'It's brilliant to win here, it ranks right up there with the best I have ever

ENGLISHMAN Mike Rutter shed the frustration of four previously unsuccessful attempts to win the Macau Motorcycle Grand Prix with an imperious performance in yesterday's 32nd renewal of the event.

Not only did the 25-year-old leave his 37 rivals floundering, he also claimed the mantle of being the fastest rider to navigate around the 6.1-kilometre street circuit on two wheels with a dazzling time of two minutes and 30.869 seconds.

He beat home Honda Britain teammate Ian Simpson on an identical 750cc RC45 by a whopping 6.2 seconds, with Team Millar Honda 500cc rider John McGuinness coming in for third place on the 14th and final lap after German Gerhard Lindner threw away a podium finish when he overshot at Lisboa Bend on the last lap aboard his Motorrad Action Team Suzuki GSX 750cc.

Rutter signalled his superiority in qualifying on Friday when he produced the fastest lap seen on the circuit, 2:32.547, more than 1.5 seconds clear of Macau veteran Roger Bennett on a Harris Performance Suzuki 750cc.

'It's brilliant to win here, it ranks right up there with the best I have ever achieved and to set a lap record is just fantastic,' said Rutter.

'Honestly, I didn't think it was possible to go that quick. I thought a time in the high 31s was possible but the high 30s is unbelievable.' Rutter's race can be simply described as faultless. He was smooth as silk off the mark after officials ordered a restart and reduced the race to 14 laps when Japanese rider Mamoru Yamakawa stalled his Kawasaki 750cc on the grid.