Fascinated with the speedway

By Sonia, Chan Mei Teng

They get up at about 3 am when the sky is still in dark. They prepare everything when there are still hours to start. They are very sleepy indeed, but they are excited, and fascinated with the speedway. They are all very important to the game, but they are not in the spotlight. However, they enjoy it, they value it, and they love it. They are the staff of the famous Macao Grand Prix.
Jimmy Chek, 25 years old, worked for the 55th and 56th Macao Grand Prix the last two years when he was still a student at the University of Macau. "It was really exciting! Although we were so tired in those four days, we enjoyed it very much. All of us learnt a lot about motor-racing." Every year during the Grand Prix, accidents happened and made people scared. However, Chek felt it safe when he was very near the speedway.
"There was always an experienced head at every stand. When there was an accident, he or she would make sure that everything was under control, and then arrange our jobs. We never got hurt under their leadership," Chek smiled happily when talking about his leader. He also mentioned that the head was so nice and talkative, who taught them a lot, and even bought them extra food and drinks.
In addition to waking up so early, the weather is another challenge too. "It was cold when the sun had not yet risen. We wore a lot but started to take clothes off later about noon. When the night screen started hanging down, we put on clothes again." Moreover, Chek said the air was foul which made his skin suffer. Nevertheless, he indicated that he will surely take part in the work again if there is a chance, since he has unfortunately missed the application deadline this year.
Chek was at first introduced to the work by his friends. After his first experience, he was fascinated with the job and decided to work again the following year. "It was really a happy job. I met friends and learnt the rules of the game which I wouldn't have known if I had been just an audience."
Don Chan, a secondary school student who has never worked for the Grand Prix before, has applied for the job this year. In late June, he attended a marshal training class held by the Automobile General Association Macao-China. During the training, he received theoretical instruction about each job including during the Grand Prix. After passing the examination, he also had a practical exercise in the KartÛdromo De Coloane at the beginning of September. "I expect that it will be a tough job, but I believe it to be valuable experience." Now he is waiting for the final result whether he can be one of the marshals or not.
The 57th Macao Grand Prix is scheduled to kick off between November 18 - 21. The three headline races are the FIA Formula 3 Intercontinental Cup, the Macao Motorcycle Grand Prix - 44th Edition, and the FIA World Touring Car Championship - Guia Race of Macao, with five supporting races: The Macao GT Cup, Macao Road Sport Challenge, CTM Macao Touring Car Race, Hotel Fortuna MAC/ HKG Interport Race, and Formula BMW Pacific.

Every year Macao Grand Prix attracts drivers from Macao and across the globe to compete on the Guia Circuit. This year, 252 drivers from 35 countries and nations will join the Grand Prix, and 55 of them are from Macao. Beside the drivers, hundreds of marshals are also ready for action. If there are chances, would you like to experience the job aswell? Maybe you will be fascinated with the speedway too! They are all very important to the game, but they are not in the spotlight. However, they enjoy it, they value it, and they love it.