Photo: TCR Media

Rob Huff misses out on Macau entry due to new rule change

Eight-time Guia Race of Macau winner Rob Huff will lose out on the chance to compete in this year’s race after a new rule resulted in the Briton’s entry being rejected by the event’s organisers.

The Honda factory driver was set to compete in this year’s race in a Honda Civic TCR, as he had last year where he took pole position and won the qualifying race while competing with WestCoast Racing in the TCR International Series finale.

The 36-year-old was set to race again in a car run with support from JAS Motorsport, but has been caught out by a rule change which required him to have raced a 2.0 litre turbocharged touring car during the 2016 season to be eligible to compete in the touring car race at the Macau Grand Prix, which is no longer a part of the WTCC season.

As his regular car, the Honda Civic WTCC, is powered by a 1.6 litre turbocharged HR412E engine, his experience in this car doesn’t qualify. The Briton attempted to ensure an entry by racing a BAIC Senova D60 in the CTCC’s Super Cup 2.0T class at the Shanghai WTCC weekend, but this wasn’t deemed eligible.

The new rule in the Guia Race 2.0T sporting regulations states:

5.2.1 Drivers will be selected under the following conditions: a.) Drivers who have participated in any FIA or ASN sanctioned international or zone races of 2.0T category in 2016 and having been classified.

“It’s very frustrating and a silly situation I’ve never heard of before,” said Huff to TouringCarTimes. “I’ve got the budget, the car, engineer, mechanics, sponsor, hotels and flights all booked, but no entry. It’s an unfortunate sequence of events.”

Although Huff has many hours experience driving the Civic TCR, which is used as the guest laps car at WTCC race weekends, this doesn’t count towards his eligibility.

Huff’s WTCC team-mate Tiago Monteiro will take part in the Guia Race in a Civic TCR with support from JAS and WestCoast Racing, with the Portuguese driver having met the criteria after competing in two rounds of the TCR Benelux series at Spa and Zandvoort in the summer.