Stuart Easton wins at Macau

Stuart Easton won the 44th Macau Grand Prix in China after an early scrap with BSB rival Michael Rutter.

Scoring his third Macau win was a brilliant start to Easton’s Kawasaki career as he prepares to join Nick Morgan’s MSS Colchester team in BSB in 2011.

The race was red-flagged after six laps following a crash involving Canadian newcomer Chris Peris who escaped serious injury.

Easton led from start to finish in the nine-lap restart, breaking the lap record to destroy Michael Rutter’s hopes of becoming the most successful Macau rider of all time. 

Riding his familiar Riders of Bridgewater Ducati in Team of Paris/AXA colours, Rutter had qualified fastest in the hope of securing a seventh win in the Chinese classic and overtake fellow six-time champion Ron Haslam but had to be content with second place after a brush with the fearsome Macau Armco.

American Jeremy Toye on a Lees Cycles BMW finished third ahead of Simon Andrews.

Gary Johnson riding a Mocha/IGT Suzuki was fifth home and 2001 Macau GP winner John McGuinness, riding for IGT/sorrymate.com Honda, was sixth.

Full pictorial coverage of the race in MCN on Wednesday (Nov 24).