The Guia Circuit, or Circuito da Guia, is a street circuit located at the southeast region of the Macau Peninsula in Macau. It is the venue of the Macau Grand Prix and Guia Race of Macau. The circuit consists of long straights and tight corners, and features the characteristics of a typical street circuit - narrow, bumpy and limited overtaking opportunities. However, there are two special features that can rarely be found in other street circuits - variation in altitude (over 30 m (100 ft) between highest and lowest point of the circuit) and an ultra long main straight that allows top speed of 260 km/h (160 mph) on Formula Three cars. As a result, the circuit is recognised as one of the most challenging circuits in the world in terms of both driving and tuning, as cars have to maintain competitive speed to overcome hill-climbing, twisty corners and long straights in a single lap.
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Location | Macau |
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Time zone | UTC+08:00 |
Coordinates | 22°11′50″N 113°33′3″E |
FIA Grade | 2 (Restricted) |
Opened | 31 October 1954; 68 years ago (1954-10-31) |
Major events | Macau Grand Prix Race of Macau Macau GT Cup |
Grand Prix Circuit (1958–present)[1] | |
Length | 6.120 km (3.803 miles) |
Turns | 24 |
Race lap record | 2:06.317 ( Jüri Vips, Dallara F3 2019, 2019, F3) |
Original Circuit (1954–1957) | |
Length | 6.276 km (3.900 miles) |
Turns | 26 |
Website | www |
The Guia Circuit was originally conceived in 1954 as the route for a treasure hunt around the streets of the city,[2] but shortly after the event it was suggested that the hunt's track could host an amateur racing event for local motor enthusiasts. Since 1967, with the introduction of a motorcycle race, the track has become a venue for both motorcycle and car racing events.
The circuit is unique for its combination of motorcycle and car racing events within the same race weekend. The Macau Motorcycle GP, the Guia Race (WTCC final rounds from 2005 to 2014) and the Macau Formula 3 GP are the highlights of the race weekend. In addition, various kind of racing events are organised for competition between local and regional (Hong Kong, Taiwan, Japan, South East Asia, etc.) enthusiasts.
Unlike other regular racing tracks in the world, the layout of the Guia Circuit has not been modified since 1957 (the pit and paddock complex has been relocated to the present location since 1993, but the layout of the circuit has not been changed). The narrowest part of the track has a width of merely 7 m (23 ft), which is located at the Melco Hairpin. The whole length of the circuit is safely bounded by Armco barriers painted in black and yellow stripes. There used to be a gravel trap near the Reservoir Bend but since the pit and paddock complex was moved to the present location, this feature has been removed.
There are two major grandstands around the circuit for spectators to watch live racing - the main grandstand along the pit straight and the other one at the Lisboa Bend. The Lisboa Bend is the most famous spot of excitement as it offers the only possible overtaking opportunity at the end of the main straight. On the other hand, it is also notorious for massive pile-ups on opening laps due to its 90-degree turn configuration and its significant reduction in track width. As a result, the ticket price for a seat at the Lisboa Bend is much higher than that of a seat at the main grandstand. But as with most street circuits there are many people who stand or sit next to the track or on bridges and fly overs.
Italics indicate discontinued class. The official race lap records at the Guia Circuit are listed as:
Category | Record | Driver | Car/Bike | Date |
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Grand Prix Circuit (1993–present): 6.120 km[3] | ||||
Formula 3 | 2:06.317[4] | Jüri Vips | Dallara F3 2019 | 2019 |
Formula 3 (–2018) | 2:10.186[5] | Sérgio Sette Câmara | Dallara F315 | 2015 |
GT3 | 2:17.182[6] | Earl Bamber | Porsche 911 (991) GT3 R | 2019 |
Formula Renault | 2:23.135 | Scott Speed | Tatuus FR2000 | 2004 |
Motorcycle Grand Prix | 2:23.616 | Stuart Easton | Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10R | 2010 |
Guia Race (WTCC TC1) | 2:26.469[7] | Robert Huff | Citroën C-Elysée WTCC | 2017 |
Porsche Carrera Cup | 2:27.343 | Darryl O'Young | Porsche 911 (997) GT3 Cup | 2007 |
Formula 4 | 2:28.777[8] | Hon Chio Leong | Mygale M14-F4 | 2021 |
Guia race (Super Touring) | 2:29.253[9] | Steve Soper | BMW 320i | 1997 |
Formula BMW | 2:29.449[10] | William Buller | Mygale FB02 | 2009 |
Group A | 2:29.740[11] | Bernd Schneider | Mercedes-Benz 190 E 2.5-16 EVO II (W201) | 1992 |
Asian Formula 2000 | 2:30.052 | Philippe Descombes | Argo-Ford Zetec 1.8 | 2001 |
Guia Race (Super 2000) | 2:30.881 | Robert Huff | Chevrolet Cruze WTCC | 2011 |
Guia Race (TCR) | 2:31.038[12] | Robert Huff | Volkswagen Golf GTI TCR | 2018 |
Road Sport Challenge | 2:32.974 | Manabu Orido | Nissan GT-R | 2010 |
Group 5 | 2:37.720[13] | Manfred Winkelhock | BMW 320i Turbo | 1981 |
Guia Race (Super Production) | 2:39.634 | Simon Harrison | Honda Integra Type-R | 2003 |
CTM Touring Car[14] | 2:40.916 | Paul Poon | Chevrolet Lacetti | 2012 |
Supercar race | 2:41.877 | Kevin Wong | Porsche 911 (996) GT3 R | 2000 |
ACMC race | 2:42.591 | Cheung Wai On | Honda RS125 | 2003 |
Group 2 | 2:44.820[15] | Hans Heyer | Ford Escort II RS | 1978 |
Volkswagen Scirocco R-Cup | 2:46.183[16] | Duncan Huisman | Volkswagen Scirocco R | 2013 |
Interport race[17] | 2:48.216 | Alvaro Mourato | Honda Integra (fourth generation) | 2010 |
CTM Cup (Super 1600) | 2:46.990[18] | Paul Poon | Peugeot RCZ | 2015 |
Chinese Cup[19] | 2:58.203[20] | David Zhu | Senova D70 | 2016 |
Group 6 | 2:59.800[21] | Mauro Bianchi | Alpine A210 | 1966 |
Group 4 | 3:05.300[22] | Albert Poon | Lotus 23 | 1964 |
Formula Junior | 3:10.100[23] | Arsénio Laurel | Lotus 22 | 1962 |
Simulation / Video Game | Year | Configuration | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
1954 | 1993 | 2014 | ||
Race - The Official WTCC Game | 2006 | Yes | No | |
RaceRoom | 2013 | No | Yes | |
Race 07 | 2007 | Yes | No | |
Ride 2 | 2016 | - | - | |
Project Gotham Racing 4 (Fictional) | 2007 | - | - | |
Race Pro | 2009 | Yes | No | |
TT Superbikes Real Road Racing | 2005 | PS2 | No |
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Circuits of the FIA World Touring Car Championship or FIA World Touring Car Cup (1987, 2005–2022) | |||||
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Circuits of the TCR International Series (2015–2017) | |
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Asian Touring Car Series circuits (2000–2011) | |
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TCR Asia Series circuits (2015–2019, 2021–present) | |
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Current (2022) | |
Former |
TCR China Touring Car Championship circuits (2017–present) | |
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Current (2022) | |
Former |