh and Meghalaya have been selected to represent the country in the seventh Asian Karate Federation senior, junior and cadets championship and congress at Macao from May 17 to 22.

The Macao Asian Motocross Championships will be held on June 25 to 26.

Alex Vong, acting director of Macao Sports Development Board, told a press conference here on Thursday that the contest is jointly organized by the Federation Internationale de Motocyclisme,the world motorcycle sport governing body and the Asian Motorcycling Union.

The event will be the third round of the 2005 champions and over60 riders from some 10 Asian nations and regions will participate in it, said Vong.

Macao is the only round of the Asian championships which covers junior matches, said the official, adding that it will provide opportunities for young stars of motocross in Asia to gain valuableexperience.

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The ebullient atmosphere of the 2005 Macau International Dragon Races flamed here on Saturday at the SaiVan Lake, with drums roaring and paddles dashing.

Some 100 teams from China's mainland, Hong Kong, Macao and foreign nations covering Singapore, the Philippines and Thailand attended the event, which is jointly organized by Macao's Sport Develop Board and Macao's China Dragon Boat Association.

The dragon boat race, for over 2,000 years, has been an significant Chinese cultural heritage as the celebration of the Dragon Boat Festival and Macao has a long history of hosting the sports event.

THE PHILIPPINE team lost the gold-medal race by the skin of its teeth to world champion China in the premier Women's Open race to wrap up its sterling performance in the Macau International Dragon Boat Races held in the former Portuguese enclave recently.

The Filipinas finished a mere three-tenths of a second off the Chinese, also the reigning Asian champions, and 1.36 seconds clear of the third-placed Universidade Beihua de Jilin.

The Philippine team, already the winner of the women's 300 meters in last year's DENR race in Manila and the mixed 500m in last year's Hong Kong International Races, competed in Macau as part of its preparations for the Manila Southeast Asian Games in November.

Managed by Rommuel Celestino, coached by Augusto Dequilla and skippered by Dina Bernardo, the team is made up of Madonna Cadion, Mirasol Abad, Riza Bautista, Tracy Galac, Mayet Alba, Julie Bidanes, Charina Mejares, Amina Anuddin, Eunelyn Denuna, Sanita Kasim, Angelen Hopelos, Gerlie Pradilla, Jinky Agustin, Sally Tordilla, Myra Espenilla, Nesteh Dramayo, Evelyn Persia, Mioelle Gabiligno, Maridel Manaban, Ruditha Poralan, Stephanie Deriada, Aileen Padrones and Ali Orola.

The RP team includes three female soldiers, five students and a career person and counts Burma, Indonesia and Vietnam as its toughest rivals for the gold in the SEA Games.

Rodolfo Avila of Macau chalked up his first podium finish in the Asian Formula 3 Grand Prix Sunday, placing third in the sixth race topped by Briton James Winslow at the Zhuhai International Circuit.

Four-leg winner and current leader Ananda Mikola of Indonesia failed to finish after colliding with Tyson Sy of the Philippines in a frenzied battle for the lead late in the race.

Avila, running fifth before the incident, capitalized and overtook Sy for third place with a time of 19:30.278, 2.838 seconds behind Winslow.

``I got lucky. I was there at the right time,'' said the 17-year-old Macanese who joined the Christian Jones Motorsport team of reigning AF3 champion Christian Jones of Australia after an unimpressive performance with another team in rounds three and four last month, also at the Zhuhai Circuit.

Avila encountered a gearbox problem during the race and was worried that he might not finish. ``I had my eyes glued on Tyson in my rearview mirror, but he also appeared slow,'' said Avila.

Jo Rosa Merszei, the other Macau entry, placed ninth in the 14-man field.

Winslow led a 1-2 finish by Shell Helix Kinetic-PCSO, towing Irishman John O'Hara who fought his way from last place.

The British winner clocked 19:27.440, just a fraction of a second ahead of O'Hara.

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Macao’s Secretary for social Affairs and Culture Chui Sai On, Acting President of the Sport Development Board Alex Vong and other guests attended the opening ceremony.

