Motorsport: Irish pair Dunne and Hart ready to roll the dice in Macau 

Offaly’s Alex Dunne onboard the SJM Theodore PREMA Racing around the streets of Macua. Picture: Sebastiaan Rozendaal/Dutch Photo Agency.

Irish racing aces Alex Dunne and Max Hart represent a twin pronged Irish presence at this weekend’s 71st Macau Grand Prix. Recognised as one of the most challenging and demanding events in motor racing, many Formula1 drivers have participated in this event in their early careers.

Dunne from Clonbulloge, Co. Offaly will race with the SJM Theodore PREMA Racing outfit in the inaugural FIA FR World Cup while Baltinglass (Co. Wicklow) racer Hart competes in the FIA World Touring Car Championship series on the 6.12km Guia Circuit on the streets of Macau.

Dunne’s trajectory in motor racing continues its upward spiral and there are great expectations of the Clonbulloge ace, the son of double Irish Formula Ford champion Noel.

Last year on his first Macau Grand Prix appearance he caused a stir as he posted fastest laps and netted a podium finish in the qualifying race in what was his first outing in an F3 car. A former British Formula 4 champion, Dunne, who celebrated his 18th birthday last Monday, is part of the prestigious McLaren Driver Development Programme. With the benefit of last year’s outing around this famous circuit and a full season competing in the FIA Formula 3 Championship with MP Motorsport, he has set a target. 

“I’m very excited to have the opportunity to be racing at Macau again and with SJM Theodore Prema Racing. Macau is the best street/track race in the world and to have another opportunity with a winning team is brilliant. It’s a new car for me again this year, last year the car was really strong and I adapted quickly for my first weekend in F3, so I think as long as I approach the weekend the same way this year and build into it, the possibility to win is definitely there and that’s the goal.” 

Hart onboard his O’Driscoll’s Whiskey-backed Hyundai is the first Irish driver to race in the TCR World Championship. Like Dunne, this is also Hart’s second time to race in Macau, last year he won the TCR China championship at the circuit, on this occasion on what is his World Championship debut, he will be battling for the TCR Asia title, where he currently occupies second place. 

“Racing in FIA World TCR is a dream come true for me. I feel incredibly lucky to represent Ireland on this global stage. It’s been a long road to get to this point and ultimately achieve a goal that I set many years ago. It will be a proud and emotional weekend.” 

Hart has raced in Asia since the beginning of last year and this season he’s racing under the banner of the Z-Speed Hyundai team in TCR Asia Elsewhere, Fionn McLaughlin (17) from Magherafelt is set to compete in next year’s F4 British Championship with the Hitech Pulse Eight team. He will also race in the 2025 F4 Spanish Winter Championship. This season, he finished sixth in both the FIA Karting World Championship and the European Karting Championships; third in Champions of the Future Euro Series and second the X30 IAME Euro series. Last August he signed for the Red Bull Junior team to be part of the Red Bull Junior Driver academy.

Meanwhile, Motorsport Ireland has announced the two wildcard nominations for this year’s Sexton Trophy “Young Racing Driver of the Year” award. David Maguire (Rathgar) and Sean McGovern (Sandyford) will join Logan Hoey (15) from Dundalk, Joshua Henry (14) from Inver, Co. Donegal, Max Hart (Baltinglass) and Jamie Moylan (Naas) for the coveted award that carries a €50,000 support package to help develop their motor racing career. McGovern (19) finished second in this season’s Fiesta Zetec Championship on the back of three race wins, he also won the Hawthorn Trophy. Maguire (23) also raced in the Fiesta Zetec Championship, he too notched up three race wins and set two lap records but had to be content with third in the series after he was out of luck in the final race. The winner will be announced at the annual Motorsport Ireland Champions of Irish Motorsport Awards on Wednesday, December 4th.