Jessopp sets late lap to top Macau practice

MCE British Superbike regular Martin Jessopp was a surprise P1 after this morning’s practice session for the 2015 Macau Grand Prix, after a lap late in the session demoted early leader John McGuinness to second.

McGuinness was the only man to dip into the 2:30 lap times for most of the session on his Honda Racing TT machine, with Jessopp, Michael Rutter and Austrian Horst Saiger swapping places behind him.

However, a lap in the closing stages of the session – after a self-inflicted mechanical earlier in the hour long stint – left Jessopp some 0.051 faster than McGuinness as he just dipped inside the 2:28 laps.

“I missed a gear early on in the session, stretched the chain and had to come in and sort that out. Then, as usual, it was a struggle to get a clear lap, but if you do get a clear lap you can make it fast. It’s not anyone’s fault – it’s just a really hard track to pass on.

“You forget just how hard it is around there! I say it every year at the end of the first session, but honestly, it’s bad. It’s the hottest it’s been in a few years too, and my leathers are stuck to me! Going through those walls takes some time to get your brain used to it too – there’s nothing like this place anywhere in the world.”

With Saiger leading the provisional second row in fourth, former winner Ian Hutchinson slotted in behind him in fifth alongside Peter Hickman.

Defending champion Stuart Easton, getting his first run out on the SMT Yamaha that Josh Brookes took to BSB title glory, was back in tenth, behind a trio of Johnsons, in the form of Lee Johnston in seventh, Gary Johnson in eighth and David Johnson in ninth.

The action resumes this afternoon with the first of two qualifying sessions set to get underway at 1545 local time (0745 UK time).

POS	NO	RIDER	NAT	TEAM	TIME	LAPS	GAP
1	40	Martin Jessopp	GBR	Riders Motorcycles BMW	2:28.970	13
2	4	John McGuinness	GBR	Honda Racing	2:29.021	10	0.051
3	7	Michael Rutter	GBR	Penz13.com BMW Motorrad Motorsport by MGM China	2:29.142	11	0.172
4	3	Horst Saiger	AUT	Saiger-Heidger Macau Race Team	2:29.452	16	0.482
5	9	Ian Hutchinson	GBR	Paul Bird Motorsport Ltd	2:30.434	14	1.464
6	60	Peter Hickman	GBR	Briggs Equipment BMW	2:30.911	15	1.941
7	13	Lee Johnston	GBR	East Coast Construction	2:31.448	11	2.478
8	5	Gary Johnson	GBR	Penz13.com BMW Motorrad Motorsport by MGM China	2:31.739	13	2.769
9	16	David Johnson	AUS	Ice Valley by Motorsave Trade	2:32.019	15	3.049
10	1	Stuart Easton	GBR	SMT/Booth Yamaha	2:33.116	13	4.146
11	22	Conor Cummins	IOM	Honda Racing	2:33.715	11	4.745
12	54	Steve Heneghan	IRL	ReactiveParts.com	2:34.079	10	5.109
13	26	Didier Grams	GER	Saiger-Heidger Macau Race Team	2:34.544	10	5.574
14	15	Jimmy Storrar	GBR	Paul Bird Motorsport Ltd	2:35.770	14	6.800
15	20	Dan Cooper	GBR	Space Centre Racing	2:35.902	12	6.932
16	24	James McBride	GBR	Morello Racing	2:36.391	12	7.421
17	39	Allann-Jon Venter	RSA	CF Racing Team 32	2:37.041	11	8.071
18	111	Brian McCormack	IRL	TAG Racing	2:37.346	11	8.376
19	14	Andre Pires	POR	Team SBK/IncortCar # Yamaha	2:38.154	14	9.184
20	10	Mark Miller	USA	Splitlath EBR	2:38.159	5	9.189
21	11	Paul Shoesmith	GBR	Ice Valley by Motorsave Trade	2:39.318	11	10.348
22	72	Russell Mountford	GBR	VRS Racing	2:39.468	11	10.498
23	18	Nuno Caetano	POR	FMP Team Portugal	2:39.944	5	10.974
24	48	Herve Gantner	SUI	Penz13.com BMW Motorrad	2:40.769	11	11.799
25	31	Dan Kruger	CAN	Penz13.com by Special Olympics & MGM Macau	2:40.874	12	11.904
26	6	Ivan Lintin	GBR	RC Express Racing	2:42.430	12	13.460
27	88	Brandon Cretu	USA	Bimota Factory Racing	2:42.741	11	13.771
28	34	Ben Wylie	GBR	Bimota Factory Racing	2:43.119	7	14.149
29	71	Davy Morgan	GBR	Magic Bullet Racing	2:43.760	11	14.790
30	62	Sam West	GBR	PR Racing LLOYD & JONES Kawasaki	2:45.472	18	16.502
31	90	Tom McHale	GBR	CF Racing Team 32	3:05.449	2	36.479
32	65	Michael Sweeney	IRL	Martin Jones Racing	undefined	0