The return of the World Touring Car Championship to the streets of Macau will be played out over four days, with the Opening Race taking place on the Saturday for the first time.
Having announced that the WTCC would return to the legendary Circuito da Guia this year for the first time since 2004, it has now been revealed by the Macau Grand Prix organising committee that the schedule for the WTCC will also be different from in the past.
Whilst practice will still be spaced out over the Thursday and Friday in the run-up to the event, as has been the case in the past, qualifying on Saturday will now be joined by the Opening Race in a time slot designed to be more appealing to European audiences.
The Main Race, which is also known as the Guia race, will take place on Sunday as has been the case between 2005 and 2014.
“We expect Macau to be a season highlight for the WTCC,” explained Head of Eurosport Events’ François Ribeiro. “I’m grateful to the Macau Grand Prix Organizing Committee for accommodating our request to run our Opening Race on Saturday afternoon.
“This will drive a larger international audience in Asia, Europe and the Middle East across which the WTCC benefits from consistent live TV coverage.
“Macau may well be a decisive for both the drivers’ and manufacturers’ championships. Every point will count, and we all know how demanding the Macau track is for teams and drivers.”