Michael Rutter has put his Aviva Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10R on pole position for tomorrow’s 41st Macau Motorcycle Grand Prix. The 34-year-old from Kirkby Mallory is chasing a record seventh victory at the 3.8-mile Guia track, which would see him become the most successful motorcycle racer ever at the far-eastern circuit. Rutter’s lap-time of 2m 26.644s was an amazing 1.3 seconds quicker than his own existing lap record. His team-mate Jimmy Moore was equally impressive, posting the fourth fastest time in the 600 class aboard his Aviva Kawasaki Ninja ZX-6R.
For the event MSS Discovery Kawasaki welcomes Aviva as their title sponsor. Aviva own both Norwich Union and the RAC and are the world's fifth-largest insurance group and the biggest in the UK. They are also the leading provider of life and pensions products in Europe and have substantial businesses elsewhere around the world.
Michael Rutter, Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10R (1st in qualifying)
“That’s the hardest I’ve ever ridden around this circuit. To take pole is just fantastic but the race is what’s important. I want the win more than anything for the team and for me to be the most successful rider around this legendary circuit would be the icing on the cake. Fingers crossed that things go well tomorrow.”
Jimmy Moore, Kawasaki Ninja ZX-6R (4th in qualifying) “Things are coming together for me now and I’m fairly pleased with how things have gone. Obviously the race is the main thing but it’s been a learning curve for me and I’m just happy the way things have gone so far. I’m now looking forward to the race. ”
Nick Morgan, Team Owner “That was a fantastic lap from Michael. We are well pleased with everything at the moment. Both bikes are working great, the team is doing everything well and things couldn’t be better. Jimmy has impressed us for what is his first crack at Macau – especially after coming back from injury. We’re in good shape for the 15-lap race tomorrow all we need is a little luck and we should get some good results.”
