2010 Macau Motorcycle GP
Kawasaki Racing Team rider, Stuart Easton blitzed the 44th Macau Motorcycle Grand Prix, Saturday for the third consecutive year in a row breaking his own lap record, as teammate Keith Amor is rewarded a deserving tenth place.
The 27-year-old Scot took charge of the two-part race from start-to-finish despite a red flag halting the event on lap six following a crash involving Canadian Chris Peris.
Easton fought off the advances of Michael Rutter, the fastest man in qualifying, to lead the nine-lap restart race by setting a brand new lap record of 2:23.616 seconds.
Easton headed over the line with a dominating 11 second lead to secure victory for the last outing onboard Paul Bird Motorsports Kawasaki ZX-10R machine.
Easton’s fellow Scotsman and team-mate Keith Amor, fought hard in the mid field to secure a brave tenth place having qualified in sixth.
The road-racing star suffered some disadvantage after facing set-up issues Kawasaki machine but managed to battle out the two-part race around the 6.2km Guia circuit to complete two successful results for the Kawasaki Racing Team supported by Dog-one-Life and IGT.
The Paul Bird Motorsport Team has been taking part in the Macau Grand Prix for over 12 years and today’s outing has secured the second victory for the Penrith-based Team for the Asian event. The last Macau race win for PBM was in 2001 with John McGuiness.
Stuart Easton says: "I’m over the moon to make this my third victory in a row in Macau and to win on the Kawasaki ZX-10R."
"The Kawasaki Racing Team gave me a package today which I could dominate and break the lap record on, this speaks for itself and the work they’ve put in. It wasn’t all easy sailing for me however as Rutter put up a good fight for most of the two-part races."
"When I saw that he (Rutter) had caught me, I was devastated after trying so hard to break free. I thought if he could catch me after all that, there was no way I could beat him."
"But I tried again and managed to open a gap once more and gradually pulled away to win the race by almost 11 seconds .I would like to thank the boys, Pirelli tires, Kawasaki and to Paul Bird for giving me this opportunity."
Keith Amor says: "The Macau Grand Prix is a special kind of race and it’s a pleasure to take-part in and bring the Kawasaki bike home in a top ten position. I had some issues to contend with over the two-part race but overall I really enjoyed the experience and am grateful of the opportunity which Paul Bird has given me."
"I would have liked to have finished a bit further up the ladder as I didn’t feel that I delivered what I am capable of. But the boys and I did the best job we could, road around some problems and also had a good battle in the mid-field. Thank you to Kawasaki and Paul Bird for the opportunity to give the ZX-10R a final run."
Paul Bird (Kawasaki Race Team Owner) says: "It’s been a fantastic result for Stuart and the Team today and I’m really proud to have my second victory of the Macau event."
"Stuart rode brilliantly from start to finish and really showed that he wanted the win badly by fighting off Michael Rutter. Stuart has enjoyed previous success here and is making his mark on the Macau victory board having made this his third."
"I am delighted that he was able to continue his winning streak on-board the ZX-10R, which will be its last outing with the PBM/KRT as we now have the new Ninja to develop for WSBK."
"Keith also did a sterling job for the team with a top ten finish under difficult circumstances. He had a few issues to contend with over the race but his work ethic this week as been very professional and we couldn’t have asked for anymore."
"I’d like to thank Kawasaki for allowing us to continue our support of the Macau Grand Prix and to Pirelli for their fantastic support also. The KRT can now take a well-earned break from racing, as we set out targets towards the 2011 WSBK test season with the brand new Ninja ZX-10R."
The 44th Macau Motorcycle Grand Prix final results are:
1. Stuart Easton – Kawasaki Racing Team
2. Michael Rutter – Paris AXA Ducati
3. Jeremy Toye – Lee’s Cycles Racing BMW
4. Simon Andrews – MSS Colchester Kawasaki
5. Gary Johnson – MOCHA/IGT Suzuki
6. John McGuiness – IGT/sorrymate.com Honda
10. Keith Amor – Kawasaki Racing Team