Richie Jen, a Taiwanese actor who is also a motorcycle fan, was present at the event and tried out a demonstration round on bike.

The Macao event was the third round of the 2005 championships, featuring over 60 riders from some 10 Asian countries and regions.

Macao is the only round of the Asian championships which covers junior matches.

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The Chinese women's volleyball team arrived in Macao on Monday to contest in the 2005 World Grand Prix women's volleyball tournament Macao leg.

The Olympic gold-medalists will face Brazil, Germany and Poland standing in the way to the Macao title.

The Chinese team is to do their warming-ups from Tuesday to Thursday and then to take on Germany, Poland and Brazil on Friday, Saturday and Sunday respectively.

The squad had claimed the title of the 2005 World Grand Prix women's volleyball tournament Ningbo leg Sunday with three straight wins.

By Dado
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Women's Volleyball World Grand Prix is coming to the second week as the showdown between the defending champions Brazil and the Olympic champions China is in the spotlight in Macao.

China joins Brazil, Germany and Poland in Group E in the second round games, which are slated on July 1-3.

The top of the table clash between China and Brazil, two of the tournament's three unbeaten sides, is set to play on Sunday and both of the coaches refused to dope out an optimistic result.

China's coach Chen Zhonghe said three rivals in Macao are all quite strong and Brazil, who rallied from two sets down to beat China 3-2 in Switzerland early this month, poses a biggest threat on them.

Brazil, who survived seven match points to beat China 3-2 on June 12, seemingly failed to bring the confidence won from the big victory as Brazil's coach Treinador Principal kept a low tone on their next clash.

China, currently in first place after three matches, will play against Germany on the first day, against Poland on the second day and against the second placed Brazil on the final day.

Besides Group E in Macao, two more groups will play not-to-missed games in South Korea and the Philippines, which also feature some key contests including a match between the Pan American Cup winners Cuba and world champions Italy in Manila.

China's Shenzhen Jianlibao, champion of the 2004 Chinese Super League, is to play Spanish soccer giant Barcelona here in August, organizers said on Thursday.

Cheung Lup Kuan, president of the hosting Macao Football Association, told a press conference here that the two teams will draw on August 3 to mark the reopening of the Macao Stadium.

The sports venue has been under reconstruction for the forthcoming East Asian Games, scheduled for October.

The football match will help the hosts to test the organizing capability for the Games, said Cheung, adding that it will also hopefully give a boost to Macao's football fancy.

Barcelona has pledged to bring all its talented players including De Assis Moreira Ronaldinho, a top Brazilian playmaker, to the duel.

China beat Germany at the 2005 Women's Volleyball World Grand in Macau.

It's the first encounter between the two teams this season and China won easily, 3-0.
China opened its game slowly, climbing from 3-nothing to win the first set, 25-17.

In the second set, China led 2-0 thanks to Wang Yimei's serving. However, the Germans luanched a strong counter-attack, but failed to topple a strong Chinese squad and settled at 25-19.

China then extended its advantage to take the third set, 25-15.

In another match held earlier, Brazil, a strong title contender, defeated Poland 3-0.

China will meet Poland while Brazil faces Germany on Saturday night.

Defending champions Brazil beat Germany in straight sets here on Saturday at the Macao leg of the 2005 World Grand Prix women's volleyball tournament.

It was the fifth straight win for the South Americans in the tournament and the second in Macao.

Carvalho Jaqueline scored 15 points to lead the Brazilians to the 25-16, 25-16 and 26-24 victory over the Germans as the team's captain Menezes Valeska added eight.

The South American powerhouse, who swept the European champion Poland 3-0 on the first day of the Macao's competitions, did not meet any resistance in the first two sets, taking just 39 minutes to make it 2-0 with double 25-16.

The German women came into the third set with a flying start asthey jumped to a 9-4 lead, but the Brazilians soon found back their rhythm to level it 10-10.

The German kept on holding the strong rivals and make the scoreboard eight ties until they finally got one set break with 24- 23.

The Brazilian women survived it and rallied to a 26-24 win.

"I am very satisfied with my players' first two sets performance. They did very well in every aspect, " said Brazil coach Jos Guimaraes.

