Mixed emotions after tragic crashes at Macau

Paul Poon won the CTM Macau Touring Car Cup with his Chevrolet Lacetti, but it was a bittersweet victory as his friend Philip Yau Wing died after a crash in the qualifying race.
“I knew Phillip well. For 15 years, we raced against each other many times, more than I can count. But just one impact and he’s gone, it’s unbelievable. I’ve never experienced anything like this in my 15 years of racing and I hope it’s the last time,” said Poon to South China Morning Post.

The mood in the pit lane was emotional all weekend after the incident, especially as bike racer Luis Carreira died in a crash earlier in the weekend.
“It’s very rare to have deaths in this sport. You get broken bones, broken arms and things like that. During past years, I’ve seen so many big accidents here – wheels flying everywhere – but the driver always walks out fine. We were doing the qualifying and I was out on a lap and I went past his car at the accident before the red flag came out. After the qualifying, some guy told me he’s gone. I just didn’t believe it. The mood among the drivers was just shock. Some guys were crying, total shock,” said Poon.

Wing crashed in the very fast Mandarin corner and it was a special moment for the drivers to get through that corner for the first time in the race.
“The first couple of laps, when we got to the bend where the accident happened, it was a little bit scary and we slowed down a bit,” said Poon.

Macau organisers say that the track follows safety standard and that there are no changes planned after this weekend’s tragic crashes.
“In all motorsport there is always a challenge so when the teams and drivers start practicing this sport they know the challenges in front of them. Our circuit has existed for 60 years and, of course, we have always followed all the guidelines in terms of security.” siad Joao Manuel Coasta Antunes, co-ordinator of the Macau Grand Prix Committee.