GT World Cup Dakar Rally News: Maro Engel Victorious in Dramatic Macau Race
Macau, November 20th – In a thrilling FIA GT World Cup race at the Macau Grand Prix, Mercedes-AMG driver Maro Engel emerged victorious, despite a controversial late-race incident with BMW’s Dries Vanthoor.
Engel, who was seeking his fourth GT victory around the challenging Macau street circuit, found himself in a fierce battle with Vanthoor’s BMW M4 for the lead of the race. The two drivers made contact through the Solitude Esses, with Vanthoor being sent into the barriers and forced to retire due to suspension damage.
Despite the incident, Engel went on to take the checkered flag, crossing the line 11 seconds ahead of his nearest rival. The German driver was subsequently handed a 5-second penalty for the collision, but this did not affect the final result.
“If you push another car off, you should not be able to win the race. For me, it is a no-go what happened today – but it is what it is, it happened.”
– Dries Vanthoor
Engel, who had encountered radio issues throughout the weekend, apologized for the incident, explaining:
“It was a small touch but it unsettled him enough to keep sliding and tag the wall. No bad intentions there, I was just trying to make a move.”
The Mercedes-AMG driver went on to describe the weekend as a “crazy” one, particularly after the heavy rain that hit the circuit on the eve of the race.
“When I saw it was raining – actually I heard it last night, it woke me up, that’s how hard it was raining! – I felt this was our opportunity,” Engel said.
With the victory, Engel’s fourth at the Macau Grand Prix, the German driver added another prestigious title to his collection, further cementing his reputation as one of the top GT racers in the world.
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