McWilliams hails Phillip Island victory

Former Grand Prix ace Jeremy McWilliams was back on the top step at the Island Classic meeting at Phillip Island in Australia at the weekend.

McWilliams secured the individual honours for the second year in succession at the event on a Bridgestone-shod XR69 Suzuki.

Australia won the International Challenge team award, with McWilliams leading the UK team including Northern Ireland road racer Ryan Farquhar to second place overall.

The 47-year-old, who will make his North West 200 debut in May for Farquhar's KMR Kawasaki team, is no stranger to success at Phillip Island.

He secured pole at the 4.45km Victorian circuit in 1999 when he put his 250GP Aprilia on pole. He then did it again in 2000 on the Aprilia 500GP V-twin, repeating the feat in the first year of MotoGP in 2002; this time on the Proton KR3 500cc two-stroke against the 990cc MotoGP four-strokes.

McWilliams joins a distinguished list of top points' scorers and International Challenge champions in recent years at the event, including Steve Martin in 2010, plus 1987 World 500GP champion Wayne Gardner (2009), two-times Australian Superbike champion Malcolm Campbell (2008) and Rob Phillis (2007).

Despite only arriving in Australia on Thursday, the former 250cc Grand Prix winner posted two further third-placed podiums and a fourth place to seize a slender two-point winning margin overall. Beau Beaton, riding a classic Vincent, was second with six-time Australian Superbike champion Phillis third on a Suzuki Katana.

McWilliams also picked up the inaugural Ken Wootten International Perpetual Trophy for his efforts, in memory of the highly-respected Australian motorcycle journalist who sadly passed away last year.

"It wasn't ideal preparation arriving a bit late this year due to circumstances beyond my control, but I love competing at this event and I wouldn't have missed it," McWilliams said.

"The XR69 Suzuki is a great big bike to ride and the combination of great bike, enthusiastic rider and Bridgestone tyres was the winning formula.

"I won the final race but would have liked another, but like last year I've shown that consistency is the key to the overall victory here.

"I've had a great time as usual so big thanks to the organisers, Roger Winfield for the bike and Bridgestone for great rubber. Hopefully I can come back and make it a hat-trick in 2013."

Tyco Suzuki's Josh Brookes also competed in the event and was lucky to escape unscathed following a high-speed crash.