Jamie Hamilton has been ruled out of Saturday’s 48th Macau Grand Prix in the Far East after a crash during opening qualifying on Thursday.

The Ballyclare rider went down on fluid deposited from Peter Hickman’s Ice Valley BMW after the Louth man - making his debut at the event - came off in front of the luckless Hamilton.

“I am the unluckiest man you ever came across,” Hamilton said.

“The front forks and yokes are badly damaged and I won’t be able to race.

“Peter and me were battling away the whole session. Every time I came in he was either just in front of me or I was just in front of him. Then we both came down in a pile.”

Hamilton had set the 10th fastest time on Wilson Craig’s Honda with Hickman marginally behind in 11th position.

Hickman will also miss the race as a result of the damage sustained to the Ice Valley BMW.

Milwaukee Yamaha’s Michael Rutter topped the time sheets in opening qualifying but only by three tenths of a second from Scotsman Stuart Easton, who is making his return to the event on the Rapid Solicitors Kawasaki for the first time since 2010.

Behind the top two, Martin Jessopp was third quickest on the Riders Motorcycles BMW, 2.5 seconds down on Rutter, with last year’s winner Ian Hutchinson fourth on the second of Paul Bird’s Kawasaki machines.

John McGuinness on the Pirtek Pro Bolt Honda and Austrian Horst Saiger were the top six.

Lee Johnston was ninth fastest on the Pirtek Pro Bolt Honda, Stephen Thompson 13th and Davy Morgan 21st.

Waterford’s Brian McCormack, riding John Burrows’ B.E. Racing Suzuki, was 23rd fastest.



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