The Race of Macau will mark an important milestone in Tom Coronel’s career: his 25th year in motorsport.
And no one knowing the cheerful Dutchman will have any doubt that the anniversary will be… duly celebrated. There couldn’t be a better place than Macau to do so, as Tom has a long history there: he competed three times in the F3 GP (in the years 1995-97), has taken part in all nine WTCC events held so far and was on the grid also in three pre-WTCC editions of the touring car Guia Race.
“Macau means a lot to me,” he admits, “it is simply unique. First, because of the layout of the track, which combines very high speed sections with the traditional features of a street circuit, not allowing any mistake. Then because of the atmosphere. The place, the people, the sensation of permanent rush are really like nowhere else. On top, it is always the closing event of the season, with this end-of-school atmosphere: the tension of the season fades away, it’s time to party and say goodbye to the next year…”
Even after so many years, Tom feels excited about going back to Macau: “It’s a track that challenges you, and that is what a driver likes. I also have some unfinished business there: I have lost the race in F3 two laps from the end in 1997 while I was leading, and also missed twice a WTCC win because of red flags in recent years…”
Still, his record there is not bad at all: one pole position in F3, a win in the touring car race in 2001, and three WTCC podium finishes… This year, he foresees an interesting edition: “With the TC1 cars, much faster and certainly not liking to be scratched against the walls, it’s going to be fun…”