"Yes, our team did not play well in the third set but I think Ishould take the responsibility as I changed the squad to send three new players into the third set

"But they failed to play well enough when the Germans played really concentrated. "

In Sunday's match, the unbeaten Brazil will fight against the top ranked China, who also have won all matches of the tournament so far.

"China is a very tough team. They are very strong and all-around. I hope we can play our game tomorrow," added Guimaraes.

World women's volleyball powerhouse China rocked Poland in three straight sets in Macao on Saturday at the women' s volleyball Grand Prix Macao leg.

China came across a scary moment at the start of the first set when the 27-year-old captain Feng Kun fell down on the ground to make a save. The gritty Poland was in a hard bid to drag China's legs to win the set but the world-cup and Olympic dual-winner elbowed away at a 18-12 lead. Wang Yimei and Ma Yunwen, two of the rookies in the Chinese team, displayed their determination and helped the seniors to seal the set at a 25-18 win.

The Polish put up a gallant fight in the second set and the Chinese did not save their spiking fire power and blocking skill.

Chu Jinling, another green hand of the Chinese team, got the chance to show up her excellent serving in the set, helping the team to clinch the set at 25-13.

It seemed a no easy game for the hot Chinese team when Poland grasped a 4-1 lead at the start of the third set, but the Olympic gold medalists harshly counter-attacked to a 7-7 draw.

Then it was a show time for the Chinese spiking power as the 17-year-old Wang Yimei dominated the net with her jumping and the 1.90-meter height.

China sealed the set at 25-14, winning the second straight game in the Macao leg.

Chen Zhonghe, head coach of the Chinese team, told a press conference at the conclusion of the game that he is satisfied with the performance of the new comers in his team and wish them could improve further to secure their positions in the line-up.

"We will be well prepared when facing Brazil," Chen said while foreseeing the upcoming clash Sunday with the other women volleyball giant. Andrzej Niemczky, head coach of the Polish team, praised the fantastic performance of the Chinese side, noting that China was harder to play compared with Brazil.

Poland will encounter the arch-rival Germany on Sunday, hoping to avenge the loss to the latter in the qualification games for the World Championships finals.

China stunned Brazil with a straight-set victory at the Macao leg of the 2005 women's volleyball Grand Prix here on Sunday.

Not as expected by many observers, the home side dominated the match with its speed and agility, while the other volleyball powerhouse showed not much determination to win the game.

Eight draws shed the shadow over China's start of the first set and it edged away quickly at 18-12 with its more powerful blocking, spiking and defense, in particular.

The 17-year-old Wang Yimei, stayed in the firstline-up for the third straight match, as the othertwo fellow rookies Ma Yunwen and Chu Jinlin also got lots of show time in the set.

Ma sealed the first set at 25-22 with a smash, making China lead at one to nil.

Brazil donned the start of the second set untilthe Chinese displayed their prowess on net with a batch of stealing smashes to tie the set at 10-10.

The veteran Zhou Suhong showed her serving power bringing to China a 14-13 lead, the first one in the set.

Brazil rattled back with its powerful spiking but China held on to the lead at 23-19 with its tight defense. A duplication of the ending of lastset, one unstoppable spike made China clinch the second set at 25-21.

The testing moment for the Chinese team came inthe third set when five draws at the start sparkled a harsh Brazilian fight-back making the latter once lead at 15-12.

The Chinese held their nerve, regained the leadand elbowed away at 24-20. One kill from the Olympic veteran Yang Hao cemented the Chinese victory at 25-20.

China, crowning the Macao leg, won a prize of 35,000 US dollars, while Brazil, the first runner-up, raked in 25,000 US dollars.

Poland, having defeated the arch-rival Germany earlier the day, gained 20,000 US dollars as the second runner-up and Germany, 15,000 dollars.

China beat arch rival Brazil three games to love to win the gold at the Macao leg of the 2005 World Grand Prix women's volleyball tournament.

The 25-22, 25-21 and 25-20 win was the third consecutive victory for China in the Macao event, and the sixth in a row in the series.

China swept the European champions Poland 3-0 in their opening game and stunned Germany with the same score to reach the final.

