| Confidential: Macau Madness Mission II |
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The following crew members were selected for this delicate overseas assignment:
19 November 2005
Crew members are assembled in Liechtenstein Princely Navy Race Crew uniform ready for the Mission. Lt. Jr. Grd. Rauti is listed as AWOL on account of his no-show. Apparently the after-effects of a previous overnight mission have taken their toll on Sailor Rauti and he is scheduled to rendezvous with the rest of the crew at a later hour.
1200hrs Ferry Departure to Macau
1300hrs ETA Macau
The crew arrives in Macau and clears customs and immigration without problems. Records of previous undercover activities in the Special Administrative Region have seemingly been destroyed.
The Navy establishes its base for the afternoon at the Reservoir Stand at the Macau Grand Prix
 
The Motorcycle Grand Prix is one of the highlights of the weekend. Crew members are given an excellent example of determination and commitment as riders races through the narrow and twisting Macau circuit at incredible speeds. The margin for error is zero in Macau given a total lack of run-off areas. 32-year-old Briton Michael Rutter stormed to a convincing sixth victory to equal the record set by Ron Haslam in 1987. However, his victory is overshadowed by the earlier death of another rider during a practice race.
1630hrs Pick up 6-seater Special Ops Vehicle
The crew proceeds from the race course past a replica of the Potala Palace in Lhasa (pictured above in front of a distinctly non-Tibetan volcano!!!) to take possession of the 6-seater Special Ops MOKE (Mission Operative Killer Engine), which has served the Navy well on previous missions in Macau. The MOKE (pictured below at night) is a sturdy all-terrain vehicle with a top speed of over 100km/h – even with the hand break on (as Admiral Colani reports from previous assignments). Crew members opted for an open top configuration, which removes the necessity for air-conditioning.
Having climbed the Macau Tower during the inaugural Macau Madness Mission to unfurl the Liechtenstein flag on the highest point in the territory, the objective of the 2005 Mission was to complete the recently-opened SkyJump off the very same tower.
The SkyJump takes participants on a 20 second flight over the cityscape of Macau and is the highest adventure of its kind around the world, according to its operator – AJ Hackett, inventor of the bungee jump. Taking off from the outer rim of Macau Tower 233 m above ground, it is an astounding 41 meters higher than the only other SkyJump in the world at Sky Tower Auckland where the world's highest bungy record was created.
While Sailor Reto declined to participate in this flight training mission on the grounds that it was impossible to smoke a cigarette during the flight, all remaining Sailors were dressed up in orange jumpsuits in preparation for the jump. Sailor Roger led the way, complaining about a lack of excitement as he had been expecting a proper bungee jump. Commander Mei bravely followed suit despite serious complaints earlier in the day. Sailor Alex - having just seen the only female member of the team walking over the edge – had no choice but to reluctantly walk into the abyss himself. Admiral Colani brought up the rear in an adrenaline-pumping descent.
 
2000hrs Dinner at Fernandos
Exhausted from the day’s activities and excitements, the Navy settled for a hearty dinner at Fernandos and a significant input of sangria fuel.
Using the above map, the crew had to navigate through a dense jungle of urban temptations under the strong guidance of Lt. Jr. Grd. Rauti, who re-joined the mission late at night. Admiral and Commander eventually retried to their spacious suite at the Hyatt Regency Hotel (pictured below) while all remaining Sailors survived the cold night without proper accommodation. Details of their whereabouts and activities are sketchy and those reports available have mostly been classified by the Admiralty for security reasons.
20 November 2005
0850hrs Re-assembly at Lisboa Stand
No Sailor in attendance.
0855hrs 2005 Asian Formula Renault Challenge - 10 laps
No Sailor in attendance.
Admiral Colani and Commander Mei in attendance. Remaining crew MIA.
Darryl O’Young (pictured right with Admiral Colani and Matthew Marsh – fellow driver in the Hong Kong LeMans entry) drove a steady race from pole position and hardly put a foot wrong as he claimed one of the hardest and certainly the most challenging race in the Porsche calendar. The 25-year old stayed cool and collected during the race despite being passed by Nigel Albon in a daring move going into Lisboa Bend with about four laps to go. O’Young eventually regained the place and thus won the season-ending race. Matthew Marsh came third behind Thailand’s Charoen Nattavude.
1140hrs FIA WTCC LG - Guia Race of Macau
Remaining Sailors in attendance – crew fully re-assembled.
The Guia Race – upgraded this year into the World Touring Car Championship (WTCC) – is one of the most exciting (and usually most incident-marred) races of the weekend. Briton Andy Priaulx was leading the race from pole, avoiding a Lisboa Bend pile-up that resulted in the safety car coming out. The race was eventually won by Brazilian Augusto Farfus Jr. in an Alfa Romeo, but Praulx drove his BMW to a comfortable second place while his main championship contenders crashed out during the race – making him the first Briton to be crowned a world champion in motor racing since Damon Hill won the Fomula One title in 1996.
 
 
1545hrs 52nd Macau Grand Prix - Formula 3
The main race of the weekend was the Formula 3 race, which was won by Brazilian Luca Di Grassi. Di Grassi and Poland’s Robert Kubica, last year’s runner up in the same race, were engaged in a thrilling battle as they exchanged the lead several times during the race. The Brazilian first imposed his authority on lap two when he passed the Pole in a brave move heading towards Lisboa at close to 300km/h speeds. But he lost his lead on lap 10 when Kubica dived down the inside at the same corner after getting a good slipstream. Di Grassi snatched the lead after a yellow car period and took the chequered flag 0.6 seconds ahead of his rival.
All Navy team member regained consciousness by the time the race was finished.
2015hrs ETA Hong Kong
Mission Accomplished.
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1130hrs Assembly at West Gate of Macau Ferry Terminal
1510hrs 39th Motorcycle Grand Prix - 15 laps
1700hrs Macau SkyJump
Based upon the principle of 'fan descenders', a technology used in skydiving training and in performing 'falling stunts' in movies, the SkyJump allows Sailors to fly through the air at 75km/h in 20 seconds before decelerating to a comfortable landing speed upon reaching ground – hopefully.
Having been properly psyched-up, the crew immediately proceeded to the Liechtenstein Go-Kart Grand Prix, the result of which was never established due to lack of timing equipment.
2200hrs Post Dinner Activities
1010hrs Porsche Infineon Carrera Cup Asia - 10 laps
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