Local drivers join WTCC: Targeting home success

It’s a fight that resumes every year. Speeding at the infamous corners of Guia Circuit, Macau’s driver André Couto is once again trying to match Jorg Muller’s record of being the only driver to have won both the Macau F3 Grand Prix and the Guia Race.
He was for a couple of years the only representative of Macau in the event, but those days are long gone. Five out of the 27 drivers that are taking part in the last leg of the World Touring Car Championship are locals.
Couto is joined by Jo Rosa Merszei, who returns for a third spell at the WTCC, and debutants Mak Ka Lok, Felipe Clemente de Souza and Kuok Io Keong.
Four other racers from Hong Kong – Darryl O’ Young, Charles Ng, Philip Ma and Lo Ka Chun – also take part in the competition, giving a very special local flavour to this year’s event.
Undoubtedly the most experienced driver of the Macau SAR, André Couto welcomes the arrival of new blood to a competition as demanding as the WTCC: “It’s positive that more local pilots have the chance to compete directly with some of the world’s best drivers. It is a sign that the local motorsport scene is developing.”
Jo Merszei is the only one of the new additions to have raced in the WTCC before, contesting the 2009 and 2010 Macau events, although Keong entered last season’s finale but failed to qualify.

André Couto

He doesn’t really need any introduction, does he? A local hero in his own right, André Couto is once again competing at the final leg of the WTCC and he’s eager to reassert his value on what he calls “the best track in the world”. Since winning the 47th edition of the Formula 3 in 2000, the Portuguese born driver has been having trouble finishing the race due to accidents or to mechanical problems. Couto is filing for victory at the wheel of a SEAT Léon 1.6 T run by Spanish team Sunred Engineering, but he knows that there’s more to the race than high spirits and ambition.
“My expectations are always high. I always believe that it is possible to win and obviously I am trying to work with victory in my mind, but sometimes you don’t have the best car or the best setup, as it is the case this year. Nevertheless, I am trying to bring myself to a position in which I can fight for victory,” Couto says.

Jo Merszei

His grandfather took him to the races when he was five and the experience was all that was needed to light a fire that continues to burn. Hong Kong born Jo Rosa Merszei has been a regular driver on the Guia track since he was 17 and he intends to keep his passion flowing for years to come. Merszei took part in the Formula Three Intercontinental Cup every year between 1999 and 2007, with a best finish of 12th in 2001. On his third stint at the Macau leg of the WTCC, Jo vows once again to make his best effort to get a good result. The recipe for satisfaction in tomorrow’s race might as well be a good bit of perseverance: “You have to build up your speed on a circuit like Macau, because there’s no room for error. The important thing, the ultimate tactic would be to stay on the race track all time.”
Joining Liqui Moly Team Engstler, Jo Merszei will be at the wheel of a BMW 320si.

Felipe Clemente de Souza

An eager enthusiast of motorsports, Macanese Felipe Clemente de Souza makes his WTCC debut on the very track he watched his racing idols compete. In his first stint at the WTCC circus, the 35-year-old racer drives an ex-works Chevrolet Lacetti such as those raced by Rob Huff, Alain Menu and Nicola Larini between 2005 and 2008. The car is run by Corsa Motorsport, a Hong Kong-based race outfit that also signs its first experience in Macau. Felipe Clemente de Souza has competed in various races supporting the Macau Grand Prix, with his best record a second place in the 2008 edition of the Hotel Fortuna MAC/HKG Interport Race. Last year, the Macanese driver tried his luck in the CTM Macau Touring Car Race, clinching 5th place. In his maiden appearance with the WTCC, Souza doesn’t ask for much: “It would be amazing if I could finish the race and it would be superb if I could do it with a fairly good lap time.”

Mak Ka Lok

The name might not ring any bells, but Mak Ka Lok is one of the most experienced drivers of Macau. The 46-year-old racer makes his return to the ever demanding Guia Circuit in one of the most challenging competitions in the Grand Prix programme, but the veteran is more than used to tough challenges. In his first spell at the WTCC, Mak Ka Lok is at the wheel of a BMW 320si run by RPM Motorsport. With a career that spans more than two decades, Ma Ka Lok took part in the Asia, China, Hong Kong and Macau touring car series. His best results were a win in the 1999 Macau Cup Race and a third place in the 2010 edition of the Asian Touring Car Series.

Kuok Io Keong

He was a late addition to the list of Macau drivers that are competing in this year’s edition of the Guia Race, but Kuok Io Keong is not a stranger to the corners and straights of the local circuit. The 35-year old driver has built his racing experience in the Asian and Macau touring car series, claiming undisputed victories in the 2010 Macau AAMC Challenge and the 2011 Macau Road Sport Series. Last year he tried to qualify in the WTCC event at the wheel of a Honda Accord, but his effort was to no avail. This year was quite different. Kuok Io Keong joins fellow Macau resident Felipe Clemente de Souza behind the steering wheel of a Chevrolet Lacetti run by Hong Kong-based team Corsa Motorsport.