The national women's team join Italy, Germany and Dominica in Group E in the Hong Kong leg event from July 8-11.

In the other match on Sunday, Poland edged out Germany in five games to win the bronze.

Frank Rijkaard has claimed that Barcelona’s final match of the Far East tour was not easy, despite the Catalan outfit hammering Chinese champions Shenzhen Jianlibao 9-0.
The Dutch coach was reflecting on the hot and humid conditions in Macau as Barca maintained their unbeaten run in pre-season.

In an incredibly one-sided encounter, that saw the hosts manage only one shot on goal, the Blaugrana chalked up an impressive victory in front of one of the biggest television audiences the club have ever had as the match was shown live in 15 countries.

Andres Iniesta opened the scoring and Henrik Larsson and Ludovic Giuly netted again to give the touring side a three-goal lead at the break.

But in the second half Leo Messi and Samuel Eto’o both scored twice while Gio Van Bronkhorst and Deco netted one each to complete the rout.

"It was not as easy as the scoreline suggests," Rijkaard explained. "But the pitch was in good condition which is something."

Barca headed for the airport straight after the game for a 14-hour flight to Cádiz where they are due to meet Sevilla on Friday night in the Ramón de Carranza tournament.

MACAU –– Barcelona put on a masterclass for their Asian fans on Wednesday with a 9-0 humiliation of Chinese champions Shenzhen Jianlibao in a pre-season friendly here.

African Player of the Year Samuel Eto'o sent out a warning to his Primera Liga rivals with a brace while 18-year-old Argentinian sensation Lionel Messi also grabbed two in sweltering conditions at the newly reopened Macau Stadium.

World Player of the Year Ronaldinho cut Shenzhen to ribbons in the first half as the Spanish title-holders strolled to a 3-0 lead by the break.

Spanish striker Iniesta tapped in after a four-man move involving Henrik Larsson with 23 minutes gone. The Swede, on his way back from a month-long injury lay-off, was on hand to double the lead 14 minutes later, although there was a strong hint of own goal as he was challenged at the near post.

Frenchman Ludovic Giuly then got on the end of a long, high ball from the back before rounding the keeper to make it 3-0 at half-time.

But there was worse to come for Shenzhen, who looked a shadow of the side that lifted the inaugural Chinese Super League title last season, as Barcelona brought on Eto'o, Deco and new signing Mark Van Bommel as part of a rash of half-time substitutions.

Cameroonian international Eto'o made an immediate impact, holding off Polish defender Marek Zajac to score almost from the re-start. Deco lashed in a fifth with his right boot seven minutes later.

Messi cued up an Eto'o cross to smash home a splendid volley and Giovanni van Bronckhurst made it seven in the 67th minute.

Messi got his second of the night with another savage left-footed strike on 88 minutes before Eto'o turned in Deco's bouncing shot in injury time.

The lone bright spot for Shenzhen came when goalkeeper Zhou Jia saved an Eto'o penalty to his right on 57 minutes.

The stylish victory made amends for Barcelona's 1-1 draw with Yokohama Marinos last week and was a fitting riposte to criticism of recent European performances in Asia, including those involving Barcelona's fierce rivals Real Madrid. –– AFP

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MADRID: Barcelona’s 9-0 thrashing of Chinese Super League champions Shenzhen Jianlibao in Macau on Wednesday was not the walkover it appeared, according to coach Frank Rijkaard.

“The scoreline made it look easier than it was,” said the Dutchman. “The heat was asphyxiating and we weren’t able to prepare for the match as we wanted to.

“But the important thing was the attitude of all the players I used, the fact that they played very well and scored some great goals.

“I’m really happy with the image that the club have given in the tour of Asia. We are delighted to have made the fans happy with the way we played.”

The Spanish champions completely overpowered their opponents in the second match of their brief pre-season tour of Asia with leading striker Samuel Eto’o and young Argentine forward Lionel Messi both grabbing two goals apiece.

There was double reason for celebration for 18-year-old Messi, who found out that he had also been given his first call up for Argentina by coach Jose Pekerman for a friendly international against Hungary on Aug 17.

