Ageless Jeremy McWilliams: at 62, he wins at the North West 200

Jeremy McWilliams wasn’t even supposed to be at the North West 200 this year. Called up at the last minute as a substitute, “Jezza” pulled off a history-making victory in the second Supertwin/Sportbike race. At 62 years old, celebrated on April 4, he became the oldest-ever winner at the “Triangle”, achieving it after a seven-year gap since his last hurrah between Portrush, Portstewart, and Coleraine.

McWilliams even came close to a double in the two class races on the schedule. In the first contest, a moment of carelessness—misreading the number of laps remaining—saw him run straight on at the Juniper Hill Chicane on the final lap, effectively handing the win to Peter Hickman. A few hours later, to avoid any kind of mishap, he did the smart thing: grabbed the lead and cleared off on the Yamaha R7 prepared by Flitwick Motorcycles.

That’s how he built his personal fourth career win at the North West 200, rewarded with a standing ovation from the crowd of enthusiasts on hand. Winning at this event—especially in a class as fiercely fought as the now-former Supertwin—is never easy. Doing it at 62, having started road racing close to 50, truly belongs to the realm of a rider with limitless class. Eternal, evergreen, reaffirming that age is just a number, and so on and so forth.

For the former Grand Prix rider, it’s yet another gem in an extraordinary career where, as a supposed “retiree,” he has taken immense satisfaction. Beyond his North West 200 wins, in 2022 as an official Indian Motorcycles rider he triumphed in one of the King of the Baggers races at Daytona. If not for the age limit of 50 imposed in Grand Prix and Superbike categories, who knows what he might have achieved in this second—or third—competitive youth...