Jeremy McWilliams (born 4 April 1964 in Belfast)[citation needed] is a British motorcycle road racer from Northern Ireland. McWilliams became ineligible for mainstream racing after the 2014 season due to his age exceeding the 50-year-old cutoff point, but has continued to ride occasionally in fringe events not controlled by the FIM.[1][2]

Jeremy McWilliams
McWilliams following Valentino Rossi at the 2000 British Grand Prix
Born (1964-04-04) 4 April 1964 (age 60)
Belfast, Northern Ireland
Motorcycle racing career statistics
MotoGP World Championship
Active years19931996, 2000, 20022005, 2007
ManufacturersYamaha, Aprilia, Team KR, Ilmor
Championships0
Starts Wins Podiums Poles F. laps Points
118 0 2 2 0 300
Moto2 World Championship
Active years2014
ManufacturersTaylor Made
Championships0
2014 championship positionNC (0 pts)
Starts Wins Podiums Poles F. laps Points
1 0 0 0 0 0
250cc World Championship
Active years19971999, 2001
ManufacturersHonda, TSR, Aprilia
Championships0
Starts Wins Podiums Poles F. laps Points
58 1 4 1 0 384

Career

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Early career (1993–2001)

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Between 1993 and 2001, McWilliams rode in the 250cc and 500cc classes. He took two podiums in the 500cc class in 2000, at the Italian GP and the British GP. The following year he won the 250cc race in the Netherlands aboard an Aprilia.[3]

MotoGP and British Superbikes (2002–2007)

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In 2002 and 2003, McWilliams rode for Kenny Roberts' Team KR in MotoGP aboard the Proton KR bike.[4] In a surprising performance, he took pole position at the 2002 Australian GP, riding a three-cylinder two-stroke bike against the much more competitive four strokes. His best race result over these two years was 6th at the 2003 French GP[citation needed].

In 2004, he rode the much-maligned Aprilia RS Cube in MotoGP, alongside Shane Byrne.[5] His best finish was 12th place, which he achieved three times, amidst a season where he was frequently hurt due to the vicious nature of the bike. He later claimed to have experienced broken ribs and a dislocated collarbone, amongst other injuries, during that season.[6]

For 2005, McWilliams was contracted to return to the Kenny Roberts KR team, who would be receiving engine support from KTM. However, Dorna stepped in later and revoked the contract on the insistence that Shane Byrne be given the ride.[6] This came as a huge disappointment to McWilliams, leaving him scrambling to find a ride late into the off-season.

Instead, he spent 2005 racing in the British Superbike Championship on a Honda, but finished outside the top 10 in the end of year standings, partly due to a shoulder injury suffered during the season.

Later in the year, he did get a chance to fulfill his initial plans of riding the for Team Roberts in MotoGP. KTM withdrew their support for the team one day before the Czech grand prix at Brno, refusing to supply engines.[7][8] This left the team in a difficult situation, as they were contractually obliged to fill their position on the grid, but had no engines to use. Furthermore, the team's sole rider, Shane Byrne, was technically contracted to KTM and unable to ride any other bike, leaving Byrne unable to compete and Team Roberts with no rider.

With less than 24 hours notice, McWilliams found himself competing at Brno in the Czech Republic, racing on the Team Roberts Proton V5 bike the team used in 2004.[9] The weekend started promisingly, as McWilliams immediately started posting lap times as much as 1.5 seconds quicker than what the bike had posted the previous year. However, McWilliams ended up being forced to retire from the race due to an engine sensor failure, causing the throttle to stick open.[10][11]

Following the race, McWilliams expressed interest in competing in the rest of the season. Team Roberts subsequently announced that they would not be able to make it to the flyaway races due to their sudden loss of funds from the now terminated KTM deal, but hoped to show at the season-ending race in Valencia with McWilliams.[11] For reasons unknown, the team and McWilliams failed to show.

For 2007, McWilliams was contracted to race in the MotoGP series for the newly founded Ilmor team,[12] despite a heavy crash in testing in late 2006.[13] He had to miss the first race of the season in Qatar, due to another crash, near the end of the Losail International Circuit. After this round the team suspended its racing operations and did not return[citation needed].

Later years (2012–present)

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In 2012, McWilliams participated in the North West 200 races, where he scored a second place in the Super-Twin event[citation needed]. Riding for the KMR Racing Team, McWilliams finished second behind his fellow Irishman, Ryan Farquhar.