“I wasn’t expecting it,” said Messi, who was the top scorer with six goals when Argentina won the recent World Youth Championship in Holland.

“It’s the dream that I’ve had ever since I was a young boy and I'm very proud because it is an important step forward in my career.” – Reuters

Luanda, 08/09 - The National Skate Hockey team Monday crushed Macao (21-3) in the second round match Group A of the world championship, being played in the U.S. San Jose city, California.

At half time, the Angolans were already ahead 9-1. Forward Toy Gaspar was the best scorer with eight goals.

Angola plays again today against Chile, in a match that will decide the second placed of the Group, led by Portugal.

the macau gp is the 17-20th this year right? i think i am going to organize my business trip to coincide! what other events are going on at that time? you posted that last year they had the asian motocross races and the karting championships, are they doing them again?

the macau gp is the 17-20th this year right? i think i am going to organize my business trip to coincide! what other events are going on at that time? you posted that last year they had the asian motocross races and the karting championships, are they doing them again?

Macau gp is the biggest sport event in Macau, and the East Asia games is on sometimes at the end of october.

im not sure, but you can find further information from here :)
www.macautourism.gov.mo

By Our Sports Reporter

MUSCAT — Oman suffered yet another big loss in the ongoing Macau International Hockey Tournament yesterday as per the reports received here.

Having lost to South Korea 1-4 after a brilliant and determined performance on Thursday, they found China more tougher than the Koreans as they lost 1-7 after trailing 0-4 at the break.

Oman’s only goal came in the second half from the stick of Basim Khattir as China made merry through- out the match.

China, who have so far inflicted big defeats on their rivals, signalled that one more was in the offing as their agile striker Hu Hui Ren opened the account in the eight minute and then enhanced the lead four minutes later.

As Oman tried to ward off the Chinese forays, the task for the defenders became too difficult. Meng Li Zhi struck the third goal for China in the 24th minute and within five minutes Song Yi pumped in the fourth goal.

The goal glut did not stop there as Hu Hui Ren was once again on target soon oafter resumption in the 39th minute.

Oman, however, did not give up their fight as their hunt for goals gathered momentum and for once in the match the Chinese citadel fell with Basim bang on target in the 47th minute.

However, the Oman defence continued to give away under pressure and He Xu of China struck in the 46th and 62nd minute to complete the tally.

On Thursday, Oman showed better coordination to restrict South Korea to four goals against one. Shin Yong Chul (fifth minute) and Jang Chang Min (12th minute) ensured that Kore led 2-0 at half-time.

After the break, Samir Hulais reduced the margin for Oman in the 44th minute, but South Korea took the match away as Hyun Hye Sung struck in the 49th and 61st minute of play. In the other match yesterday, Singapore were surprisingly held to 1-1 draw by lowly lying hosts Macau, who play Oman in the final league encounter tomorrow.

Both the goals were scored in the first half. Abdul Rahim Mohammed scored for Singapore in the 18th minute, while You Nan equalised for the hosts in the 30th minute.

On Thursday, Japan kept their hopes alive with a 6-1 win over Chinese Taipei.

Japan led 4-1 at half time. Tsai Mingl-Heng struck the first goal as Taipei took the lead, but Japan scored the rest in the match to finish the tally. Scorers for Japan were Kazuo Yoshido, Takahiko Yamabori (two goals), Toshiaki Fukuda, Kazuhior Tsubouchi and Kenichi Katayama.

By Our Sports Reporter

MUSCAT — Oman and hosts Macau will fight it out today to avoid the wooden spoon as Japan have virtually ensured themselves the title with classic 3-1 win over South Korea in the International Hockey Tournament yesterday.

Japan are just one match away as a win or draw against China today will crown themselves the champions, according to information received here.

A win for China will mean that Japan, China and South Korea will finish with 15 points each and the goal averages will come into account.

Currently South Korea have completed their engagement to finish with 15 points from six matches, while Japan have already 15 points from five and China 12 from five.

In yesterday’s match, Japan struck twice in the second half after sharing honours 1-1 in the first half. Akira Ito opened the account in the fifth minute, while Hyun Hye Sung equalised in the 24th minute of play.

