Former MotoGP star Jeremy McWilliams made his big-bike debut at the 2016 Vauxhall North West 200 today as he stands-in for the injured Dan Kneen and says the near-200mph run into Station corner is a bit scary.
The Ulsterman, who went out on the Mar-Train R1 in Superbike and Superstock sessions as well as in Supersport, placed an astonishing 11th on the Superbike timesheet and is only eight seconds slower than quickest man Michael Dunlop - making him a good side-bet for a podium or even a win on Saturday - and believes he could have gone faster.
“I ran into traffic or I think I could have been higher up the order,” the 51-year-old said. “Everything happens so fast out there on one of these Superbikes as you approach Station at 190mph. The onboard television cameras don’t do justice to the speed. It is scary and requires a huge amount of concentration.
“Today was good, I made a few mistakes on the 600cc on what was my quickest lap and had put together a really good lap on the superstock bike before the red flags came out with one corner to go so the timesheets could have looked a bit better at the end of the day. The bikes are good though, we need to work a little on the power delivery of the superbike but I’m really enjoying the stock and supersport bikes.
“It was a very busy day but I felt good at the end and would have liked a few more laps on the stock bike so riding in all the classes isn’t an issue. I know where both the bikes and I can improve so I’m looking forward to Thursday to see where we end up.”