Macau Grand Prix 1970 - Lotus 47GT #78

For the WSC60's Lotus 47GT.

Lotus has always had deep roots in motorsports, especially in Asia. Countries like Japan, Malaysia and Hong Kong saw plenty of Loti make it to the local racing venues, often taking home outright wins. My friend Eli Solomon of Rewind Resource Media has already documented most of the ones that raced in Asia on his excellent site: SUPER FRIENDLY, SUPER FRAIL - Lotus in the Tropics - Rewind Resource Archives

Here is what he wrote on the car:
John Macdonald’s Lotus 47 was an ex-Harper Hong Kong car with a twin-cam motor running Tecalmet-Jackson fuel injection. The car was first raced by Steve Holland. Chassis 47-GT-63’s debut in a major race was at the 1968 Singapore Grand Prix. After a gruelling 182 miles of racing, Australian Garrie Cooper took the chequered flag in his Elfin 600 Twin Cam. In third was Steve Holland in this Team Harper Lotus 47, an amazing result for a sports car. With a Cosworth FVA motor, Macdonald turned it into an even more potent entry in the Sports & GT class around the region, winning consistently, or catching fire when it didn’t.

Schomac Racing entered the Lotus 47 for the Macau Grand Prix as well as for the support Sports & GT races in 1970 and 1971. 

To suit the new race regulations for 1971, Macdonald removed his fuel injected Cosworth FVA motor from his Brabham BT10 in the winter of 1970 and replaced it with a Lucas fuel injected Vegantune Twin Cam. The FVA was dropped into the Lotus 47. With its strong Hewland FT200 transmission, it created an even more potent GT racer for the 1971 race season. The 47 made an appearance at the 1971 Singapore Grand Prix support race. A picture of the car on the front page of the Eastern Sun showed Macdonald standing beside the car. In the background, a marshal was using a fire extinguisher on the smoking Lotus 47. The car had caught fire on lap 8 of the Sports & GT race. Recalled Angus Lamont, race crew for Macdonald’s cars, “The car had a terrible reputation for catching fire!” Said Macdonald, “The car was either a race winner, or it was on fire.” During Schomac’s ownership, the car caught fire at least three times!

In October 1971, after the damage from the April fire was repaired, David Ma, President of the Hong Kong Motor Sports Club, bought the car and entered it in Macau that November. Tragically, he was killed in an accident during final practice when he was braking into Statute Corner. The car was totally destroyed and the remains were dumped at sea during the return crossing by lighter from Macau to Hong Kong.