Eight-time Macau Motorcycle Grand Prix winner Michael Rutter stamped his authority on the 50th edition of the Far East Classic today by topping the opening practice session. Rutter was the fastest of the three Bathams/SMT Racing entries, with team mate and four time Macao winner Stuart Easton sixth on the time sheets and defending champion Peter Hickman ninth: “The track is very clean, but it’s very, very hot,” said Rutter. “I did as many laps as possible to get a feel for the tyres. It was a good session.”

With the entire field separated by less than 15 seconds, the session showed just how intense the battle for the Golden Jubilee honours will be amongst the finest road on the planet.

Second quickest around the 6.2km Guia street circuit was Briton Martin Jessopp aboard the Riders Motorcycles BMW, 0.336 of a second behind Rutter, with Austrian rider Horst Saiger on a Kawasaki more than two seconds off Rutter’s pace.

Briton Glenn Irwin, who notched up impressive podium finishes at the North West 200 and Ulster Grand Prix on his Supersport class debut this year, made a superb Guia Circuit debut finishing the opening session eighth on the time sheets ahead of Peter Hickman.

Ian Hutchinson, winner at Macao in 2013, was fourth fastest on the Tyco BMW ahead of Honda Racing’s John McGuinness.