Motorsport: McWilliams to race Proton KR3

Ulsterman Jeremy McWilliams has signed to race the Proton KR3 for the British-based team of former world champion Kenny Roberts in MotoGP next season.

The 37-year-old Belfast rider joins Japan’s Nobuatsu Aoki on the Banbury-based team after signing a one-year deal to race the 500cc two-stroke.

Roberts was delighted to have landed McWilliams and the American told www.motorcyclenews.com: ‘‘I am really happy to have a player like Jeremy on board.

‘‘He has a lot of experience on a lot of different bikes which will help him contribute a great deal to our programme.

‘‘I know with Jeremy he will always give 100%. He has experience and he has speed.’’

McWilliams became the first British rider to win a GP for 15 years when he triumphed in the Dutch 250 round at Assen this summer and returns to a class he last raced in during the 2000 season for Aprilia.