Datzer overlooked once again: “Macau is a thing of the past for me now!”

Four years ago, Erno Kostamo was the only rider to finish ahead of David Datzer at the Macau Motorcycle Grand Prix. The following year, the German was back on the podium, this time in third place alongside the exceptional British riders Peter Hickman and Davey Todd.

After failing to secure any points-scoring results at the 2024 Isle of Man Tourist Trophy – not least due to a serious crash – he was not selected for the invitational race, a decision that was met with bewilderment by fans of the 2024 International Road Racing Championship Superbike champion.

Last year, the question of whether the father of two would line up on the starting grid in the urban canyons of China’s gambling metropolis did not even arise. At the start of the season, he was involved in a crash through no fault of his own and was lucky to have survived the accident.

This year, Datzer was keen to give it another go. He returned to the Tourist Trophy as part of Brian McCormack’s Roadhouse Macau Racing Team. Although still somewhat limited physically, he managed to finish the Senior TT in 39th place and the two Supersport races in 29th and 30th positions.

Secretly, the 34-year-old Bavarian had hoped to receive one of the coveted invitations from the organisers this time round, but to no avail. Incidentally, neither two-time Macau winner Todd nor Laurent Hoffmann – who, after all, is the runner-up in the European Series Road Racing – feature on the recently published entry list.

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“I don’t really want to comment on this at length,” Datzer said on Facebook, clearly disappointed at having once again been overlooked. “Three top teams contacted me about Macau because they were absolutely certain I’d be taking part. But I had to turn them down because I’d only made it onto the waiting list.”

For many drivers, the criteria used to select participants have remained a mystery for years. “I don’t even think about it anymore; it is what it is, and that’s the way it should be. Perhaps my negative comments about the selection process in 2024 were a factor in them no longer wanting me,” he said, searching for an explanation.

For the German road racing ace from Vilsbiburg in Lower Bavaria, this chapter seems to be closed for good. “Macau is a dead issue for me now; I’ve got enough on my plate as it is! Macau is definitely no longer an option for me in the future.”