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Former winners Michael Rutter, Peter Hickman and John McGuinness head the entry for next month's Macau Grand Prix over the 3.8-mile Guia circuit.

Rutter will ride a MotoGP-based RC213V for the Aspire-Ho by Bathams Racing team as he looks to extend his record number of wins at the event to nine.

Rutter's team-mate Hickman, winner in 2015 and 2016, competes on a BMW.

McGuinness, who missed the race last year through injury, joins Martin Jessopp in the PBM Ducati line-up.

McGuinness occupied the top step of the podium in 2001 and returned to competitive action at the Isle of Man Festival of Motorcycling in August after 15 months out of the saddle.

Hampshire rider Jessopp was fourth last year and despite finishing on the rostrum on five occasions is still searching for his first victory.

Hickman will aim to make it a clean sweep of wins at the international road meetings in 2018, having triumphed in races at the North West 200, Isle of Man TT and Ulster Grand Prix.

The Lincolnshire man set a new outright lap record at over 135mph the Isle of Man TT in June on his way to Senior TT success and recently secured a fifth place overall finish in the British Superbike Championship series.

Rutter's first win came in 1998 and his last in 2012 - he took third last year in a shortened race won by Northern Ireland's Glenn Irwin but marred by the tragic death of English rider Dan Hegarty.

Irwin revealed in July that he would not be competing in the event.

Gary Johnson will pilot the Briggs Equipment Kawasaki, with Australian David Johnson on board a BMW for PR Racing.

Republic of Ireland rider Derek Sheils, newcomer Davey Todd, the best newcomer and best privateer at TT 2018, and Danny Webb make up the Penz13 BMW team.

Skerries man Michael Sweeney and Saintfield's Davy Morgan also campaign BMW machinery, while Paul Jordan and Dominic Herbertson again make up the Dafabet Devitt Racing Kawasaki outfit.

Other notable entries include Sam West, Ben Wylie, Steve Heneghan, Horst Saiger, Didier Grams and Marek Cerveny.

The Macau motorcycle grand prix will take place on Saturday 17 November over 12 laps.