Former Grand Prix ace Jeremy McWilliams was back on the top step at the Island Classic meetin💯g at Phillip Island in Australia at the weekend.

McWilliams secured the individual honours❀ for the second year in succession at the e♎vent on a Bridgestone-shod XR69 Suzuki.

Australia won the International Challenge team award, with McWilliams leading the UK team including Northern Ireland road racer Ryan Farqu♓har to second place overall.

The 47-year-old, who will m♕ake his North West 200 debut in May for Farquhar's KMR Kawasaki team, is no stranger to success at Phillip Island.

He secured pole at the 4.✱45km Victorian circuit in 1999 when he put his 250GP Aprilia on pole. He then did it again in 2000 on the Aprilia 500GP V-twin, repeating the feat in the first year of MotoGP in 2002; this time on the Proton KR3 500cc two-stroke against the 990cc MotoGP four-strokes.

McWilliams joins a distinguished list of top points' scorers and International Challenge champions in recent years at the event, including Stᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚeve Martin in 2010, plus 1987 World 500GP champion Wayne Gardner (2009), two-times Australian Superbike cham🗹pion Malcolm Campbell (2008) and Rob Phillis (2007).

Despite only arriving in Australia on Thursday, the former 250cc Grand Prix winner posted two further third-placed podiums and a fourth place to seize a slender two-point winning margin overall. Beau Beaton, riding a classic Vincent, was second with six-time Australian Superbike champion Phillis third on a Suzuki Katana.

McWilliams also pickꦚed 𒊎up the inaugural Ken Wootten International Perpetual Trophy for his efforts, in memory of the highly-respected Australian motorcycle journalist who sadly passed away last year.

"It wasn't ideal preparation arriving a bit late this year due to circumstances beyond my control, but I love competing at this event and I wouldn't have missed it," McWilli꧅ams said.

"𒊎The XR69 Suzuki is a great big bike to ride and the combination of great bike, enthusiastic rider and Bridgestone tyres was the winning formula.

"💟I won the final race but would have liked another, but like last year I've shown that consistency is the key to the overall victory here.

"I've had a great t꧃ime as usual so big thanks to the organisers, Roger Winfield for the bike and Bridgestone for great rubber. Hopefully I can come back and make it a hat-trick in 2013."

Tyco Suzuki's Jos🍷h Brookes also competed in the event and was lucky to escape unscathed following a high-s꧑peed crash.