Mike Conway wins prestigious Macau Grand Prix

British Formula Three champion Mike Conway won the Polytec Macau Formula Three Grand Prix in style today with a commanding win over the field of 32 drivers, adding another prestigious title to his racing accolades.

The 23-year-old British driver took the lead of the race at Lisboa corner on the first lap after the three leading cars all slid down the escape road. After staying clear of trouble, Conway set about opening up an early one-second lead over his rivals, but the Safety Car was called out to negate this.

The race restarted on lap five and Conway once again pushed hard to open up an early advantage, although he nearly came to grief after brushing the wall near Maternity Bend on lap six. From there Conway was able to keep his advantage, while the cars behind him were locked in a fierce battle for the remaining podium positions.

Richard Antinucci was the only driver to mount a challenge on Conway trying to close down his lead in the final stages, but after losing time behind a backmarker on the penultimate lap, he ran out of time.

Conway said after taking his victory, "I knew we had the pace to challenge for the top spot, but I also knew the cars ahead of me on the grid were all very competitive as well. I was lucky that the three cars went out on the first lap, but it was still a high pressure race, you can never relax and I was still being challenged at the end. You have to stay focused every minute of every lap, as one small mistake can mean disaster.

"I had a bit of a heart-stopping moment when I brushed the wall and it was lucky that it only caused a little damage that didn’t affect my pace. I just continued to stay focused and kept my head down to the chequered flag. I’m delighted to have won here, particularly with such a strong field; it’s a great result."

2MB, the sports management company founded by Mark Blundell and Martin Brundle handle Conway’s racing career. Blundell praised his protégé saying, “It’s a fantastic achievement for Mike to finish off his season in such convincing style and demonstrates once again the calibre of driver that he is, and the huge potential that he offers. I’m sure that there’ll be a few more industry observers watching and taking notice of this highly talented young racer. Well done Mike!"

Conway started racing at the age of eight at Rye House in Hertfordshire. His first triumph was the Formula A British Karting Championship, and he then went on to be Formula Renault Champion in 2004. With third place in the 2005 British Formula 3 series and top British driver he continued to show his racing talent. In 2006 Conway challenged for the British F3 title with Räikkönnen Robertson Racing and with ten pole positions and ten victories, he took the championship crown in dominant style. His attentions are now focused on a winter GP2 testing programme.