Bikes off the schedule for Macau for 2021

[advrider]

First, it was Pikes Peak. Then, it was the Isle of Man TT. Now, the Macau GP is once again cutting motorcycles from its race schedule for 2021, and there’s a very good chance it won’t be back.

The Macau GP is not as well-known in North America as Pikes Peak or the IOMTT, but it is a very important and prestigious event for the guys who are at those better-known events. Macau has more than 50 years of motorcycle racing history, and since the 1980s, some very respected names have won there—John McGuinness, Michael Rutter, Ian Hutchinson, Peter Hickman, Kevin Schwantz, Ron Haslam, Mick Grant, and more.

However, at Macau, bikes share the course with cars for the weekend. They’re obviously not on-track at the same time, but organizers have to fit both into the schedule. As fun as motorcycles are, there’s more money in car marketing, and a lot of fans want to see them run. So, if something has to go, bikes are first on the chopping block. Motorcycle crashes are especially messy at a place like Macau, which has zero run-off, and organizers don’t like that. Serious injuries and death are bad for the celebratory atmosphere.

So, Macau has cut bikes from the schedule, and like Pikes Peak, which faces a very similar scenario sharing between cars and bikes, it’s possible we won’t see motorcycle racing return. In August, Pikes Peak’s Race to the Clouds organizers said motorcycles would not be returning to the series, too, although Macau has made no such sweeping ban yet.

At least we’ve got the Isle of Man TT … maybe. The TT is supposed to return for 2022, and since it doesn’t face the issue of sharing the course with cars, that won’t be an issue. However, there are always other factors against the TT, including the surprising unpopularity with many locals, and expense to Isle of Man government. Don’t be surprised if all that works against it to make 2022 a non-race year there, too.

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