Track time was always going to be at a premium in the first qualifying session at the Suncity Group Macau Motorcycle Grand Prix – 52nd Edition, and a busy track proved to be the defining feature of the afternoon. In a 45-minute session uninterrupted by even a yellow flag, the crowded track made it a challenge for fast riders to find a clear space on the crucial middle sectors of the 6.2km lap but Peter Hickman (Aspire-Ho by Bathams Racing BMW) timed his bid for provisional pole perfectly.

With 15 minutes remaining almost every rider was out on track but Hickman found the space he needed for a lap at 2:25.429, all but a second clear of his rival and team-mate Michael Rutter. Rutter’s time on the Aspire-Ho by Bathams Racing Honda RC213V was 2:26.378, good enough to leave him with plenty of breathing-space back to Danny Webb (MGM by Penz13), who finished the session an excellent third fastest, with a time of 2:28.010, a great performance for the 27-year-old on only his third visit to the Guia Circuit.

After spending a couple of laps in the pits, Martin Jessopp (Tak Chun Group by PBM Ducati) emerged into the middle of a throng of bikes all making up for lost laps this morning, and could not thread his way past to get on terms with Hickman and Rutter. He ended the day with a time of 2:28.746, and must wait until the final qualifying session tomorrow morning, historically the quicker of the two.

Gary Johnson (Briggs Equipment Kawasaki) was fifth, ahead of Horst Saiger (Saiger Racing Yamaha) and David Johnson (PR Racing BMW), while John McGuinness rode the Tak Chun Group by PBM Ducati to ninth spot, a solid performance in his return to serious racing after a long layoff following injury.

Davey Todd (PuraGlobe Syntainics Racing Oil by Penz 13) was again fastest of the newcomers, as he had been this morning, steadily increasing his pace.