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'Bit of a bonus' Jefferies wins Macau Grand Prix
Posted: Saturday November 20, 1999 12:57 PM
MACAU (AP) -- Briton David Jefferies won the 33rd Motorcycle Grand Prix on Saturday, in a race cut short when his closest rival ran into engine trouble and began spilling oil on the racecourse. In his second Macau Grand Prix, Jefferies powered his Yamaha 750cc at an average speed of 142.34 kph (88.25 mph) to grab the lead on the second lap and eventually win the race in 30 minutes and 57.359 seconds. Jefferies, 25, said "it was a bit of a bonus" that his closest rival Swiss veteran Andreas Hofmann began to leak oil on the 12th lap, prompting racing officials to raise the red flag and call off the 15-lap race. "I could see smoke from his bike and I tried to get past him," Jefferies, with a wreath around his neck and a bottle of champagne in hand, told The Associated Press. "I saw streaks of black on the racetrack." Hofmann, 43, nonetheless powered his Kawasaki 750cc at an average speed of 142.26 kph (88.20 mph) to record the fastest lap with a time of 2 minutes and 32.540 seconds and finish the race behind Jefferies. "I thought it was all finished for me. This was a crazy race and I just didn't want to crash," Hofmann said, with oil still speckled on his black boots. Hofmann, who came to Macau with his own television crew, last won the race in 1997. He rode the fastest practice lap in 2 minutes and 36.083 seconds during Friday's session, and did not expect Saturday's mishap. "I don't know if the problem with the oil was small or big, but when I saw the flag I knew it was over," Hofmann told The Associated Press. On his fourth Macau Grand Prix, Hofmann couldn't explain why his engine malfunctioned but he clinched a second place finish with a 1.006-second gap behind Jefferies on the 12th lap. By the time racing officials cut short the race, Hofmann was still ahead of last year's winner, Briton Michael Rutter. Rutter suffered carburetor problems during practice sessions in the past two days, but managed to power his Suzuki 750cc at an average speed of 142.20 kph (88.16 mph) to finish third. Rutter clocked 30 minutes 59.226 seconds when racing officials waved the red flag. "I went into the race to win. But the race wasn't too bad. I tried my best," said the 26-year old from Wordsley, Scotland. John McGuiness, the 25-year old from Morcambe, Lancashire, topped the practice session Friday, riding a tenth of a second faster than Jefferies to grab the pole position -- or the position on the inside of the track -- for Saturday's race. But racing officials said McGuiness had apparently run into engine problems and had to drop out of the race at the last minute. Security was tight along the 6.12 kilometer (3.79 mile) Guia Circuit around the twisting streets of this Portuguese enclave 64 kilometers (40 miles) west of Hong Kong. It is the last race before Macau switches over to Chinese rule on Dec. 20 after 442 years of Portuguese administration, and officials have been worried that the gang violence plaguing the enclave could interrupt the occasion. But Macau's two-day 46th Grand Prix opened without delay with the 33rd Motorcycle Grand Prix early Saturday. The highlight of the race, which began as an outdoor picnic in 1953 -- will be the Formula Three races on Sunday.
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