'Macau just doesn't have the roads for a car like this,' says Rodolfo as we meander our way past the ubiquitous casinos and through the centre of town looking for a place to park. It is just past noon, a busy time, and Rodolfo gives up. We decide the best bet will be to retire to the Tower for our tete-a-tete.

Rodolfo is looking forward to next Sunday's grand prix where he will drive in the showpiece FIA International Formula Three Cup race. It is his chance to say a 'big thank you' to all his sponsors, including the Macau government, who have faithfully backed him and the Performance Racing team in the UK Formula Three championship this year.

'All my sponsors have been with me for a long time. They are all from Macau and they don't really get any mileage backing me in the UK. It is only here they are truly recognised and I want to do well for them,' says Rodolfo. It cost his team #250,000 (HK$3.7 million) this season to mount a challenge. 'And, of course, this is the only weekend I get the chance to really drive fast. There is no need to worry about 'this motorcyclist or that pedestrian'. The streets are clear and you can go above the 50km/h speed limit,' he smiles mischievously.

Driving has been a passion ever since a three-year-old Rodolfo sat crying in the stands while he watched his dad, Carlos, and elder sister, Mafalda, go-karting.

'I was jealous. There she was laughing and driving alongside my dad while I could only watch. But one Sunday, my dad put me on his lap and we went around in the kart. It was one of the best days of my life. I knew then I wanted to be a motor-racing driver.'

Last year, he finished as the top local driver in a competitive field of champions in the Formula Three race. His goal next weekend is to repeat that feat, and try to finish better than 16th.

'Realistically, the other drivers are more experienced and better. I'm too young to win Macau. But one day I hope to achieve what another Macanese, Andre Couto, did in 2002 when he won the F3 race. I'm still learning, but I know the day is not far off when I can win. For the moment, all I want is to be regarded as the best Macanese driver,' Rodolfo says.

When he was three, his family emigrated from Lisbon, Portugal. His dad worked for the colonial government soon after arriving in 1990. An avid motor-racing fan, Avila senior took his two children to the grand prix. Rodolfo's love affair flourished as the years flew by.

'It was the highlight of my childhood. We would sit in the stands and watch the races, and then my dad would take me into the pit lane to meet the drivers and get their autographs.'

The old pit lane used to be in front of the Mandarin Hotel. It was here that Rodolfo met the likes of Rubens Barrichello, David Coulthard and Ralf Schumacher. They were larger than life and left a lasting impression.

Rodolfo's make-believe world became a reality five years ago when his dad bought him a go-kart after he impressed an instructor at the Coloane circuit.

'The instructor asked me to take part in the Macau Championship. I won it that year. In fact I won every race that year. I was only 14 and I was racing against guys who were way older than me. All my life, I have been the youngest driver, up against older opposition. I'm learning as fast as I can now,' he says.

The impatience and impetuosity of youth has put him in the fast lane. Last year, he took part in the Asian Formula Three Championship and finished the season fourth overall. In a bid to fast-track his development, his team decided to race in the UK this season. Rodolfo again finished fourth, a creditable achievement for the novice driver.

Rodolfo has had to move to England - he continues his schooling at Loughborough College - away from his friends and family in Macau.

'I hate England, especially the food and the weather. It is too cold and too expensive. Not like Macau where the weather is great and you can eat anything at an affordable price. I can go out every night in Macau, but I can't do that in England,' he said.

One thing Rodolfo steers clear of are the casinos. 'I don't gamble. I don't go to the casinos and there seems to be more of them than I remember when I left in January this year. But I guess this is a good thing. In the past, only motor-racing fans knew about Macau - because of the grand prix - but today everyone knows about it.'

Although he doesn't gamble, Rodolfo knows life, itself, is one big gamble. More so when you are a racing driver. 'I was involved in this one big crash earlier this season when I slid into the tyre wall. I saw my whole life flashing by. It was scary. I thought I was going to die and I was thinking about my family, friends . . . and how much it would cost to repair the car.'

He ended up with a bruised body and ego. But Rodolfo was back behind the wheel the next day after his engineers patched up the car.

'Lots of people don't enjoy their life. They just go through the motions.

' I enjoy what I'm doing. I love to live close to the edge. Racing gives you that adrenalin rush. It is a feeling like nothing else,' he says.