Michael Rutter will return to next month's Macau Motorcycle Grand Prix looking for a sixth victory and a place in the record books alongside Ron Haslam, organisers of the November 19 race have announced.
Haslam set his record in a phenomenal run during the early 1980s and no man has come close to breaking his mark on the tricky 6.12km Guia circuit . . . until now.
Rutter, who is also bidding for a fourth successive Macau title this year, will return on a 1,000cc Red Bull Honda as he makes his 11th visit to the enclave. But it will not be easy for the Englishman against a world-class field in the 15-lap race.
'It would be a tremendous achievement for Michael to record a sixth victory,' said Joao Costa Antunes, co-ordinator of the MGP Organising Committee. 'A win this year would also be his fourth in a row, something no rider has done in the 39-year history of the event.'
Rutter's arch rival John McGuinness will return, and the pair will be joined by one of the most competitive fields in years.
McGuinness, who led for much of last year's grand prix before losing out by half a second, will be looking to grab his second Macau career victory, having won in 2001.
Apart from Rutter and McGuinness, the two-wheel Far East classic will boast a sterling line-up of motorcycle experts from the four corners of the globe including Stuart Easton. Ian Lougher, Steve Plater and Stephen Thompson.