In 2013, McWilliams had a supporting role in the film Under the Skin, starring Scarlett Johansson.[14]

In 2014, McWilliams returned to Grand Prix racing at the age of 50 for a one-off wildcard ride in the Moto2 series at the British Grand Prix held at Silverstone.[15] He finished in 29th place aboard a machine with American origins entered as Brough Superior, using the controlled-standard 600 cc four-cylinder Honda engine.[16][17]

McWilliams occasionally enters fringe events not controlled by the FIM with their age limit.[1][18][2]

McWilliams is involved in development work for motorcycle and tyre manufacturers, such as KTM, and also in coaching young riders through his Masterclass race schools.[citation needed]

In 2022, McWilliams returned to road racing full time in the MotoAmerica King of Bagger Series with the Indian Motorcycle factory team along site 2021 class Champion Tyler O’Hara.[19] During the 2022 season, McWilliams was able to take his first win the series during the Daytona 200 weekend. For 2023, McWilliams remains on the Indian factory team alongside O'Hara in both the King of the Bagger and the Super Hooligan class.[20]

Career statistics

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Grand Prix motorcycle racing

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By season

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Season Class Motorcycle Team Race Win Pod Pole FLap Pts Plcd
1993 500cc Yamaha Team Millar 13 0 0 0 0 17 22nd
1994 500cc Yamaha Team Millar 14 0 0 0 0 49 12th
1995 500cc Harris-Yamaha Team Millar 12 0 0 0 0 20 19th
1996 500cc ROC Yamaha QUB Team Optimum 15 0 0 0 0 26 16th
1997 250cc Honda QUB Team Optimum 14 0 0 0 0 73 10th
1998 250cc TSR-Honda QUB Team Optimum 14 0 1 0 0 87 9th
1999 250cc Aprilia QUB Team Optimum 14 0 1 1 0 83 10th
2000 500cc Aprilia Blu Aprilia Team 16 0 2 1 0 76 14th
2001 250cc Aprilia MS Aprilia Racing 16 1 2 0 0 141 6th
2002 MotoGP Proton Proton Team KR 16 0 0 1 0 59 14th
2003 MotoGP Proton Proton Team KR 16 0 0 0 0 27 18th
2004 MotoGP Aprilia MS Aprilia Racing 15 0 0 0 0 26 19th
2005 MotoGP Proton Team Roberts 1 0 0 0 0 0 NC
2007 MotoGP Ilmor GP Ilmor GP 0 0 0 0 0 0 NC
2014 Moto2 Taylor Made Brough Superior Racing 1 0 0 0 0 0 NC
Total 177 1 6 3 0 684

By class

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Class Season 1st GP 1st Pod 1st Win Race Win Podiums Pole FLap Pts WChmp
250cc 1997–1999, 2001 1997 Malaysia 1998 Germany 2001 Netherlands 58 1 4 1 0 384 0
500cc 1993–1996, 2000 1993 Australia 2000 Italy 70 0 2 1 0 188 0
MotoGP 2002–2005, 2007 2002 Japan 48 0 0 1 0 112 0
Moto2 2014 2014 Great Britain 1 0 0 0 0 0 0
Total 1993–2005, 2007, 2014 177 1 6 3 0 684 0

Races by year

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(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position)

Year Class Bike 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 Pos. Pts
1993 500cc Yamaha AUS
Ret
MAL
DNS
JPN
Ret
SPA
Ret
AUT
20
GER
Ret
NED
Ret
EUR
11
RSM
13
GBR
Ret
CZE
16
ITA
19
USA
12
FIM
11
22nd 17
1994 500cc Yamaha AUS
17
MAL
14
JPN
13
SPA
11
AUT
16
GER
Ret
NED
Ret
ITA
15
FRA
8
GBR
10
CZE
10
USA
9
ARG
9
EUR
12
12th 49
1995 500cc Harris-Yamaha AUS
DNS
MAL
14
JPN
Ret
SPA
11
GER
Ret
ITA
Ret
NED
18
FRA
7
GBR
Ret
CZE
16
BRA
12
ARG
Ret
EUR
17
19th 20
1996 500cc ROC Yamaha MAL
14
INA
12
JPN
13
SPA
14
ITA
16
FRA
11
NED
14
GER
Ret
GBR
Ret
AUT
14
CZE
14
IMO
Ret
CAT
12
BRA
Ret
AUS
Ret
16th 26
1997 250cc Honda MAL
9
JPN
16
SPA
9
ITA
9
AUT
Ret
FRA
11
NED
9
IMO
7
GER
8
BRA
10
GBR CZE
Ret
CAT
11
INA
10
AUS
10
10th 73
1998 250cc TSR-Honda JPN
10
MAL
7
SPA
Ret
ITA
Ret
FRA
7
MAD
9
NED
12
GBR
7
GER
2
CZE
4
IMO
Ret
CAT
Ret
AUS
Ret
ARG
6
9th 87
1999 250cc Aprilia MAL
7
JPN
Ret
SPA
7
FRA
11
ITA
4
CAT
6
NED
3
GBR
6
GER
Ret
CZE
8
IMO
13
VAL
Ret
AUS
Ret
RSA BRA
Ret
ARG
DNS
10th 83
2000 500cc Aprilia RSA
Ret
MAL
10
JPN
8
SPA
Ret
FRA
12
ITA
3
CAT
12
NED
Ret
GBR
3
GER
Ret
CZE
9
POR
11
VAL
Ret
BRA
Ret
PAC
14
AUS
8
14th 76
2001 250cc Aprilia JPN
8
RSA
6
SPA
10
FRA
7
ITA
Ret
CAT
6
NED
1
GBR
Ret
GER
Ret
CZE
Ret
POR
5
VAL
5
PAC
3
AUS
4
MAL
5
BRA
5
6th 141
2002 MotoGP Proton KR JPN
Ret
RSA
Ret
SPA
16
FRA
10
ITA
Ret
CAT
12
NED
Ret
GBR
Ret
GER
7
CZE
7
POR
9
BRA
Ret
PAC
10
MAL
12
AUS
10
VAL
8
14th 59
2003 MotoGP Proton KR JPN
Ret
RSA
Ret
SPA
12
FRA
6
ITA
Ret
CAT
Ret
NED
Ret
GBR
Ret
GER
12
CZE
Ret
POR
19
BRA
16
PAC
Ret
MAL
17
AUS
11
VAL
12
18th 27
2004 MotoGP Aprilia RSA
16
SPA
Ret
FRA
13
ITA
16
CAT
DNS
NED
15
BRA
14
GER
12
GBR
16
CZE
14
POR
12
JPN
12
QAT
Ret
MAL
15
AUS
14
VAL
13
19th 26
2005 MotoGP Proton KR SPA POR CHN FRA ITA CAT NED USA GBR GER CZE
Ret
JPN MAL QAT AUS TUR VAL NC 0
2007 MotoGP Ilmor GP QAT
DNS
SPA TUR CHN FRA ITA CAT GBR NED GER USA CZE RSM POR JPN AUS MAL VAL NC 0
2014 Moto2 Taylor Made QAT AME ARG SPA FRA ITA CAT NED GER INP CZE GBR
29
RSM ARA JPN AUS MAL VAL NC 0
Source:[21]

