Dominant Davey Todd wins 57th Macau Motorcycle Grand Prix in southern China from team-mate Peter Hickman
Davey Todd dominated the 57th Macau Motorcycle Grand Prix in southern China on Saturday with a commanding performance on the Zeeco BMW.
The 8TEN Racing rider capped a fine season on the roads in fitting fashion by winning the final big event of the year, leading from start-to-finish in the 12-lap showdown around the 3.8-mile Guia street course.
Todd, who started from pole, also lapped within a whisker of Stuart Easton’s 2010 lap record (2m 23.616s), posting the quickest lap of the race in 2m 23.702s on lap seven.
Todd topped the times in a one-hour qualifying session on Saturday morning prior to the race after wet weather on Friday forced a schedule change.
The Saltburn-by-the-Sea man grabbed the lead off the line and from there, Todd never looked back, quickly pulling away from Finland’s Erno Kostamo (Racing for Inclusion by RVS BMW) in second place and his 8TEN Racing team-mate Hickman.
After three laps, the 30-year-old was almost six seconds clear of Hickman, who was now into second place past 2022 race winner Kostamo.
In perfect sunshine and warm conditions, Todd upped the ante and streaked further ahead, stretching his advantage over four-time race winner Hickman.
In a processional race, Todd pulled further ahead in the final laps and won in the end by 10.021s from Hickman, with Kostamo 14.685s further in arrears as he rounded out the top three.
Todd was declared the winner in 2024 despite the race being cancelled because of adverse weather brought by a passing typhoon.
The result was declared based on qualifying positions last November as per the rules, with Todd winning from Kostamo and Hickman.
However, the Englishman won the race outright on Saturday to set the record straight, closing out a memorable year during which Todd celebrated wins at the North West 200, Isle of Man TT, and Southern 100.
Wigan’s Rob Hodson finished fourth on the SMT Racing Honda, over 17 seconds behind Kostamo, with Lukas Maurer (Hoffmann and LM by MRP Yamaha) and impressive newcomer Maurizio Bottalico (Crowe Performance/Bottalico BMW) finalising the top six.
Northern Ireland’s Paul Jordan, who qualified an excellent fourth on the Jackson Racing Honda powered by Prosper2, lost a lot of ground after running on at Lisboa on the opening lap. The Magherafelt man later retired from the race.
Irishman Michael Sweeney, who escaped unhurt in a red flag crash in free practice on Thursday, also failed to finish the race on his MJR BMW.
Aussie David Johnson (Racing for Inclusion by RVS BMW) claimed seventh ahead of newcomer Mitch Rees from New Zealand (Jackson Racing Honda powered by Prosper2), while the top ten was completed by Manx rider Michael Evans (RC Express Honda) and Phil Crowe (Crowe Performance/Bottalico BMW).