Stobart VK Vent Axia Honda rider John McGuinness was denied victory by the cruellest of fortunes in today’s 41st running of the Macau Grand Prix where he had to settle for second place. The 34 year old from Morecambe was riding for the Paul Bird Motorsport team in the Far Eastern classic and was holding a slender lead when on the fifteenth and final lap, the 13 times TT winner came upon some backmarkers at the Melco Hairpin.
Michael Rutter finished a distant 11th in this weekend’s 41st Macau Grand Prix following an incident with a fellow rider three laps from the end of the 15-lap race. The 34-year-old from Kirkby Mallory was the pole sitter for the event on his Aviva MSS Discovery Kawasaki and was aiming for a record seventh win. He was battling with Austrian Thomas Hinterreiter when the Briton was forced to take the escape road at the 90-degree Lisboa corner, putting him well down the order. For the second year in succession the race was won by Britain’s Steve Plater.
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.