Leona Chin scores top 15 result on Macau debut

Leona Chin, the sole female driver at the Macau Grand Prix weekend, kept herself out of trouble throughout the weekend to score an impressive 15th-place finish, in a shortened race in changing conditions.

Photo credits: Leona Chin

Malaysian racer Leona Chin ended a chaotic weekend at the notorious Guia Circuit with a solid 15th-place result in the GT4 race of the weekend.

Very popular in South East Asia, the Malaysian racer has a wide experience in motorsports, particularly in drifting, where she made a name for herself across Asian competitions and TV appearances. However her successes also include touring cars, where she has gained valuable experience in the last few years.

Chin secured the Malaysia Championship Series in the M-Production class, has a class win in the Sepang 1000km on her resumé and most recently she was crowned China Circuit Sprint Challenge BMW M235i Cup overall champion in the Master category.

With these successes under her belt, Chin geared up for arguably her biggest challenge yet: the mighty Guia Circuit in Macau. Leona would in fact be tackling the Greater Bay Area GT Cup GT4 competition, support event of the 71st Macau Grand Prix, in the #88 Z.Speed Motorsport's Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS CS, fulfilling a dream to race at the legendary track in a GT car.

“It’s been a tough journey, but racing GT cars at Macau is a dream come true,” she said before the event, where she was the only female driver across all entry lists.

The sole practice session was run in wet conditions and despite a red flag for Brian Lai's #2 Ginetta G55 GT4 stopped on track, Chin was able to maximize her time on track, setting the 19th-best time on her first time at the street circuit.

Qualifying was held the day after, this time in damp conditions and it saw Terence Tse's #17 AMG GT4 cause the first red flag of the session, crashing at the Police Bend and leaving debris on the racing line as he came back to the pits.

Once the session resumed, Alessandro Ghiretti hit the wall in the middle of the Solitude Esses, causing another red flag.

The session however, saw its third red flag when Wai Ming Fok hit the wall with his #85 AMG GT4, causing the session to be called with 4 minutes left, just as lap times were improving, leaving Leona Chin to start the Greater Bay Area GT Cup (GT4) in 23rd position, having been unable to record a representative lap time due to the interruptions.

Photo credits: Leona Chin

On Sunday, Chin would start in P20 after Alessandro Ghiretti wasn't able to make the start of the race and two other drivers crashed during the formation lap.

The race started behind the safety car as the marshals cleaned up the track following the crash under the formation lap, but once the green flag was waved, pole sitter Deng Yi hit the wall at the lisboa bend and caused the track to be blocked as drivers attempted to avoid the stopped M4.

On the restart, new leader Han Lichao held off the pair of BMW M4 GT4s of Lo Ka Chun and Liang Jiatong until three laps to go, when both M4 cars overtook the Toyota Gazoo Racing China driver.

Behind them, the #77 Ginetta G55 of Lao Kim Hou hit the wall at Lisboa, but no safety car was required as the marshals removed the car in less than a lap.

Chin kept her calm and, despite her inexperience of both the car and the track, she had a great run picking up positions by keeping it clean.

At the front, Lo Ka Chun held off Liang Jiatong to win the race on track by only 8 milliseconds, but both drivers were penalised 30 seconds due to starting procedures infringements, giving the win to Han Lichao, who finished third on track.

Meanwhile, Leona Chin closed the gap to a few cars ahead and battled hard in the final laps, eventually crossing the finish line on her debut at Macau with a top-15 result, as the sole Porsche Cayman GT4 in the field.

"I drove car #88 on the legendary Guia Circuit, battling fiercely against an international lineup of elite drivers", she summarized. "Despite the technical challenges of the narrow, high-speed circuit, I finished in 15th place."

“The race was an incredible experience and I was very honoured to be the only woman to compete in this year’s Macau Grand Prix,” Leona added. “The Guia Circuit was the toughest track I have ever driven. Driving the Porsche Cayman GT4 here is a thrill. I am inspired to take it to the next level and I am proud to represent women on the international stage.”

"Thank you to my team, sponsors, and supporters for making this opportunity possible. Congratulations to the podium finishers for your exceptional performances and emphasized the importance of continually pushing the boundaries as a driver."

Chin will aim to carry the experience of the Macanese street circuit into her racing program for 2025.