Martin Jessopp (Riders Motorcycles BMW) will start the 50th Macau Motorcycle Grand Prix from pole position after a dramatic final qualifying session which saw him snatch the top spot from Michael Rutter (Bathams/SMT Racing) who had taken provisional pole after Thursday’s opening qualifying session.

In the early morning light, all the riders took a while to get dialed into the bikes, the track and yesterday’s times and, as expected, all the action was concentrated in the final fifteen minutes of the session.

Briton Glenn Irwin (Be Wiser Ducati) was one of the first riders to improve on yesterday’s time and, after a series of further gains, he launched himself into an impressive third place on the grid for his first ever Macau Grand Prix, and now has a realistic chance of snatching a debut win.

Fourth fastest was a fine achievement for Gary Johnson (penz13.com BMW by MGM Special Olympics Macau) and a front-row start gives him a chance of victory in the race as well. Behind him was 2014 winner Stuart Easton (Bathams/SMT BMW) and a slightly bruised Horst Saiger (Saiger Racing Kawasaki), who slipped off at Lisboa but was back on track before the end of the session.

The entry list for the 50th Macau Motorcycle Grand Prix reads like a who’s who of road racing greats and there’s plenty of opportunity for one or two riders left it too late or ran into slower traffic to show their class and their true speed when the lights go out. Watch out for 2015 winner Peter Hickman (Bathams/SMT BMW), seventh quickest on a busy racetrack; John McGuinness (Honda Racing) in eighth; Conor Cummins (Honda Racing) ninth; and of course Ian Hutchinson (Tyco BMW), his tenth place on the grid no real measure of the man or his potential.

Hutchinson made history here with a comeback win in 2013, and he’s one of half a dozen riders capable of racing into the record books when the Suncity Group 50th Macau Motorcycle Grand Prix gets under way on Saturday.