Rob Hodson celebrates birthday in style in steamy Macau

The Bryn road race star, who turned 38 last week, brought his SMT Racing 'Fireblade' SP based CBR1000 RR-R Honda Superbike home in a fine fourth between the unforgiving black and yellow barriers of the famous street circuit on the Chinese casino-crammed island.

He enjoyed a race long battle with 'works' BMW Motorrad UK (team 8TEN) stars, co-owners and team mates, eventual winner Davey Todd - already this year's King of the Roads Champion - and Isle of Man TT hero, Peter Hickman, on their M1000RR machines.

This was the 57th running of the world famous races - and a relief for organisers that the typhoons didn't wreck the running of the event - as it did, hugely frustratingly, last year.

It was the hugely likeable Todd's second victor's trophy on the spin in Macau, but his first actual win.

The 2024 races were awarded purely on qualifying times when heavy tropical rain just before the flag was waved to start the event saw it cancelled altogether.

Dark, rumbling clouds had threatened this year's event, ominously, too, so qualifying was moved to a shortened 60-minute session on race day itself.

Hodson, enjoying a sixth ride at Macau after debuting in 2018, was accompanied again by a familiar pit crew with team owner Robin Croft, including his road racer dad Jim Hodson, and Jim's race engineer Paul Ashton.

And there were huge smiles along the pit wall when the dad of one took the provisional lead in the opening quarter hour, the timing computers showing a lap time of 2.32.839.

Hodson and his fellow racers had only a little over an hour rest before the start of the race proper, in brilliant morning sunshine, and Todd had a breathtaking start to take the front from the first corners.

But Hodson never gave up the chase and thrilled the TV commentary team on lap 10 when approaching the start/finish line, he came flying through the 'R Bend' final turn at absolutely fibre-glass scraping maximum lean - controlling a power wheelie as he roared over the grid markings.

Hodson admitted the tropical temperatures and dripping-off-your-forehead dampness had proved an extra challenge.

But this, his best showing at Guia yet, was a fair reward for the team's huge efforts.

He said: "Race Day was physically and mentally tough with an hour of qualifying starting at 7am and then the race starting two hours later with heat and humidity rising all the time.

"Qualifying P6 and finishing fourth was my best result around Macau to date - and my fastest laps, too. But afterwards I was ready for home - and a pie barm in Bryn!"

So Rob has now drawn a line under another successful road racing season.

But he wanted to pay a tribute to his loyal band of sponsors, and the 'team who came to help out here in Macau who had made the two-wheeled adventure possible'.

The season for SMT is now expected to open again in 2026 with a fresh challenge at England's only surviving road races - the Oliver's Mount challenge in North Yorkshire.