Macau Grand Prix 2017: Glenn Irwin and Lee Johnston in line-up

Eventual race winner Peter Hickman leads NI's Glenn Irwin during last year's Macau GP

Glenn Irwin and Lee Johnston will head the Northern Ireland challenge at Saturday's Macau Grand Prix over 12 laps of the 3.8-mile Guia circuit.

Be Wiser Ducati rider Irwin was dicing with the leaders on his debut last year when he was forced to retire late on.

The Carrickfergus rider set the fastest lap ever by a newcomer in 2016 with a lap speed of 93.92mph.

Peter Hickman goes for a third win in a row while his SMT Racing BMW team-mate Michael Rutter targets a ninth victory.

Rutter is competing in the event for the 23rd time, but two other experienced riders, Ian Hutchinson and John McGuinness, both former winners, miss out because of injuries sustained at the Isle of Man TT and North West 200 respectively.

Three-time runner-up Martin Jessopp will aim to go one better on his Riders Motorcycles BMW, while fellow Englishman Dean Harrison is part of the 28-rider field for the first time since 2013.

Johnston gives BMW's exotic HP4 Race its international roads debut, with Manxman Dan Kneen riding a BMW for the Penz13 BMW outfit.

Other leading contenders are Austrian Horst Saiger, Padgett's Honda pilot Conor Cummins, Gary Johnson, Dan Cooper, Dan Hegarty, Danny Webb, Didier Grams and Marek Cerveny.

Republic of Ireland trio Derek Sheils, Michael Sweeney and Steve Heneghan are also in the entry, along with Saintfield's Davy Morgan.