Michael Dunlop in action at this year's Manx GP

Ballymoney's Michael Dunlop will make his Macau Grand Prix debut this weekend and his team boss Paul Bird has said the two-time Isle of Man TT winner is defintely not there to make up the grid numbers.

The younger Dunlop has never raced the Guia circuit before but team-mates Conor Cummins and Jeremy Toye have, so the squad has some experience of the 3.8-mile track set on the coast of China in the Guangdong province.

"Having won the race for the past three years, it's a shame Stuart couldn't defend his title but in his absence, we're pretty well placed to challenge for the win I feel. Conor is ready to step up to the plate again after his big TT crash and has the experience round here and Jeremy is capable of a podium for sure, as he proved last year," said Bird.

"Michael won't take long to learn the place and he's not come here to make up the numbers so I think the established riders might be in for a bit of a surprise."