IT WAS the first afternoon practice session for the 41st Macau Grand Prix. The paddock next to the racing circuit was buzzing with activity, frequently accentuated by the blasting roars of engines.
Darren Beacroft, a mechanic at Fortec Motorsport, was scurrying back and forth with three other colleagues in one of the garages, busily getting a smart red Formula 3 racing car ready for practice.
'I enjoy working on Formula 3. Every day is different. We test a different circuit each time and are never at the same place twice,' said the 22-year-old Briton, who has been to races in Holland, France, Japan.
'We are totally different from auto mechanics. The 'guffawing' of the wheels and the engine is probably the only thing that relates the two!' said Beacroft with a laugh.
'We fix the car before it breaks, but an auto mechanic fixes it after it breaks.' About a week before the grand prix, the racing cars were flown - in pieces - into Hong Kong from team headquarters all over the world.
'Our job is to assemble the car at the workshop and get it into perfect condition for the race,' Beacroft told Young Post .