Issue: Golden Jubilee Macau Motorcycle Grand Prix

November 19th was the date of issue of a series on the occasion of the 50th GP of Macau. Four stamps and a block, with images of milestones in the history of the GP for motorcycles.
The Macau GP is being held in the former Portugese fortress village Guia on a street circuit with directly along the track concrete walls instead of a safety margin and crash barriers. Since 1954 car races have been held here, and since 1967 also races with motorcycles. The race, held in the 3rd weekend of November, is still called Grand-Prix although it does not count for the World Championship.
The motorcycles reach speeds up to 280 km/hr on the 6.2 km long track, and many famous names come in this week to quickly earn their money on the dangerous circuit.
2016 was the year of the Golden Jubilee for the motorcycles. On the four stamps and the block famous riders and brands which have put their stamps on the event.

On the stamp of 2 Pataca's is Yamaha works rider Hiroshi Hasagawa from Japan. In 1967 he was the first rider to score a "double" in the Macau GP.

The first 10 years were dominated by Japanese riders, until not earlier than 1976 Chas Mortimer (Yamaha) and Mick Grant in 1977 on a Kawasaki KR 750 as first Europeans (British) could break the hegemony. The last is depicted on the stamp of 3 PTCs.

From 1981 on it was Ron Haslam who took the victory, only interrupted in 1984 by a second win of Mick Grant, that time on a Heron-Suzuki.
Rocket Ron won the 6 mentioned races on Hondas. On the stamp of 4.50 PTCs we see him on an Elf-Honda, but I seriously doubt whether this 1988 prototype has ever entered the race in Macau.

The 5.50 PTCs shows Kevin Schwantz who was invited in 1988 to come to Macau. Kevin always rode with the number 34 which he made immortal, and on a Pepsi Suzuki RGR 500 the American led the race from start to finish.

The stamps have been printed in sheets of 16 stamps, in a draughths-board formation which makes that not less than 16 different blocks and strips of a whole series each can be made.

The sheet with 4x the complete series

Not all famous riders who participated the Macau GP could be placed on the stamps. For instance the Dunlop family (Joey, Robert, William and Michael, each of them scored a place on the rostrum of the Macau GP) does not have a stamp, and we also don't find Steve Hislop and Carl Fogarty, and winners David Jefferies (1999), John McGuinness (2001), Steve Plater (2006 and 2007), Stuart Easton (2008-2010 and 2014) and Ian Hutchinson (2013).
The place on the block with the stamp of 12 Pataca's belongs to Michael Rutter, the Two Wheel King of Macau. The son of the 7-fold Manx TT winner Tony Rutter has not less than 8 victories on his credits and stood in total 16 times on the rostrum.

Here Michael is riding the Renegade Racing Ducati 998 with which he participated in Macau in 2003. In the block margin and on the FDC's we see the outlines and logo's of the circuit.

FDC with the stamps

FDC with the block

Hans de Kloet

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