Darryl O’Young finishes fourth in Macau GT Cup after being given a 30-second drive-through penalty before race
- Hong Kong driver makes a stunning recovery as he moves up the grid to almost steal a podium place before the race is red flagged because of a crash
- The Craft-Bamboo Racing driver laments his 30-second penalty before the race for infringing rules at the start of Saturday’s qualification race
Darryl O’Young’s hopes of glory in the Macau GT Cup will have to wait another year after he was given a “harsh” penalty and started 11th on the grid in Sunday’s race for infringing rules at the start of Saturday’s qualification race, which he won.
Even before the start of the Macau GT Cup, one of five races at the Macau Grand Prix weekend, there was drama after stewards handed the 40-year-old Craft-Bamboo Racing driver a 30-second drive-through time penalty on Saturday night. That meant he dropped from pole position to 11th on the grid – a tall order even for the talented driver.
Darryl O’Young in pole position for Macau GT Cup as he makes dramatic return to Guia circuit
O’Young showed grit and determination to move up the grid to eventually finish fourth before the race was stopped when China’s Yao Liangbo crashed his Mercedes-AMG with two laps to go. On Sunday morning, O’Young voiced his grievances on Facebook, arguing that he did not break regulations on the famous 6.2-km Guia circuit.
“After yesterday’s result I received a 30-second penalty after a post-race protest by two competitors that I was too close to their cars at the start. The decision is harsh and everyone else around me that did the same thing received no penalty, only me. It’s the responsibility of all drivers to maintain the distance and as I was the pole sitter, I have the right to set the grid position as there was no rule to drive through the grid box.
“It is clear I did not breach the regulation but regardless, I am here to drive, and I will fight back to the podium. I have 12 laps to do it and I start P11. Drop the b*******, LET’S GO!”
The Macau GT Cup was won by China’s Ye Hongli, of Toro Racing, with Hong Kong’s Marchy Lee Ying-kin second for Audi Sport Asia Team X Works. Lee’s teammate Chen Weian, of China, was third.
Meanwhile, Britain’s legendary Rob Huff was stripped of his Macau Guia victory following a post-race penalty for an incident involving China’s Ma Qinghua.
Huff was looking to extend his success at Macau with his 10th victory and although he crossed the finish line first, he was stripped of the title by stewards hours later.
The 40-year-old MG Xpower appeared to have touched the back of Ma’s car. Ma drove his Lynk & Co 03 TCR straight into a wall not long after the start, wrecking his car and causing the race to be red flagged. The race was suspended by more crashes in an anticlimactic finish.
Four weeks of quarantine to race at the Macau Grand Prix: ‘It’s a sacrifice I’m willing to make,’ says Darryl O’Young
With Huff stripped of the title, China’s Jason Zhang Zhiqiang won the race withYan Cheuk-wai, of Hong Kong, second.
The 67th Macau Grand Prix, which this year was downgraded to a FIA Formula Four race because of the pandemic, was won by 19-year-old Charles Leong Hon Chio, of Smartlife Racing, with compatriot Andy Chang Wing Chung taking second place in a 1-2 finish for Macau. Third place went to China’s Li Sicheng, of LEO Team.
