Barretto, 33, left Manila for Macau last Tuesday with hopes of bagging his first title in the tough and tricky circuit. It’s his third appearance in Macau after competing in the Asian Formula Renault Challenge in 1999 and 2001.
Barretto’s father and grandmother will be in the stands when he burns the track. His mother, however, will stay home in Alabang Hills. She’s too nervous to watch.
But hundreds of Filipino racing fans are expected to descend on Macau for the weekend festivities. It’s only a two-hour flight from Manila and a 45-minute ferry ride from Hong Kong, after all.
The golden anniversary celebration started last weekend with a "classic" competition featuring immortal models like Austin Healey, Lotus and Morgan. But the big events are scheduled this weekend. On tap are the prestigious Intercontinental Cup for Formula 3 drivers, the Guia Circuit race, the 37th Motorcycle Grand Prix, the Asian Formula Renault Challenge and the Porsche Carrera Cup Asia.
The racing route is laid out on a 6.2- kilometer winding street course known for its breathtaking bayside straightaways, treacherous hillside hairpin bends and narrow sideroads. The route is similar to the famous Formula 1 course in Monaco.
"You win races based on how fast you can take a turn," said Barretto who’s a perfect model for the Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. ad campaign to promote its DSL internet service. "The peril of Macau is that you can’t make a mistake. One wrong turn and you’re in the wall, unlike other circuits where you have miles of open space."
Barretto certainly knows of what he speaks. He’s competed all over the world and dominated international sports car endurance races, the most recent of which was the LeMans Classic in France as the lone Asian driver.
"To be there with all the other drivers is an achievement," said Barretto whose idol is the late Dodjie Laurel. It’s Laurel’s footsteps that Barretto is determined to follow.
Laurel, driving a Lotus 22 Ford FJ, won back-to-back Macau Grand Prix titles in 1962 and 1963. Then, in a bid for a third crown, he was killed on the track as his car crashed and caught fire in 1967. Today, he is immortalized at the Macau Grand Prix Museum where his car is on exhibit.
Barretto said teaming with Couto provides a fresh challenge to his storybook career. "I believe your toughest competitor is your teammate because you are using the same car and you belong to the same team," he explained. "There is pressure on me to perform as much as there is pressure for him to win."
Another Filipino, Macky Carapiet, is high in the honor roll of prominent personalities attending the Grand Prix this weekend. Carapiet will be the Jury President in the 37th Motorcycle Grand Prix as appointed by the Federation Internationale de Motocycliste, the world governing body for motorcycle sports.
In his latest tirade, the outspoken Col. Malonso lashed out at politicians interfering in the affairs of sports and cautioned the POC of falling into the trap of acceding to government intervention.
"The crisis in Philippine sports is caused by politics," he said. "What is happening in sports is what is happening in government. This is a chain reaction. Government should support not intervene in sports. Like the Church should guide the flock but not favor a candidate. The Lina Rider requiring National Sports Associations to register with the Securities and Exchange Commission is an example of government intervention in sports.
"The decision of the Court of Appeals recognizing BAPI (Basketball Association of the Philippines Inc.) is also government intervention. Whether we like it or not, the FIBA (International Basketball Federation) recognizes the BAP (Basketball Association of the Philippines). If the POC recognizes the BAPI and not the BAP, the FIBA can suspend the Philippines. The POC should not take sides in the BAP controversy. Since the POC is recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), a juridical body, the IOC representative should settle the case before it becomes more complicated.
"Up to now, we have not learned our lesson. The BAP was heavily fined when the late President Macapagal denied the entry of the Yugoslavian team for the World Basketball Championships in Manila–which was cancelled and instead turned into an invitational tournament. The latest fiasco was the FIBA’s suspension of the BAP because of the leadership crisis."