Aprilia
MotoGP rider
Jeremy McWilliams was an interested observer at the Imola World Superbike round today (Friday), where he admitted that a switch to
WSBK was 'getting more like reality' and that while he could stay in
MotoGP next season he 'quite fancies a change' in the near future.
40-year-old McWilliams - who made his 500cc debut in 1993 and has been a GP regular ever since - made the comments while speaking to Louise Cain about his racing future, the attraction of
WSBK, the current championship battle and much more...
Q: Are you coming to World Superbikes next season?Jeremy McWilliams: Possibly. I'm just looking, and seeing how the other half live down here, it's quite good, quite a relaxed atmosphere. I've got a few friends here, so I came down to see them, Leon and some others. So who knows…
Q: Would you consider World Superbikes in the future?Jeremy McWilliams: I've always considered it, its getting more like reality. I've probably put it off for a couple of years hoping that we will get a good deal in
MotoGP. I could be in
MotoGP again next year, but I quite fancy a change, I'm not really sure if it will be next year or the year after but certainly the time is approaching.
Q: What do you think of the level of riding and machinery in World Superbikes?Jeremy McWilliams: I think it's very good, there's a lot of ex GP riders here, some doing very well. It's made much more even this year with the tyre rule. I think it was quite controversial to start with, but maybe now we are all starting to agree that it was the right direction. It's certainly a good championship and a pretty even one at that. We've only to 2 rounds left, so let's hope that its
James Toseland who takes it away with him.
Q: Who is your money on for the championship?Jeremy McWilliams: Its gotta be James hasn't it? But potentially anyone could win it, the top 4 (Toseland, Vermeulen, Laconi and Haga) may not even be the champion at the end of the day. Let's hope it's a Brit.
Q: I believe you were helping Leon Haslam last night with track knowledge?Jeremy McWilliams: For all I could offer him, you know it's a long time since I've been here. Last time I rode round here was on a 250. It probably hasn't got much bearing on what these guys are riding round on now. I think the circuit is just not in as good a condition as I remember it. It looks like quite a rough ride out there. Its one of my favourite circuits, certainly when I was racing here it was my favourite circuit. Let's hope he got something from it. He's just on the top page at the moment; let's hope he gets right up with the leaders by the end of today.
