Macau Grand Prix bosses have released the 2013 entry list, topped by mutiple champion Michael Rutter and TT legend John McGuinness.

Rutter will again ride for Robin Croft's SMT Honda squad while McGuinness is taking his factory Honda TT Legends Superbike on which he won the this year's Senior in an attempt to dislodge Rutter from the top spot.

Ian Lougher makes his last-ever racing appearance at Macau, bringing down the curtain on a long and illustrious career that he seems determined to end as competitively as it began, if his race-winning performance at the Scarborough Gold Cup is any kind of guide. Lougher will certainly have thought about adding the Macau Grand Prix to his CV for the first time on his final race outing as a rider, which will be on an IRL/Barnes Racing Honda.

Martin Jessopp, runner-up at Macau for the last two years running, is back with Riders Motorcycles this time aboard a BMW, and should be a strong contender.

Elsewhere on the entry list are a host of names who have been showing enormous potential during this season.

Include among them riders who are Macau and road-race regulars like Gary Johnson and Stephen Thompson (T&R Motorsport Suzuki), as well as Americans Mark Miller (Splitlath Redmond Racing Honda) and Jeremy Toye - time-served riders who know enough about the Guia Circuit to be quick from the outset, and that might be vital if wet weather makes a return visit as well.

The same is true of regulars such as Horst Saiger of Austria (Saiger-Racing.com Kawasaki), but the European element of the entry list is packed with names which are relatively new to the streets of Macau though not to road-racing in general, starting with the new International Road Racing Championship (IRRC) winner Didier Grams of Germany, making only his third visit on a Heidger-Motorsport.de BMW, while Miller’s team mate Brandon Cretu returns for a second time, adding a Romanian name to the entry list again, though he was born in the USA.

Other likely candidates for a surprise performance could well include the likes of Dean Harrison, after another strong year on the roads, the irrepressible Lee Johnston, and the Supertwin star Jamie Hamilton, Irish Road Racing Champion this year and hopefully fully fit after a fall just before he claimed his second title of the year, this time in Supersport.

In addition to Harrison, fellow Britons making their debuts this year are: Dan Cooper, part of a two-rider DMR Racing entry with Scotsman James Storrar, 8th at Macau last year; Graham English (BMW TIVA Engineering Ltd – Fix Auto Collision); and Ben Wylie who teams up with Paul Shoesmith at ICE VALLEY by Motorsave Trade. Irishman Brian McCormack debuts at Macau on a TAG Racing Honda.

Other newcomers are Roman Stamm of Switzerland with Team Bolliger and fellow countryman Hervé Gantner, who partners Toye at Penz13.Com BMW Racing Team, while from Portugal comes André Pires on a SBK/INCORTCAR Suzuki.

South African newcomer Allann-Jon Venter makes his debut as part of a four-rider entry from Quattro Plant Motorsport. Fourth place finisher last year Gary Johnson leads the charge on a Honda after an impressive season of racing which has included podium finishes at the Isle of Man TT, North West 200 and Ulster Grand Prix. Steve Heneghan, who made his Macau debut last year, will be aboard a Kawasaki, as will seasoned road racer Sandor Bitter of Hungary and Venter, who made his first appearance at the Isle of Man TT this year.

There are plenty of riders for the highly-respected Macau invitational but so few places on the grid, and as always there's the possibility of a surprise from the ranks of riders whose names we know but have yet to deliver on this most challenging circuit.

Ian Hutchinson's name is missing from the list but it is believed that his Milwaukee Yamaha team are finalising their thoughts on whether to make the trip.

2013 entry list:

1 Michael RUTTER GBR SMT Racing Honda

7 Dean HARRISON GBR RC Express Racing by MSS Performance Kawasaki

8 Roman STAMM SUI Team Bolliger Switzerland Kawasaki

10 Mark MILLER USA Splitlath Redmond Racing Honda

11 Stephen THOMPSON GBR T&R Motorsport Suzuki

12 Ian LOUGHER GBR ILR / Barnes Racing Honda

15 James STORRAR GBR DMR Racing BMW

17 Nuno CAETANO POR KD Team of Portugal Kawasaki

18 Lee JOHNSTON East Coast Racing Honda

19 Marc FISSETTE BEL Heidger-Motorsport.de Suzuki

20 Dan COOPER GBR DMR Racing BMW

22 Horst SAIGER AUT Saiger-Racing.com Kawasaki

26 Didier GRAMS GER Heidger-Motorsport.de BMW

39 Allann-Jon VENTER RSA Quattro Plant Motorsports Kawasaki

40 Martin JESSOPP GBR Riders Motorcycles BMW

44 Jamie HAMILTON GBR KMR Kawasaki

47 Brandon CRETU USA Splitlath Redmond Racing EBR

48 Hervé GANTNER Penz13.Com BMW Racing Team BMW

54 Steve HENEGHAN IRL Quattro Plant Motorsports Kawasaki

55 Dan KNEEN IOM Marks Bloom Racing Suzuki

57 Jeremy TOYE USA Penz13.Com BMW Racing Team BMW

60 Ben WYLIE GBR Ice Valley by Motorsave Trade BMW

68 David JOHNSON AUS PR Racing Kawasaki

69 Paul SHOESMITH GBR Ice Valley by Motorsave Trade BMW

83 Graham ENGLISH GBR TIVA Engineering Ltd – Fix Auto Collision

BMW

111 Brian MCCORMACK IRL TAG Racing Honda

114 Andre PIRES POR SBK / Incortcar Suzuki

115 Steve MERCER GBR TTC 115 Suzuki