A strong road racing contingent from the UK are in the Far East to compete in tomorrow’s Macau Grand Prix, held around the difficult armco barrier-lined Guia Circuit.

And among them is Conor Cummins, the fastest road racer in the world, looking to make up for the disappointment of last year when he set pole position, but was forced to retire from the race.

Cummins, from the Isle of Man, set a new lap record of over 133mph in August on his way to winning the Dundrod 150 race during Ulster Grand Prix Bike Week on a McAdoo Kawasaki and this weekend Cummins again rides a Kawasaki, this time for the Paul Bird Motorsport world superbike team.

Stuart Easton was a surprise winner last year on the Hydrex Honda, but that form held up this season when the Hawick rider finished third in the BSB championship, and he will be keen to show his win at Macau last year was no fluke.

However, it was Michael Rutter, runner-up last year and a six-time winner at Macau, who topped the time sheets after the initial practice session, taking provisional pole position on his final lap 0.4sec ahead of Austrian Thomas Hinterreiter (Yamaha) and German Rico Penzkofer (BMW).

Rutter is competing for the Team of Paris - AXA Racing Team riding a Kawasaki and looking to put a disappointing season behind him, when he rode every make of machine in the BSB series at some stage or other after splitting from the North West 200 Coke Zero Rob McElnea Yamaha Team shortly after the North West 200 back in May.

TT and Ulster Grand Prix double winner Ian Hutchinson, looking for his first Far East success, was fifth fastest in the opening session just behind American Paul Bird Motorsport Team-mate Michael Barnes with Gary Johnson in sixth spot and Cummins seventh.

TT lap record holder John McGuinness, the perennial runner-up at Macau, partners Easton in the Hydrex Honda Team and was down in 10th two places ahead of his team mate, with both likely to move up the order in final qualifying.

Local ace Michael Pearson makes his debut at Macau riding the Barron Transport Honda while Macau regular Stephen Thompson, from Crumlin, pilots the Robinson Concrete Honda for the Uel Duncan Team.

Pearson said, “To be honest I didn’t know what to expect as I’ve only seen video footage of the track here. It is a unique circuit and I am just going to feel my way round it gingerly and see where it takes me.”

Pearson ended the first practice session in 17th, four places behind the more experienced Thompson.

Meanwhile, William Dunlop continues his Spanish adventure on Sunday when he competes in the final round of the Spanish supersport championship at Valencia looking to put his retirement of last weekend behind him

“Jerez was a disappointing race (but) I know the Valencia track well and it should suit my Honda better than Jerez. A finish is the main objective on Sunday.”