Later after the breather, Akira Ito (45th) and Kazuo Yoshida (47th) took the match away from the Koreans.

In the other match, Singapore scored their second win of the tournament, beating Chinese Taipei 1-0, thanks to a brilliant second half effort by Herman Mansoor.

Singapore had defeated Oman in the first match of the tournament and later drawn 1-1 with host Macau. This gave them seven points from six matches, which ensures them the fourth spot in the standings.

Chinese Taipei, who too have played all the six matches, have one win and a draw, for four points.

Oman can go on par with Taipei on the points tally and hope to finish fifth, if they can beat Macau comprehensively.

The tournament which kicked off on August 6 concludes today.

By Our Sports Reporter

MUSCAT — Aided by a Hossam Aiyad brace Oman finally tasted victory beating the hosts 4-1 in the Macau International Hockey Tournament, which concluded yesterday with Japan clinching the coveted pennant with a 4-1 win over China.

After losing all the way, since the first match against Singapore, and holding Chinese Taipei to a 3-3 draw, Oman played their hearts out knowing that Macau were the ‘bashed boys’ of the tournament.

As a result, Macau found things tougher than expected and they could not repeat their own best performance which saw them hold Singapore to a 1-1 draw.

The verdict meant that Oman and Taipei finished with four points taking the fifth and sixth spots respectively with the wooden spoon going to the hosts, who had one point to their credit.

Japan finished on top with 18 points, followed by South Korea on 15 points, China on 12, Singapore on 7.

Yesterday, Oman started off well with Hussain Abdullah opening the account in the 17th minute and later Hossam Aiyad slipping one through a minute before the lemon break.

Ten minutes after resumption, Aiyad was once again on target.

Leading 3-0, Oman appeared set for more, but Macau managed to slip by the Oman defence and score through Fong Lei Keng in the 68th minute.

However, a minute later Hani Mubarak struck the final nail on Macau for a victory which Oman needed before returning home.

Later, Japan, who needed just a draw to emerge champions, struck thrice in the second half before beating China 4-1.

The second half saw, Japan making it 4-0 through Yamabori Takahiko (40th and 50th minute) and Tsuji Kengo (56th minute). China’s consolation came from the stick of Ren Hu Hui in the 58th minute.

August 16, 2005

The Macau Cup was won by the new rising star of Macau racing Warcat on Saturday night. The New Zealand bred youngster has now won four races from just seven starts and HKD $1,279,000 in stakes money.

Jockey Peter Ho took Warcat straight to the front in the 1500 metre event despite his outside barrier draw of 14. Able to dictate terms in the lead, Ho rated him to perfection before kicking clear as he turned for home.

Warcat easily held off former Derby winner Analyst who finished second while stablemate Interlord finished third.

Meanwhile, South African Jockey J Sampson is heading home after he tendered a resignation of his Visiting Jockey's Licence effective Sunday 14 August 2005 citing personal reasons. Sampson’s licence was to expire at the end of the current racing season.

JAS Motorsport has announced that former BTCC Production Class champion Simon Harrison is to join the team for the final round of the World Touring Car Championship at Macau in November.

Harrison will drive a Honda Accord sponsored by the Noble Group – which also backs a car in the Le Mans Endurance Series – and will partner Adriano De Micheli in a two car assault on the Independents Trophy.

Harrison has previously contested the ETCC in a JAS-made Honda Civic Type-R run by the GR Asia team in 2004 and has past experience of competing in Macau – most notably in 2003 when he qualified in third place before he was dumped out of the race following a collision with Jorg Muller.

"It's a great opportunity to race in Macau with such a competitive car," Harrison said. "I'm very familiar with Honda having already driven here in an Integra Type R DC 5 and I'm sure that with the help of the JAS Team I'll be able to improve my records.

"We will aim to the Independents Trophy, however I would not be surprised to be fighting among the works drivers."

Lets go to post more news about Macau Sport ... starting for Motorsport.

Where are going to race Macanese stars Andre Couto, Rodolfo Avila and Cheong Lou Meng in 2006?