Superbike World Championship

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Races by year

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(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Year Make 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 Pos. Pts
R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2
1993 Ducati IRL IRL GER GER SPA SPA SMR SMR AUT AUT CZE CZE SWE SWE MAL MAL JPN JPN NED NED ITA ITA GBR
10
GBR
Ret
POR POR 48th 6

References

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  1. ^ a b Jeremy McWilliams to race in Moto2 – aged 50!! "Moto2 age limit regulations state: 'For the Moto2 riders, the limit for the maximum age finishes at the end of the year in which the rider reaches the age of 50.'". Motorcycle News, 21 August/24 November 2014. Retrieved 16 September 2022
  2. ^ a b North West 200: Jeremy McWilliams hits out at Supertwins cancellation Belfast Live 13 May 2022. Retrieved 16 September 2022
  3. ^ "McWilliams wins 250cc GP". BBC Sport. BBC News. 30 June 2001. Retrieved 16 October 2017.
  4. ^ "Jeremy McWilliams – IMDb". IMDb. Retrieved 16 October 2017.
  5. ^ "McWilliams signs with Aprilia". MCN. 2 December 2003. Retrieved 17 October 2017.
  6. ^ a b Trev (20 January 2016). "Jeremy McWilliams talks to Trevor Hedge about his racing career, his motorcycle development association with KTM, the Island Classic and many other topics". MCNews. Retrieved 24 November 2022.
  7. ^ newspaper (12 August 2005). "KTM Will No Longer Supply MotoGP Engines To Team Roberts". Roadracing World Magazine | Motorcycle Riding, Racing & Tech News. Retrieved 25 November 2022.
  8. ^ "Roberts in the dark as KTM cuts the power". The Sydney Morning Herald. 23 August 2005. Retrieved 25 November 2022.
  9. ^ "Brilliant Rossi claims Czech GP". BBC Sport. 28 August 2005. Retrieved 16 October 2017.
  10. ^ Sports, Dorna. "McWilliams on his comeback with Team Roberts | MotoGP™". www.motogp.com. Retrieved 25 November 2022.
  11. ^ a b Sports, Dorna. "Mixed feelings for Mc Williams on his MotoGP return | MotoGP™". www.motogp.com. Retrieved 25 November 2022.
  12. ^ "McWilliams confirms MotoGP return". BBC Sport. BBC. 19 December 2006. Retrieved 29 August 2014.
  13. ^ "McWilliams hurt in MotoGP crash". BBC Sport. BBC. 30 November 2006. Retrieved 29 August 2014.
  14. ^ McCann, Nuala (20 March 2014). "McWilliams is 'bad man on mission for Scarlett Johansson'". BBC News. Retrieved 29 August 2014.
  15. ^ Emmett, David (22 August 2014). "50-Year-Old Jeremy McWilliams To Race Brough Superior In Moto2 At Silverstone". Retrieved 16 October 2017.
  16. ^ Moto2 Silverstone: McWilliams reviews day one on Brough Superior crash.net, 29 August 2014. Retrieved 16 September 2022
  17. ^ 2014 Silverstone Moto2 Results & Recap ultimatemotorcycling.com, 1 September 2014. Retrieved 16 September 2022
  18. ^ Jeremy McWilliams To Replace Injured Dan Kneen In Mar-Train Yamaha Team northwest200.org, 8 May 2016. Retrieved 16 September 2022
  19. ^ "Ex-GP racer Jeremy McWilliams coming to the US … to go bagger racing?". 9 March 2022.
  20. ^ "Jeremy McWilliams to race two MotoAmerica classes with Indian in 2023".
  21. ^ "Jeremy Mcwilliams". MotoGP.com. Dorna Sports S.L. Retrieved 29 August 2014.
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