Michael Rutter shows F1 how to go street racing

One of the centrepieces of global road racing, the Macau Grand Prix takes place this weekend.

While F1 is busy imploding in a combination of cringe PR events, opening ceremonies, loose drain covers, and logistical shortcomings that prevent paying fans from actually watching any on-track action, the Macau Grand Prix has begun in China.

The Macau GP is a unique event in that it combines both car and motorcycle racing all in one weekend, with F3, GT3, TCR, and - best of all - superbikes all taking to the streets of the famous city.

Its uniqueness is derived not only from its variety of categories, though. On specifically the motorcycle side, the vast majority of top level road racing takes place in Europe, but Macau draws most of the top European road racers out to Asia. Additionally, its layout manages to take advantage of something which is generally a key feature of a good circuit - and something which is missing from most modern circuits in general, but especially modern street circuits - that being elevation change.

WATCH: Michael Rutter on-board from Macau GP

The Macau circuit snakes its way up, down, and around a well-populated hillside - a feature that really makes it stand out.

It really is a circuit that bears almost no comparison to either Lusail International Circuit that MotoGP is racing at this weekend, or the Las Vegas street track that F1 is- well, it’s hard to call that racing but you get the point. 

Michael Rutter is a record holder in Macau, having won nine times around the famous track. Back once again this weekend with the FHO Racing BMW team - as teammates to two-times BSB champion Josh Brookes, and 13-times Isle of Man TT race winner Peter Hickman - Rutter finished Friday’s qualifying in fifth place, and also treated us to the epic on-board footage you can watch for yourself above.

Image credit: Macau Grand Prix.