MonsterMob signs British favourite McWilliams

British Superbikes
By blue2bikes
February 1 2005

It has been officially announced that British favourite Jeremy McWilliams has indeed signed to ride a FireBlade for the Eddie Stobart backed MonsterMob Honda team, in a two year deal, to make an assault on the British Superbike series.

Jeremy said, “I can’t wait to race in the British series. I have been wanting to race in it for a couple of seasons now, and I can only thank Paul Bird for holding on whilst things were being sorted. The BSB is only second in the world to MotoGP, and waiting for the right ride with the right team is the one that fits the bill.”

He went on to say, “There are some tracks I have not seen before, so it’s going to be interesting. One of my main strengths is I am able to learn tracks quickly, so I don’t see the tracks being of any problem to me.”

Paul Bird, the team owner, said, “Jeremy was always my number one target, and he was the one I offered the ride to first. We were interested in ‘Shakey’ Byrne and Gregorio Lavilla, as I didn’t think we had a chance of signing Jeremy. It has taken a lot of time and patience, and I am thrilled to have secured Jeremy.”

Although Jeremy is 40 years of age, this has never been a problem for the championship winner last year, John Reynolds, who proved age is not a factor when you have the ability to race at this level.

Jeremy started his racing career in 1988, during which he has attained six Grand Prix rostrum finishes, with victory in the 2001 Dutch 250cc race - becoming the first British rider to win a solo Grand Prix since Ian McConnachie in 1986 - a statistic which still stands today.

Jeremy will certainly attract the crowds to the BSB championship, as he is well liked by riders and fans alike. Along with his tenacious will to win, it could be on the cards for the MonsterMob team to yet again win the series. The team now consists of Jeremy McWilliams, Gary Mason and Michael Laverty, which means a formidable force aboard the new Honda FireBlades.

So what now for Shane ‘Shakey’ Byrne? He still has no confirmed ride, but rumour has it that he may well have a ride with Proton Team KR, should they be able to secure support from the Austrian firm KTM.